Do You Need a Permit to Replace a Floor in Colorado?
For most flooring jobs in most Colorado jurisdictions the answer is no. The exceptions are narrow, but they are the expensive ones to get wrong.
The general rule
Replacing a floor covering — pulling carpet and laying luxury vinyl plank, sanding and
refinishing existing hardwood, laying tile over a sound substrate — is normally treated as finish
work rather than construction, and normally does not require a building permit.
Where that stops being true
- You are replacing the subfloor, not the surface. Once sheathing comes up you
are into structure. - Anything involving joists. Sistering, notching, cutting for a duct, or
repairing damage — structural, and permitted. - You are changing the layout. Removing a wall to run one floor through two
rooms is a structural permit regardless of the flooring. - Plumbing or electrical moves with it. Relocating a floor register, a radiant
loop or a floor outlet pulls in a trade that is licensed at state level. - Radiant heat. Common in Colorado mountain builds, and adding or altering it is
its own permit.
It is decided locally, and Colorado has a lot of locals
There is no single statewide answer, because permits are administered by the municipality or
county. Denver, Colorado Springs, Aurora, Fort Collins, Lakewood, Thornton, Arvada, Pueblo, Boulder
and Longmont each run their own building department, as does every mountain town. Call and describe
the job — they will tell you, they will not charge you for asking, and it is far cheaper than a
stop-work order.
Who pulls it
If a permit is required the contractor normally pulls it. A contractor who wants you to
pull the permit for their work is worth a second look — it often means they cannot.
Common questions
Does refinishing hardwood need a permit?
Almost never. It is a surface treatment on an existing floor.
What about a floor over a basement slab?
Generally no permit for the covering itself. If levelling compound is going down over a cracked
slab, ask why the slab is cracked before you ask about the permit.