Building Permits

LFRA’S COMMUNITY SAFETY DIVISION PERFORMS DIGITAL PLAN REVIEW ONLY. THIS MEANS THAT ALL PLAN SUBMITTALS MUST BE DIGITAL, INCLUDING DRAWINGS FOR BUILDING PERMITS, AND FIRE SPRINKLER, FIRE ALARM AND ALL OTHER FIRE-PROTECTION SYSTEM PERMITS. Paper drawings are not accepted.

Building Permit Application Form

First, click here to download an application. All permit submittals must include this application.

Permit plan submittals must be digital.  There are three methods to submit digital drawings:

• Via email: Eplan-fire@LFRA.org 
• Via DropBox: Send your file-sharing link via email to Eplan-fire@LFRA.org 
• In person : Bring the digital drawings on a USB drive to the Community Safety Division at 410 E. 5th Street, Loveland, CO  80537

For more details on how to submit, click here.

About Building Permits

Loveland Fire Rescue Authority’s Community Safety Division reviews building permit submittals for construction projects within three governmental jurisdictions: 

• the City of Loveland
• unincorporated Larimer County in the Loveland Rural Fire Protection District
• the Town of Johnstown near Interstate 25 and US Highway 34 (Thompson River Ranch and 2534) in the Loveland Rural Fire Protection District

If you need to obtain a building permit for property located in the Loveland Rural Fire Protection District in either unincorporated Larimer County or the Town of Johnstown, you will need a separate building permit issued by LFRA; this is in addition to and separate from the building permit issued by Johnstown or Larimer County building departments. Within the City of Loveland, the LFRA review is included in the city’s Building Division permit process; a separate permit from LFRA is not required.

When are Building Permits Required?

The International Building Code specifies that building permits are required 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, gas, mechanical or plumbing system” regulated by the IBC (2018 IBC, Section 105.1).

Before beginning any new-construction or remodel project, the applicant must submit application and required digital drawings to obtain building permits and reviewed, approved drawings.

For projects in the City of Loveland, LFRA is part of a multi-department review process and does not issue a separate building permit. The City’s Building Division issues building permits for projects within the city.

For projects in Johnstown or unincorporated Larimer County, LFRA will issue its own, separate building permit, after reviewing drawings submitted by the architect, general contractor or business owner. The LFRA permit is separate from and in addition to, the building permit issued by Johnstown or Larimer County building departments. The LFRA building permit must be on site at all times during the construction process.

What Drawings are Required to be Submitted for Review and Issuance of a Building Permit?

Plans are to be stamped by a Colorado licensed design professional and all plans are to be drawn to scale.

The submittal must include:

1. Code Plan showing exit paths, exit travel distance, uses of rooms or areas, square footage of rooms or areas, occupancy group per room with occupant load per room or area, fire extinguisher locations, and exterior exit pathways leading to a “public way.” The Code Plan shall identify the construction type, allowable area and height, actual area and height, and any required separations.
2. Floor plans for each level:
   • Indicate uses of all rooms or areas on floor plans.
   • If it is a tenant finish in a portion of building, include key plan of entire building.
   • Show square footage of each room
   • Door and window schedules showing hardware types.
   • New stairways shall have section and detail plans showing rise, run, headroom, handrail details and extensions.
   • All equipment shall be shown (industrial machines, kitchen equipment, etc.).
   • Ceiling plans must show all exit signs locations and provisions for exit illumination (may be shown on Code Plan).
   • Provide fire-rated assemblies and listing number of such assemblies.
3. Exterior elevations
4. For new buildings, provide building sections.
5. HVAC plans showing fire/smoke damper locations (if required) and BTUs of appliances.
6. Plumbing plans showing gas piping (where occurs).
7. Electrical plans showing electrical panel location, receptacles, all lighting and pertinent equipment (for smaller projects, this information can be indicated on the floor plan).
8. For tenant finish projects in “strip mall or condominium situations, provide a key plan showing the location of the tenant space and occupancy groups of tenants on each side and above or below the space being finished.

Digital drawings must be submitted directly to LFRA for review and issuance of a building permit (Johnstown and unincorporated Larimer County projects).

ALL SUBMITTALS FOR LARIMER COUNTY AND JOHNSTOWN MUST INCLUDE THE LFRA PERMIT APPLICATION. (In the City of Loveland, the Building Division processes the permit application.) The LFRA application is available in person from the Community Safety Division or by clicking this link.

Permit plan submittals must be digital.  There are three methods to submit digital drawings:

Via email: Eplan-fire@LFRA.org 

Via DropBox: Send your file-sharing link via email to Eplan-fire@LFRA.org 

In person : Bring the digital drawings on a USB drive to the Community Safety Division at 410 E. 5th Street, Loveland, CO  80537

For more details on how to submit, click here.

