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Denver

City and County of Denver, Community Planning and Development

In short

City and County of Denver, Community Planning and Development issues 5 permits we publish for Denver, last verified 2026-09-08. Each carries the fee as the agency publishes it, with a link to the schedule it was read from.

What this agency issues

Permits required, with issuing agency, fee, renewal term and the date each record was last verified against its source
Commercial Building PermitCity and County of Denver, Community Planning and DevelopmentValuation-based: $20 ($1–$500); $35 ($501–$2,000); $35 + $8 per additional $1,000 ($2,000–$25,000); $220 + $8/$1,000 ($25,000–$50,000); $420 + $7/$1,000 ($50,001–$100,000); $770 + $5.60/$1,000 ($100,001–$500,000); $3,010 + $4.75/$1,000 ($500,001–$1,000,000); $5,385 + $3.65/$1,000 above $1,000,000. Plan review is 50% of the permit fee generally (10% for type-approved permits; 20%, minimum $100, for express/over-the-counter review); a 25% or 50% surcharge applies for two-phase or three-plus-phase construction.one-time, per project2026-09-08
Sign PermitCity and County of Denver, Community Planning and Development$25 for a standard sign permit; $500 for a comprehensive sign plan at a large facility (no fee for a supplemental/vital-signs comprehensive plan); outdoor advertising (billboards) is $225 for the initial review and $225 for the annual renewal.one-time, per sign permit; outdoor advertising renews annually2026-09-08
Temporary Certificate of Occupancyonly if it applies to youCity and County of Denver, Community Planning and Development$200 flattemporary, pending final approval2026-09-08
Contractor License (Class A/B/C/D)City and County of Denver, Community Planning and Development$250 every 3 years (a plumbing license renews every 2 years)3 years2026-09-08
Zone Use Permit / Home Occupation Application for Child CareCity and County of Denver, Community Planning and Development$20 flat — a Zone Use Permit for a center, or a Home Occupation Application for an in-home day careone-time2026-09-08

Fees shown as a range or formula are set that way by the issuing agency — we do not average them into a single number.

About each permit

Commercial Building Permit

Confirmed identically across two independent official sources (the live DSfees page and the dated ADMIN 125/138 PDF).

Sign Permit

A zoning permit from Community Planning and Development, required for most signs on private property, including a sign on private property that projects over the public sidewalk. The application's sign schedule covers new sign area, sign area to be removed and existing sign area that remains or is replaced (its own worked example is a face change on an existing pole sign), recording each sign's type, area, faces, illumination and height alongside the zone lot and tenant frontage; its staff section totals the signs and sign area allowed, removed, proposed and approved, and staff issue the zoning permit once the plans meet the zoning code and the fee is paid. The development fee schedule lists the sign permit at a flat $25. Most signs also need a building permit unless the Denver Building and Fire Code exempts them, and it must be obtained within 180 days of the zoning permit or the zoning permit lapses; an electrical permit is needed if the sign has electrical components or connections. A sign at a local landmark or in a historic district also goes to Landmark Preservation for a Certificate of Appropriateness, a sign crossing into the public right-of-way needs a separate Department of Transportation and Infrastructure permit, and a new business that changes the use of its space needs a zoning use permit alongside the sign permit. Some temporary signs, such as an unlit window sign or a banner promoting a sale for up to 45 days, need no permit under Denver Zoning Code section 10.10.3, while billboards need a zoning permit that is renewed annually.

Temporary Certificate of Occupancy

A standard Certificate of Occupancy carries no separate fee — it is issued as part of the building permit's final inspection. A duplicate/reissued certificate shows two conflicting official figures: $10 on the live DSfees page versus $25 in the dated ADMIN 125/138 PDF; not reconciled.

