Boulder County Building Publications
Permit Fees - B33

Boulder County Community Planning and Permitting building permit fees (effective Jan. 1, 2023) cover the cost of reviewing, processing, and inspecting construction projects.

Total Cost of Building Project

Add the following numbered fees 1-5 for the total cost of a Building permit (plus any applicable Defensible Space or Other Fees).

1. Building Permit Fee
2. Plan Check Fee
3. Use Taxes
4. Zoning and Public Health Permit Review Fees
5. Technology Fee

1. Building Permit Fees Valuation Table 1-A

* Valuation shall be determined in accordance with Section 109.3 of the Boulder County Building Code. Where the valuation that is calculated based upon standard building valuation data and the actual total contract construction cost differ, the higher of the two valuation figures shall be used to determine the building permit fee. The County may require information to verify valuation estimates and collect any additional money owed.

Residential Building Valuation Data

2. Plan Check Fee:

The plan review fee is determined by multiplying the building permit fee by 65%.

3. Use Taxes

New rates starting as of Jan. 1, 2026

For Renewable Energy permits, only the taxes marked with an * apply, and are based on materials at $3.50/watt.

4. Zoning and Public Health Permit Review Fees (does not apply to EZBP permits)

Residential

Commercial, Institutional

Grading Permit

5. Technology Fee

Defensible Space Fees

The Defensible Space Fee is applicable to Building Permits issued in mountainous portions of Boulder County, for new and additions to residence, commercial, building, institutional, and utility building

Other Permits

Other Fees

Calculated fees are to be rounded to the nearest whole dollar figure, with amounts of $0.50 or less rounded down and amounts of $0.51 or more to be rounded up. A credit/debit card service fee of 2.25% + $0.75 applies to all credit card and debit card transactions. An electronic check service fee of $1 applies to all electronic check transactions.

(x) Or the total hourly cost to the jurisdiction, whichever is the greatest. This cost shall include supervision, overhead, equipment, hourly wages and fringe benefits of the employees involved.

* Actual costs include administrative and overhead costs.

Note: Building materials purchased in Boulder County are tax-exempt for County Taxes when you present your building permit to the materials vendor at time of purchase.

Application Deposit Fees

Application deposits are based on the stated valuation shown on the Building Permit Application or Grading Permit in accordance with the following schedules:

Building Permit Applications

Grading Permits

Reduced Building Permit Fee Program for Disasters

Building permits for structures undergoing major repair work or being rebuilt after receiving verified damage from a declared disaster may have the building permit fee calculated in accordance with Table 1-A reduced by 25% if all of the following conditions are met:

1. The structures are the same size or smaller than the structures that existed prior to the disaster, and;
2. The total floor area is not larger than 2,500 sq. ft. in floor area for dwellings or not larger than 530 sq. ft. in floor area for accessory buildings, and;
3. The property owner benefiting from the fee reduction must be the property owner of record at the time that the disaster occurred, and;
4. The fee reduction applies only to structures damaged or destroyed in the declared local disaster. Proof that the damage or loss is a result of the disaster, including such items as photographs, insurance claims, etc., must be submitted to the Chief Building Official for verification.

Under the local disaster declaration for the flood and rain events beginning on Sept. 11, 2013, the reduced fees, along with the waiver of application deposit fees and rebates for third party inspections as further described below, may be applied to building permit applications completed and accepted on or before Sept. 11, 2016.

Building permit applicants for structures being rebuilt after being severely damaged or destroyed in a declared disaster are not required to pay an application deposit at the time of building permit application.

Where structures are being rebuilt after being severely damaged or destroyed by a declared local disaster, and qualified third party inspectors satisfactorily perform required inspections that would otherwise need to be performed by county building inspectors, rebates of $150.00 per such required inspection may be paid to the holder of the building permit.

Reduced Building Permit Fees for Rebuilding After the Cal-Wood and Marshall Fires

On Dec. 6, 2022, the Board of County Commissioners modified the building permit fees for Cal-Wood and Marshall Fire rebuilds. The approved program recognizes the increases in construction costs and insufficient insurance coverage that many residents who were impacted by the Cal-Wood and Marshall Fires are experiencing.

On residential properties, the owner of the subject property on the event date is eligible. Complete Building Permit applications filed by the owner of record of a destroyed residential property due to either the Marshall Fire or Cal-Wood federal disasters (must have owned the property on Dec. 30, 2021, or Oct. 17, 2020, respectively) are eligible.

The program period covers building permits that are filed within three years (by Dec. 31, 2024 for Marshall Fire impacted properties, and Oct. 31, 2023 for Cal-Wood Fire-impacted properties). The discount is available retroactively for eligible properties that have already remitted their fees.

• Single-family rebuilds – $4,400 building permit fee reduction for new single-family homes.
• Accessory Structure rebuilds – 25% reduction of permit fees. Please note that the Sales and Use Taxes must be calculated on the total valuation but are eligible for the Federal Disaster Use Tax Rebate Program as approved.

Grading Permit Fees

For grading less than 50 cubic yards, no permit is required.

Note: Taxes are not associated with grading permits, as there are no taxable materials.

Zoning Enforcement Fees

For projects constructed without permits, planning application fees and building permit fees may be doubled as a means to recover the cost incurred to retroactively process and permit the violation.

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