Bathroom and kitchen permits in Fort Collins: what needs one
The City's Building Permits page lists "kitchen or bathroom alterations and layout changes" as residential remodel work, and it asks for a remodel or alteration permit, rather than separate fast-track permits, whenever more than one trade (plumbing, mechanical, electrical) is involved. In practice that covers:
- Replacing or moving a shower or tub valve, or rearranging any supply or drain pipe.
- Moving the toilet, sink, tub, shower or dishwasher.
- New circuits: lighting, a heated floor, an island outlet, a range or a fan.
- Removing or adding walls, or any change to framing.
- Converting a tub to a shower, which moves both the valve and the drain.
What is exempt
The City exempts interior finish work: "painting, wallpapering, tiling, carpeting, cabinets, countertops and similar". It also exempts "repairing, maintaining, or replacing sinks, faucets, drains, showers, tubs and toilets, if no valves or pipes are replaced or rearranged." It adds a reminder worth keeping: permit exempt does not mean code exempt.
The Fort Collins remodel permit fee
The fee follows the job's value, materials and labor together, on a stepped schedule, plus sales tax calculated on the valuation:
| Job value | Fee |
|---|---|
| Up to $2,000 | $105.00 flat |
| $2,001 to $25,000 | $105 + $15.50 per additional $1,000 |
| $25,001 to $50,000 | $461.50 + $10.50 per additional $1,000 |
| $50,001 to $100,000 | $724.00 + $6.50 per additional $1,000 |
City of Fort Collins Building Permits page, read November 5, 2026. Rates above $100,000 continue on a further step.
| Job | Permit fee |
|---|---|
| $10,000 hall bath | $229.00 |
| $15,000 shower or tub conversion | $306.50 |
| $30,000 bathroom or kitchen | $514.00 |
| $60,000 kitchen with a layout change | $789.00 |
Calculated from the schedule above.
Paperwork and inspections
The City's submittal list for a residential remodel is short: the building permit application; a Homeowner Affidavit when the owner is doing the work; a Construction Waste and Recycling Declaration of Responsibility and a Construction Waste Management Report; and a Residential Energy Code Compliance Form if an unheated space becomes heated. Inspections follow the work: rough plumbing and electrical before walls close, then a final. Ask Building Services at 970-416-2740 which inspections your scope needs.
Outside the City limits
Fort Collins' rules stop at the City line. Unincorporated areas such as Laporte permit through Larimer County, whose guide lists renovations, most electrical and plumbing work and new or replacement water heaters as permitted, and painting, cabinet work, tiling, countertops, drywall and insulation as exempt. Towns such as Loveland run their own building departments; each town page names the office, and the service area page lists them all.
The jobs these rules shape: bathroom remodeling in Fort Collins, kitchen remodeling, shower remodel, tub to shower conversion and the prices on bathroom remodel cost.
