Building Department Document and Resource Library

Building Permit Applications

The following documents must be uploaded with every building permit application submission in  https://www.cityofaspen.com/1211/Salesforce-Applicant-Portal-Support Salesforce:

•  /DocumentCenter/View/5704 Permit Application Signatures Packet PDF
• Existing & Proposed plans, showing cardinal orientation and also unit/building relationship where applicable. Please separate your plans by trade i.e. structural, architectural, electrical, etc. all uploaded individually. 

 /DocumentCenter/View/5703 

Construction Mitigation Plan depending on the amount of work area proposed: 

• CMP for Minor Projects (<1000sqf) PDF
• CMP for Medium Projects (1000 – 2000 sqf) PDF
• For Major Projects (>2000 sqf): Construction Management Plan Manual PDF

IF you are adding, removing, or swapping water fixtures: 

• ECU Calculator for Residential Projects EXCEL
• ECU Calculator for Commercial Projects EXCEL
• Current water bill 

IF you are making changes to the exterior of a building: 

• Please email planneroftheday@gmail.com with your plans and a narrative to request your planning approvals or exemptions. 

IF you are disturbing more than 200 sq ft of soil: 

• See Engineering Submittal Requirement Matrix PDF

IF you are adding or making changes to snowmelt, hot tubs, outdoor heating, fireplaces, heat tape: 

• REMP - Renewable Energy Mitigation Program Worksheet EXCEL

IF you are adding or replacing a wood-burning fireplace, gas fireplace or gas appliance: 

• Fireplace Registration Form PDF
• Spec sheets for new gas fireplaces and appliances 

IF you are removing, moving, or replacing walls, columns, support beams OR creating doors, windows, or additional structures: 

• Structural stamps or a letter of engagement from a structural engineer. 

IF you are disturbing more than 1000 sq ft of soil and this is more than 25% of the parcel OR you are proposing more than 50% increase in water usage for the site: 

• See WELS - Water Efficient Landscaping Standards PDF

Create a new permit application in Salesforce. Type: Change Order. There is a field there in which to reference the master permit number. 

Please upload: 

• Updated Contact and HOA pages of the Permit Application Packet PDF
• Narrative describing all changes referencing their location in the plans. 
• Updated plan sets
  • Please bubble/cloud all changes on the plan sets. If the page is entirely new, please bubble/cloud the page number.
  • Please do not upload the entire plan sets. Upload only the pages with changes on them. If more than 75% of the pages are changing you can upload the whole set. 
  • Plans must still be grouped by trade i.e. landscaping pages uploaded separately from civil pages, etc. 
• Any updated supporting documents like ECU calculator, REMP worksheet, spec sheets, for example. 

"Additional Information": 

• Sometimes very minor corrections can be submitted directly to the relevant reviewer and handled outside of the formal permit process. However, most of the time it is preferred that even minor adjustments are submitted via Change Order. We will then queue it is "Additional Information" if there is only one review agency required to approve.

• EPIC Permit Application Signatures Packet PDF
• EPIC Permit Policy PDF
• Expedited Permit Signatures Packet PDF: ex: completely electric projects

EPIC stands for Expedited Permits In Core and is intended to provide a faster option for businesses and community endeavors in the commercial core. We also expedite permits for fully electric projects. If you have a project you would like to be considered for expediting besides what is listed, please reach out to our Chief Building Official, Bonnie Muhigirwa. 

If you have read the EPIC Permit Program Policy and believe your project meets the qualifications for this program or have a fully electric permit of any type, please proceed with gathering all the required documents for your scope (see checklists listed in sections above). 

For questions in the information gathering phase please contact:

• Building Support - for general process questions
• Builder of the Day - for building code questions
• Planner of the Day - for HPC, planning, zoning questions
• Engineering - for CMP, development, erosion & sediment, water questions
• Parks - for tree related questions
• Utilities

Once all documents have been gathered and plans fully developed, please contact Building Support with the following: 

• Applicant name and contact info (whoever will be managing & submitting the permit) 
• Project address
• Detailed scope of work
• Existing + proposed plans + all supporting documents (provide as link)
• What specific questions do you have for building and zoning plans reviewers?
• Does the proposed business involve food service?
• Is this a historic property or landmark? If so, please provide your HPC approvals in the link of documents. Contact Planner of the Day with any questions.
• Do you prefer Mondays, Wednesdays or Thursdays? AM or PM? We will do our best to accommodate your day and time preference. 

During your EPIC pre-submittal meeting, you will be responsible for presenting your plans and supporting materials to building and zoning plans reviewers. At that time, reviewers will make the final determination as to whether your project qualifies for an EPIC permit. They will review your plans for preliminary compliance and provide feedback on changes or additional information that you’ll need to address prior to submitting your permit application.