Who Can Prepare the Submittal Drawings?

Per Colorado law, permit drawings typically must be prepared and stamped by a licensed design professional. There are some exceptions for projects of smaller scope. Specific requirements per State law can be found in the Colorado Handbook for Building Officials.

How Much Time Is Needed to Review the Submittal?

Most plans are reviewed within 15 working days.

How Do Contractors Pick up their Permit?

Once LFRA reviews and approves the plans, they will be emailed to the applicant. The applicant comes to LFRA to pay for and pick up the permit, and receive the written Conditions of Approval for the permit.

The applicant is responsible for having a copy of the stamped, approved drawings on site for all LFRA inspections, in either paper or electronic form (via a “tablet” device, PC, etc.). The permit and Conditions of Approval also must be on site at all times.

It is imperative that the general contractor read and comply with all Conditions of Approval and any redlined directions on the drawings. By meeting all the Conditions, the contractor will be prepared for LFRA’s inspections.

How Do Contractors Schedule Inspections?

Final inspections consisting of general construction and fire protection systems must be scheduled for the same time and all contractors must be present for testing and inspecting. The general contractor is responsible for scheduling this final inspection and he/she must provide the project address and all permit numbers when requesting inspections. Inspections must be scheduled at least 48 hours in advance by calling LFRA at (970) 962-2537. Contacting LFRA further in advance will allow more flexibility in scheduling for the contractor(s).

If the construction project does not include fire protection system permits, the general contractors just schedules the final building permit inspection with LFRA. Inspections must be scheduled at least 48 hours in advance by calling LFRA at (970) 962-2537. Contacting LFRA further in advance will allow more flexibility in scheduling for the contractor(s).

How Can I Get Information from the Building Departments?

For general information regarding building permits and inspections, contact the appropriate Building Department:

1. 1. • City of Loveland Building Division: (970) 962-2346
      • Larimer County Building Department: (970) 498-7700
      • Town of Johnstown Building Department: (970) 587-4664

Is that All I Need?

Remember that additional approvals may be necessary to start a business: a sales tax license, utility service, food vendor license, liquor license and sign permits are a few examples that may be required. Planning or Building staff in the three jurisdictions can help direct you if you have questions.

Permit Fees

Consolidated Fee Schedule

Click here to download the Consolidated Fee Schedule

Fee Estimator Worksheet

Click here to download the LFRA Fee Estimator Worksheet, or call the Community Safety Division at (970) 962-2537 for an estimate.

Please note that these are estimates only and not cost quotes, as the project valuation can change, fee schedules may change, etc. It is the responsibility of the applicant or contractor to confirm the actual permit fees with CSD, if desired, prior to payment and issuance of permit.

Capital Improvement Impact Fees

Click here to download an Impact Fee Handout.

Updated June 18, 2021 and Effective July 1, 2021

Loveland Fire Rescue Authority (LFRA) provides fire protection, emergency medical services, specialized rescue, hazardous materials mitigation, community safety services, fire investigation and public education in a 194 square-mile area that includes the City of Loveland, the Town of Johnstown “2534” area and surrounding unincorporated Larimer County. LFRA responds to almost 9,000 calls per year, and performs approximately 1,200 development reviews and 1,300 construction inspections annually.

The LFRA service area is experiencing a 2 to 2.5-percent annual population growth; projections assume this will continue annually until at least 2026. This increase has resulted in corresponding construction of residential subdivisions and commercial structures, and a 6-percent annual increase in call volume each year since 2013 (6,400 emergency responses in 2013, 8,600 in 2020). However, LFRA, like other fire districts throughout Colorado, has not been able to realize the full property tax revenue due to the Gallagher/TABOR legislation.

In 2016, the Colorado Legislature passed the Public Safety Fairness Act allowing fire districts to charge capital improvement impact fees to assist capital development of fire and emergency medical service resources to accommodate community growth. LFRA received approval from its board of directors, the Johnstown Town Council and Larimer County Board of Commissioners to implement the impact fees in 2018.

Impact fee approval does not require approval from the voters. Neighboring fire districts in Larimer County also have implemented impact fees.

The population of Larimer County is expected to double from the current 355,000 to approximately 700,000 in the next 30 years; a significant portion of this growth will be in the Loveland fire jurisdiction. Through extensive planning, LFRA has identified that at least two additional fire stations will need to be constructed and staff in the next 12 years, in order to meet the additional demand for fire protection and emergency services. Additionally, the Loveland fire training center and the existing Fire Station 3 will need to be replaced, and Fire Stations 4 and 5 need to be renovated. The impact fee will help fund LFRA capital infrastructure, purchase new apparatus and equipment associated with new development, and may defer a mil levy increase to taxpayers.

A Nexus study (prepared by BBC Research & