Digital permit application gateway
Start with the issuing authority’s own submission lane. A complete application package, accurate valuation, and accessible inspection path are the fastest route through statutory plan review.
Recommended first click
Use the official digital gateway to submit plans, monitor review comments, pay required charges, and request inspections when the permit is issued. If the link is unavailable, use the agency website or phone number on the administrative profile to confirm the current lane.
Typical review lane
After acceptance of a complete application, the County's current average first-round review is 10-12 weeks for project valuations over $100,000, 6-8 weeks for valuations under $100,000, and 6-8 weeks for solar permits. Incomplete or complex applications may take longer.
Treat this as a planning signal, not a guaranteed approval date. Completeness, corrections, resubmittals, and agency workload control the actual clock.
Verify the parcel is inside this agency’s service area and note whether a city, state, fire marshal, septic authority, or utility district also has approval authority.
Prepare legible plans, site information, project valuation, ownership authorization, contractor information, and any energy, floodplain, zoning, or utility documentation the issuing office requires.
Keep the permit number, approved plan set, correction comments, fee receipts, and inspection results together. Those records establish the compliance trail for the next trade.
Application documents
Before submission, call (720) 874-6600 if the project involves a change of occupancy, structural alteration, accessory structure, demolition, or work near a regulated environmental feature.
Source trail
Use these direct agency or licensing links to confirm current instructions before you file, pay, or schedule work. External pages control if their information differs from this directory.
Project questions
Arapahoe County Public Works and Development Department - Building Division is the identified county-level authority for this profile. Confirm that the property is in its service area before filing.
Begin with the online permit gateway listed in the application guide. If the portal does not recognize the address or project type, contact (720) 874-6600.
After acceptance of a complete application, the County's current average first-round review is 10-12 weeks for project valuations over $100,000, 6-8 weeks for valuations under $100,000, and 6-8 weeks for solar permits. Incomplete or complex applications may take longer.
Use the Accela Customer Access portal to schedule, reschedule, or cancel building inspections. After an inspection date is issued, the County's inspection-time tool can show the expected arrival window on the morning of the inspection. The portal also supports permit applications, document uploads, reviewer communication, contractor licenses, and payments. For assistance call (720) 874-6600; after-hours inspections require a separate request at least 72 business hours in advance and carry premium fees.
As of 2026, the reviewed County materials identify the 2021 International Building, Residential, Mechanical, Plumbing, Fuel Gas, Energy Conservation, and Existing Building Codes with Arapahoe County amendments; the 2023 National Electrical Code; ANSI A117.1-2017 accessibility standards; and the Colorado Model Electric Ready and Solar Ready Code. The County code cycle took effect April 1, 2022; the County's materials do not identify a newer 2026 ICC adoption. The County's resolution states that the 2021 International Fire Code, Property Maintenance Code, Electrical Code, Zoning Code, and Urban-Wildland Interface Code were not adopted as County building-code components, although other fire or state requirements may apply. County amendments to IBC/IRC Section 105.2 exempt one-story detached accessory storage sheds, playhouses, shade structures, and similar structures no larger than 120 sq. ft. and not used for vehicle storage; certain non-fixed movable fixtures, cases, racks, counters, and partitions no higher than 5 ft. 9 in.; and specified small masonry or solid-fence work, subject to drainage and zoning rules. Separate electrical, plumbing, or mechanical permits may still be required. A separate agricultural-structure exemption is available for a qualifying no-more-than-three-sided structure in an agricultural zone used solely to shelter farm implements, products, livestock, or poultry, with no utilities, habitation, employment, processing, public access, or recreational use; zoning setbacks, height, area, and floodplain requirements still apply.
What makes an application complete
Before you click submit, make sure the drawings agree with the site plan, project description, valuation, ownership authorization, and contractor information. If the work changes structure, occupancy, drainage, fire protection, energy performance, or utility demand, describe that scope plainly. Ambiguous narratives create correction cycles and delay the field schedule.
Save the confirmation number, payment receipt, uploaded plan set, and every correction comment. Those records are the backbone of a defensible compliance file when multiple trades or agencies share responsibility.
Submission quality check
Site: address, parcel, access, setbacks, and existing conditions are consistent.
Scope: structural, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, fire, and energy work is identified.
Closeout: inspection contacts and the final approval path are understood before work begins.