After the meeting, you will be responsible for incorporating City reviewers feedback into your plans and gathering all required agency signatures. Pre-approval from City staff is a requirement of the EPIC & Expedited Permit Program and applications without staff signatures will not be accepted for review. Once all signatures have been gathered you will submit your permit and upload all documents using Salesforce. 

The IFFR is for interior finishes and fixture removal ONLY. A regular building permit is required to install or rebuild. The IFFR is typically a tool to allow larger renovation projects to get started on removal while the main building permit is still in for review. It is also an appropriate permit to clear out a commercial space for the next tenant. 

See Projects Typically Exempt from Permit PDF.  

For a complete IFFR permit application please upload to your application: 

• Permit Application Packet PDF
• IFFR Policy PDF
• IFFR Agreement PDF
• Narrative describing steps of work proposed 
• Asbestos test, if required based on answer in the permit packet
• Plans of the space 
• CMP depending on work area (See above section: All Building Permits, or below in the library for templates)

These are queued as mini permits and should take just a couple weeks if submitted fully complete.

Please create a new Building Permit application in Salesforce and upload the following: 

• Permit Application Packet 
• RDS - Residential Design Standards exemption from Planner of the Day. Please email them with your proposed scope narrative and pictures to request this. 
• New window spec sheets showing U-factor
• Pictures of existing windows 
• Plans of the unit calling out window location including building orientation and directionality. These can be rendered or drawn. 

All sub-permit applications also take place in Salesforce and must include: 

• Signed HOA Compliance Form PDF
  • A letter on HOA letterhead is not an acceptable substitute. 
• Reference the master building permit number in the appropriate application field 
• Mechanical permits proposing exterior work must include: 
  • Equipment spec sheets
  • Site plan showing the proposed location of the equipment
  • Measurements showing the distance of proposed equipment to all streets

A Repair is a like-for-like fixing or replacement of an existing structure that is currently broken. Any additional work would require a separate building permit. 

See Projects Typically Exempt from Permit (PDF).

To begin a Repair, please email Builder of the Day or call  tel:9704292898  tel:970-429-2898 970-429-2735. 

For every repair permit please upload to your application in Salesforce: 

• Permit Application Packet PDF
• Narrative (bullet points) describing what is broken and the steps taken or intended to fix it
• Photos of the disrepair
• Plans of the space showing unit/building relationship and cardinal direction, highlighting the work area
• Construction Management Plan (CMP) depending on the square footage of work area (see All Building Permits section above or compiled library section below). Contractors must be licensed with the City of Aspen and registered in Salesforce before the permit can be issued. 

Common Occurrences: 

• Is something leaking? Please stop the leak. If efforts to repair disturb more than 32 sq ft of potentially asbestos containing material - you need a permit. Please do what must be done to prevent additional damage and use contact information above to get started with permitting the rest. 
• Got asbestos? Abatement does not require a City of Aspen permit (see state permitting link below). HOWEVER, replacing more than 32 sq ft. of drywall and putting walls back together does require a permit by a licensed contractor. Like for like replacements will be processed as repairs. Alterations and remodels require building permits. See Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment LINK for asbestos permitting information.

• Got mold? Abatement & redress does require a permit by a licensed contractor. Like for like replacements can be repair permits. Alterations and remodels require a building permit. If you are uncertain of the plan forward and just wish to remove the mold, an IFFR permit will suffice. 

After all reviews in a round have been completed, you will be prompted for your response to comments. Some notes: 

• Please do not bubble/cloud changes on your plans sets. This is for change orders only and you will be asked to remove them. 
• Please do include the comment letters issued to you by our reviewers, with your commentary added. 
• Please respond to all review agencies that require re-review. 
• How to View your Reviews in Salesforce (PDF)
• Feel free to reach out to your reviewers with any questions you may have on their comments. 

• See Roof and Re-Roof Application Checklist PDF
• For questions please email Building Plans Examiner Linzhi Douglass
  (970)429-2020.

Common Occurrences: 

• Repairing a patch less than one square (10' by 10')? No permit required. 
• If you have not downloaded the above linked roofing checklist since April 2023, please revisit, as some code references and heat tape requirements have changed. 

Tent

• Permit required for tents over 400 sq ft.
• See Tent Permit Checklist PDF

Temporary Structure

• Permit required for structures over 120 sq ft or more than 10 people.
• Please upload to your permit: 
  • Permit Application Packet PDF
  • CMP depending on sq ft of work area (see below in library) 
  • Site plan showing accessibility, egress, occupant load
  • Drawn plans or scaffolding/staging kit specs and manual
  • Power plans, heating, generators, general lighting plan will require an electric subpermit.