Fort Collins, CO Building Safety: Electrical Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Adopted code
- National Electrical Code, 2023 Edition
- Permit required
- Before any regulated electrical work begins
- Minimum fee
- $15, per Table 3-A Building Permit Fees
- Appeals
- To Building Review Commission, § 5-27(15)
- Violation
- Civil infraction, § 1-15, per day
Summary
Fort Collins requires a permit before any electrical system covered by the National Electrical Code is installed, enlarged, altered, repaired, or replaced in the city. The 2023 NEC, as locally amended, sets the permit, fee, appeal, and penalty rules the Building Official enforces for wiring and electrical equipment work.
...the City Council has adopted the National Electrical Code, 2023 Edition, as promulgated by the National Fire Protection Association, as amended by the City, which shall have the same force and effect as though set forth in full herein... Section 90.4.1. Permit Required. Any owner, owner's authorized agent or contractor who desires to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish or change the occupancy of a building or structure, or to erect, install, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert or replace any electrical system, the installation of which is regulated by this code, or to cause any such work to be performed, shall first make application to the code official and obtain the required permit for the work.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 155 | Transitional Land Use Code (for project before May 17, 2024): Supplement 61 | Traffic Code: Supplement 27).
Full Breakdown
City Code § 5-80 adopts the National Electrical Code, 2023 Edition, as promulgated by the National Fire Protection Association and amended by the City, governing wiring methods and the installation, alteration, and repair of electrical systems. 1, Permit Required: any owner, owner's authorized agent, or contractor who wants to erect, install, enlarge, alter, repair, remove, convert, or replace an electrical system regulated by the code must first apply to the code official and obtain the permit before doing the work. 3, based on the value of the work under 'Table No.
S. 2, following the procedure in § 5-27(15) of the City Code. 1, and electrical signs need that approval before a permit for their installation is granted. '
Violations & Fines
Doing electrical work without the required permit, or otherwise violating the Electrical Code, is a civil infraction under new Section 90.4.4, subject to the penalties in City Code § 1-15. That section caps most civil infractions at a $2,650 fine, with each day of ongoing unpermitted or noncompliant work treated as a separate offense, and the Building Official can withhold related permits until the work is brought into compliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fort Collins
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Electrical Permits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Larimer County handle electrical permits.