Arapahoe County, CO Building Safety: Building Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- LDC § 1-4.B
- Jurisdiction
- Unincorporated Arapahoe County only
- Permit office
- PWD Building Division
- Trigger
- Erect, alter, or move any structure
- Construction standard
- Arapahoe County Building Code
Summary
Unincorporated Arapahoe County requires a building permit before anyone erects, constructs, reconstructs, alters, or changes the use of any building or structure, or moves a structure onto a lot. LDC § 1-4.B makes construction without a permit unlawful and ties every application to the adopted Arapahoe County Building Code: a rule that stops at the county's incorporated cities, which issue their own permits.
B. Building Permit Required: It shall be unlawful to erect, construct, reconstruct, alter, or change the use of any building or structure, including surface and subsurface structures, or to move a structure from one property to another within the unincorporated area of Arapahoe County without first obtaining a building permit from Arapahoe County. The plans submitted with the building permit application for the proposed erection, construction, reconstruction, alteration, or use shall conform to all applicable provisions of these Regulations and shall be constructed in accordance with the Arapahoe County Building Code as adopted.
Full Breakdown
A). ' Permits for this kind of work in the unincorporated County are processed through the County's PWD Building Division, the office named throughout the LDC as the issuer of building, fence, and sign permits alike. A's jurisdictional line, it reaches only unincorporated Arapahoe County; a resident of Aurora, Centennial, Littleton, Englewood, Greenwood Village, Sheridan, Glendale, Foxfield, Bow Mar, Columbine Valley, or Cherry Hills Village pulls a permit from that city's own building department, not from the County's PWD Building Division, and this LDC section does not reach those addresses.
Violations & Fines
Constructing, altering, or moving a structure in unincorporated Arapahoe County without first obtaining a building permit is unlawful under LDC § 1-4.B. The County's Title 30 planning and zoning authority (LDC § 1-2) carries general police powers and the power to abate nuisances, giving the PWD Building Division and County enforcement staff standing to halt unpermitted work and require retroactive permitting, inspection, or correction before a certificate of occupancy or final sign-off can issue.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to build a shed or addition in unincorporated Arapahoe County?
Does this permit rule apply if I live in Aurora or Centennial?
What code governs how the building must be constructed once permitted?
Can a large rural parcel skip the permit because it's outside town?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Arapahoe County
Compare Arapahoe County to another location·View the Colorado building safety overview
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