Building Safety in Arapahoe County, CO (2026)

2 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 2 cities in Arapahoe County, Colorado.

Verified from official government sources

Note: These county rules apply to unincorporated areas of Arapahoe County. If you live within an incorporated city, that city's own rules apply: see the city list below.

Building Permits

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.

Arapahoe County Building Permit Required

Some Restrictions

Arapahoe County Land Development Code § 1-4.B

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 ap...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Electrical Permits

Unincorporated Arapahoe County ties every electrical permit to whichever edition of the applicable electrical code is in effect on the day the permit is applied for. LDC § 1-7.D requires all projects to comply with each applicable fire, plumbing, electrical, and mechanical code as currently adopted: overriding even projects built under an older, grandfathered land-use approval.

Arapahoe County Electrical Code Compliance

Some Restrictions

Arapahoe County Land Development Code § 1-7.D

D. REQUIRED COMPLIANCE WITH GENERALLY APPLICABLE BUILDING CODES. All projects must comply with all regulations and codes that are general in nature and are applicable to all property subject to the jurisdiction of Arapahoe County, including the International Building Code, as adopted and amended by Arapahoe County; regulations, standards, and specifications adopted by the County to govern waste...

Full ordinance details →Official source ↗

Building Safety by City in Arapahoe County

2 cities in Arapahoe County have their own building safety rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.

AuroraPop. 386,261

9 verified rules • Building Permits, Childcare Center Rules

CentennialPop. 108,418

4 verified rules • Building Permits, Carbon Monoxide Detectors

All Arapahoe County ordinances

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