Contractor License (Class A/B/C/D)

Colorado has no state general contractor license — this is a genuinely city-specific requirement. Related credentials: Supervisor Certificate $60/3yr, Journeyman $40/3yr, Engineer $40/3yr, Operator $40/3yr. The license carries no bond: the contractor-licensing sections of the 2025 Denver Building Code (Sections 120 through 127) impose none, and instead Section 126.1 requires every licensed contractor to carry insurance commensurate with the type of project and scope of work as the building official defines in policy. That policy, 25-DCBC 120A, sets the minimum for all scopes of work and license types at $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate general liability, plus workers' compensation of $100,000 per occurrence and $250,000 aggregate, or a rejection of coverage for a contractor with no employees. The city's own application steps and form ask for the license fee, a supervisor statement of responsibility, Secretary of State documents and, for electrical, plumbing and fire-protection work, the matching Colorado credential — not a bond. Bonds apply instead to Denver's separate right-of-way licenses for sidewalk, sewer, excavation and similar work in the public right-of-way, each of which lists a bond form and insurance requirements among its required documents.

Zone Use Permit / Home Occupation Application for Child Care

A Denver Fire Department inspection is also required for every child care facility, including homes — a $65 annual fee for this appears in an older Fire Department document, but that document is hosted on a non-production staging subdomain with portions explicitly dated to 2009, so the $65 figure is disclosed here rather than asserted as current. The Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection's own current child care page settles the licensing question directly: 'The Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection no longer issues child care establishment licenses' — a Colorado Department of Early Childhood state license is required instead, layered on top of this zoning/fire review rather than alongside a separate city business license.

Contact

Jurisdiction
Denver
Phone
Not verified — use the website

Contact details are taken from the agency’s own site or its published fee schedule. Where we have not verified a phone number we leave it blank rather than guess.

Sources

Every fee and term above was read from one of these government pages on the date shown.

  1. 2025 Denver Building Code (adopted June 13, 2025; 2nd printing November 2025) — Commercial Building Code chapter 1, Sections 120-127, contractor licensing, renewal, fees and licensed-contractor responsibilitiesCity and County of Denver, Community Planning and Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-18
  2. Apply for a Contractor's License — the required documents (supervisor statement of responsibility, Secretary of State documents, state electrical/plumbing/fire-suppression credentials) and fee paymentDenver Community Planning and Development, Contractor Licensing · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-18
  3. Apply for a Sign Permit — related reviews and permits, site plan and elevation requirements, building permit requirement and the 180-day ruleDenver Community Planning and Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-18
  4. Building Permit Policy 25-DCBC 120A — Classification of Licenses, Registrations and Certificates, including the Insurance Coverage Requirements set under DCBC Section 126.1City and County of Denver, Community Planning and Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-18
  5. Child care — Denver's own current business-licensing page, stating the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection no longer issues child care establishment licenses and that a state license from the Colorado Department of Early Childhood is required insteadDenver Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-18
  6. City and County of Denver — Development Services Fee ScheduleDenver Community Planning and Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
  7. City and County of Denver, ADMIN 125 and 138 — Building and Related Fees (revision date May 21, 2024)Denver Community Planning and Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-08
  8. Contractor License Application (revised July 24, 2023) — "This application must be accompanied by the license fee and supporting documents"Denver Community Planning and Development, Contractor Licensing · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-18
  9. Contractor Licensing Fees — $250 every 3 years for General Contractor Class A, Building Contractor Class B, Residential Contractor Class C and Specialty Class D licensesDenver Community Planning and Development, Contractor Licensing · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-18
  10. Right-of-Way Licenses — sidewalk, sewer, excavation and other public right-of-way licenses, each listing a Bond Form and Insurance Requirements among its required documentsDenver Community Planning and Development, Contractor Licensing · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-18
  11. SIGNS - Zoning Permit Application & Approval (last updated May 11, 2020) — sign schedule of new, removed and retained sign area, with staff totals of signs and area allowedDenver Community Planning and Development, Development Services · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-18
  12. Signs — which signs need a zoning permit, right-of-way and electrical permits, temporary-sign exemptions and annual billboard permitsDenver Community Planning and Development · primary source · retrieved 2026-09-18

Other offices serving Denver

The full permit list for this jurisdiction

Industry permit lists that include this agency

Colorado jurisdictions

Commercial Compliance Hub publishes information, not legal advice. Requirements change — confirm anything you rely on with the issuing agency before you file.