Lakewood's Building Safety: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles building safety a little differently. In Lakewood, Colorado, there are 7 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Elevator Maintenance

Lakewood's local amendment to the International Building Code, Section 3009, bars installing or majorly altering an elevator, escalator, dumbwaiter or moving walk without a State of Colorado permit, and bars operating one without a current State certificate of inspection, with narrow dwelling-unit exceptions handled by the city instead.

Key details: Permit issuer: State of Colorado (not city). Dwelling-unit exception: Permit/inspection via City instead. Governing code: IBC 2021, § 3009 (local addition). Penalty basis: § 1.16.020, per-day offense. Appeal route: Board of Appeals, Ch. 14.12.

Installing, majorly altering, or operating an elevator, escalator, dumbwaiter or moving walk without the required State of Colorado permit or current State inspection certificate is unlawful under Section 3009.1-3009.2. Violators face the Section 1.16.020 general penalty, with each day of continued operation a separate offense, and the city can still order the equipment taken out of service.

Building Permits

Lakewood exempts small, low, freestanding decks from a building permit: 200 square feet or less, under 30 inches high, and not attached to the house. Bigger, higher, or attached decks need one.

Key details: Exempt size: ≤200 sq ft. Exempt height: ≤30 in. above grade. Attachment: must be freestanding. Code base: 2021 IRC, local amendment.

Building without a required permit is enforceable under Lakewood Municipal Code § 14.09.070, incorporating the general penalty in § 1.16.020; each day of noncompliance is a separate offense.

Green Building Code

Lakewood's Zoning Ordinance requires most new development of 2,500 square feet or more to earn Enhanced Development Menu sustainability points, with projects over 150,000 square feet required to reach LEED or NGBS green building certification or hit alternate benchmarks.

Key details: Trigger threshold: 2,500 sq ft of floor area. Max EDM points: 150 pts, over 150,000 sq ft. Certification option: LEED or NGBS Gold+. Exempt: single-family & duplex homes. Fee-in-lieu cap: points above 50.

Projects that don't earn the required EDM points or certification can't get Major Site Plan approval, and broader Zoning Ordinance violations are prosecutable under the Municipal Code (§ 17.1.11).

Plumbing Permits

Lakewood adopts the 2021 International Plumbing Code by reference for all plumbing and drainage installation, alteration, or repair, requiring permits and fees under the citywide building fee schedule, and mandates the work meet or exceed state standards.

Key details: Code adopted: IPC 2021 Edition + Appx B-E. Local citation: Lakewood Municipal Code § 14.05.010. Standard: Must meet or exceed CO Plumbing Code. Local add-on: Mandatory shower-pan liner water test. Permit fees: Set under § 14.01.060 schedule.

Installing, altering, or repairing plumbing without a permit, or violating the adopted code's requirements, is subject to the penalties set out in § 1.16.020, with each day of noncompliance treated as a separate offense.

Building Inspections

Lakewood, Colorado's locally amended building code ties every certificate of occupancy to a passed inspection, and automatically extends open permits only after each successful inspection.

Key details: Certificate trigger: passed final inspection, no violations. Permit auto-extension: 180 days per successful inspection. Failed inspection effect: no automatic extension. Code edition: 2021 IBC, locally amended.

Occupying a building before the Building Official issues a certificate of occupancy under § 111.2, or continuing work under a permit that lapsed because required inspections failed, is a violation enforceable under Title 14 of the Lakewood Municipal Code.

Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Lakewood requires a carbon monoxide alarm outside every sleeping area, within 15 feet of its entrance, plus an additional alarm inside any sleeping area that itself has a fuel-burning appliance.

Key details: Placement: outside sleeping area, ≤15 ft. Fuel appliance in room: alarm required inside too. Applies to: 1-2 family dwellings, townhouses. Code base: 2021 IRC, local amendment.

Failure to install required carbon monoxide alarms is a code violation enforceable under Lakewood Municipal Code § 14.09.070, subject to the penalties in § 1.16.020.

Electrical Permits

Lakewood adopts the 2023 National Electrical Code, as amended by the Colorado State Electrical Board, as the city's Electrical Code under Municipal Code Ch. 14.06. Violators face the general penalty in Section 1.16.020, with each day a violation continues counted as a separate offense.

Key details: Code adopted: 2023 NEC, as amended by Colorado. Adopting ordinance: Ord. O-2024-20, Aug. 26, 2024. Enforcement: Penalty under § 1.16.020. Violation unit: Each day = separate offense. Permit fees: Set under § 14.01.060.

A person who installs wiring without a permit, ignores a correction order, or builds contrary to approved electrical plans is subject to the general penalty fixed in Section 1.16.020. Each day the violating condition continues is a separate offense, and paying the fine does not stop the city from ordering the condition removed or corrected.

The Bottom Line

Lakewood's building safety rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Lakewood is broadly strict or permissive.

Keep in mind that Lakewood can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, where we track updates as they happen.