FAQs
Commercial building permits, tenant finish permits and El Jebel area residential building permits require (2) set of building plans; Residential building permits in all areas of unincorporated Eagle County except El Jebel shall submit (2) sets of building plans.
We prefer minimum 24" x 36" and a maximum of 30" x 40" dimensioned paper is required. All drawings must be clearly legible, labeled and include a scale. Drawings shall be clear and legible for plans examiners, field inspectors and builders to interpret.
Residential footing/foundation/framing details must be wet stamped by a Colorado-licensed architect or engineer. Commercial building plan details require both a Colorado-licensed architect and engineer's wet stamp. Non-ventilated roof systems also require wet stamped insulation assembly details by the project's Colorado-licensed architect or engineer of record.
2015 I-Codes and 2020 NEC as described in the Eagle County Building Resolution
Equation for calculating snow loads in Eagle County (from the Snow Load Design Data publication prepared by the Structural Engineers Association of Colorado amended 1990)
S= Design roof snow load in pounds per square foot
K=4 in all areas of Eagle County, except Tennessee Pass use 6
A=Altitude in thousands of feet (site elevation divided by 1000)
S= 2 (A-K/2)²
Example: The site elevation is 7500 ft, value of K is 4
7500 divided by 1000 = 7.5 - 2 = 5.5 x 5.5 = 30.25 x 2 = 60.5 (Round up to 61)
(The roof snow load for a 7500 ft elevation is 61 lbs. per sq. ft.)
S= Design roof snow load in pounds per square foot
K=4 in all areas of Eagle County, except Tennessee Pass use 6
A=Altitude in thousands of feet (site elevation divided by 1000)
S= 2 (A-K/2)²
Example: The site elevation is 7500 ft, value of K is 4
7500 divided by 1000 = 7.5 - 2 = 5.5 x 5.5 = 30.25 x 2 = 60.5 (Round up to 61)
(The roof snow load for a 7500 ft elevation is 61 lbs. per sq. ft.)
Various sources to determine elevation of a building site include: existing survey plat/map (part of property owner records), published quad or USGS maps, Google Earth and/or operation of a GPS at proposed building site. Alternatively, call Eagle County GIS at 970-328-3551 or 970-328-3552. Given the variations in lot size and certain topographic conditions, GIS staff can relay a range of elevations for a given parcel but cannot definitively identify your building site elevations via phone. When calling the GIS Department, we recommend having your 12-digit tax parcel number available to reference.
115 mph (3 second gust)
48" or as otherwise specified by the geotechnical engineer's report
Our locally adopted amendments are found in the Eagle County Building Resolution
“Eagle County Building Department”
Code books may be purchased by going to the website for the International Code Council at www.iccsafe.org or via retail bookstores and other online reference suppliers.
No. While we write and publish our local amendments through the Eagle County Building Resolution, the International Code Council holds copyrights to the I-Codes. If you wish to view a section of code, you may visit Eagle County Building Division offices during regular business hours. Some public library reference departments also have code books available to view.
Plumbing, mechanical, electrical fireplace, roof, and window permits may be applied for online when you have a registered account through our Community Development Self Service. Residential & Commercial Building permits must be applied for in person or by mail.
No use tax on construction materials need be included with your building permit application fees for unincorporated Eagle County. (If you're inquiring about use taxes within incorporated towns, please call the town directly: Avon 970-748-4030; Basalt 970-927-4701; Eagle 970-328-6354; Gypsum 970-524-7688; Minturn 970-827-5645; Red Cliff 970-827-5303; Vail 970-479-2139.)
No, the Eagle County Building Division inspects only unincorporated areas of Eagle County. Contact the incorporated towns for inspection scheduling: Avon 970-748-4030; Basalt 970-927-4701; Eagle 970-328-6354; Gypsum 970-524-7688; Minturn 970-827-5645; Red cliff 970-827-5303; Vail 970-479-2139.
No, the Eagle County Building Division processes construction permits for only unincorporated areas of Eagle County. Contact the incorporated towns for permit applications: Avon 970-748-4030; Basalt 970-927-4701; Eagle 970-328-6354; Gypsum 970-524-7688; Minturn 970-827-5645; Red Cliff 970-827-5303; Vail 970-479-2139.
Owner builders and general contractors do not require registration or a license to build in unincorporated Eagle County. Plumbers must be licensed and registered as an active plumbing contractor with the State of Colorado. Electricians must be licensed and registered as an active electrical contractor with the State of Colorado. Architects and engineers must be licensed in the State of Colorado. Septic installers must be licensed through Eagle County Environmental Health, for information call 970-328-8755.
Electrical permits and inspections for the El Jebel / Missouri Heights/ Frying Pan areas are administered by the state electrical inspector, who can be reached toll free at 1-855-451-9795. For more information, go to: www.dora.state.co.us.
El Jebel office coverage for building inspections and individual appointments will be Mondays and Thursdays. Eagle County will continue with this two-day-a-week coverage until permit/inspection activity increases. If an emergency requires that inspections be made other than Monday or Thursday, call 970-328-8761. Staff will accommodate these requests on an individual basis.
To obtain a 12-digit tax parcel number, see Planning Department FAQ or contact the Eagle County Assessor's Office at 970-328-8640 (have owner name, physical street address and/or legal description for property available).
Eagle County Code Enforcement at 970-328-3554
Eagle County Building Department at 970-328-8761
Eagle County Building Department at 970-328-8761
To verify zoning for a particular property in unincorporated Eagle County, please see the Planning Department FAQ or call 970-328-8746 and ask for the Customer Service Planner or Planner On Duty.
If your building site is within a conventional zone district in unincorporated Eagle County, you can obtain allowable building height information by referencing Eagle County Land Use Regulations, Article 2-Definitions, Building Height and Article 3 Zone Districts Table 3-340 Schedule of Dimensional Limitations, Max. Height. If your building site is located within a Planned Unit Development, please call 970-328-8746 and ask for the Customer Service Planner or Planner On Duty. Please have the 12-digit tax parcel number, physical street address and/or legal description available.
Call 1-866-701-3307 for the Eagle County IVR System
24/7 IVR access for contractors & citizens (route cutoff time is 4 p.m. previous business date) or contact the Building Department directly at 970-328-8761.
24/7 IVR access for contractors & citizens (route cutoff time is 4 p.m. previous business date) or contact the Building Department directly at 970-328-8761.
No later than 4 p.m. the previous business date.
If your building site is within a conventional zone district in unincorporated Eagle County, you can obtain allowable floor area ratio, lot coverage and impervious cover by referencing Eagle County Land Use Regulations, Article 2-Definitions, Floor Area Ratio, Lot Coverage and Impervious Cover or Materials and Article 3 Zone Districts Table 3-340 Schedule of Dimensional Limitations, Maximum Lot Coverage, Impervious Materials and Maximum Floor Area Ratio. If your building site is located within a Planned Unit Development, please call 970-328-8730 and ask for the Planner On Duty. Please have the 12-digit tax parcel number, physical street address and/or legal description available.
Eagle County Community Development front desk in Eagle is open 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. weekdays. El Jebel Clerk & Recorders office with adjacent Building Inspectors office, is also open 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. weekdays. El Jebel customers also reference question 22.
Stairways in one- or two-dwelling or townhome residences classified as an R-3 occupancy, shall construct stairs complying with 2015 International Residential Code Section R.311.7 Stairways. Commercial buildings and all other multi-family R-2 and R-1 occupancy groups shall construct stairs complying with 2015 International Building Code Section 1011 Stairways and Chapter 11 Accessibility & ICC/ANSI A117.1. The Stairway Manufacturers' Association also publishes helpful instruction guides at www.stairways.org.
Generally speaking, the International Building Code describes "Permit valuations... to include total value of working, including materials and labor, for which the permit is being issued, such as electrical, gas, mechanical, plumbing equipment and permanent systems." The Eagle County Building Resolution further amends Section 109.2 Building Permit Valuations as follows: The valuation for building permits in Eagle County shall be based on the most recent cost figures per square foot as shown in the International Code Council Building Valuation Data Table published by International Code Council. The Eagle County Modifier is 1.4. The latest Building Valuation Table may be found at www.iccsafe.org (search "building valuation data") or at the Eagle County Community Development Office. All valuations will be considered as good construction or the valuation provided by the applicant, whichever yields the higher.
Building permit and plan review fees are paid at the time of building permit application submission. Effective February 8, 2017 emergency service impact fees are also paid at the time of building permit application submission. Eagle County's Engineering Department staff will assess all permits for Transportation Impact Fees during permit review; this fee is payable at permit pickup. When applicable due to site conditions, a wildfire mitigation fee determination may be made during plan review and wildfire mitigation fee due upon issuance of the building permit (prior to release of the approved field copy of prints).
Rough-in inspections should occur before framing inspection to assure all cutting, notching or boring penetrations through structural framing are complete and any necessary strapping, nail, or shield plates have been installed. Certain scopes of work may require a partial framing inspection (i.e. shear wall nailing etc.), if in doubt or need further clarification call 970-328-8761 and ask building staff for assistance.
Wood burning regulations for unincorporated Eagle County are found on the Environmental Health Department Outdoor Air Quality page. Mechanical/Fireplace permit application forms are found on the Building Division's Permit page under Applications. Local amendments that effect installation of wood burning stoves / fireplaces are found in the Eagle County Building Resolution (pay careful attention to: ECBR p.20, IRC amendment to section R1004.1 general and p. 54, TABLE 10). Some neighborhoods restrict wood burning devices through enforcement of local covenants, check your local neighborhood association for requirements.
When constructing a new building or adding onto an existing building on parcels with no fire hydrant within 600 feet, one may be required to provide water storage per NFPA 1142 Water Supplies for Suburban and Rural Fire Fighting. Proposed use, construction type, proximity to other buildings and the cubic footage of the proposed building are used to calculate the minimum required water storage, in gallons. In some instances, structures with automatic sprinkler protection can reduce the amount of required water storage, in gallons. Calculations are, typically, performed by the building plans examiner during time of plan review. Testing and final approval of said water storage systems falls under purview of the local fire district and is required prior to release of a TCO/CO of new buildings.
As published in the Eagle County Building Resolution, here are residential and commercial requirements for TCO temporary certificate of occupancy. Also see plan reviewer notes and attachments included on the approved field copy.
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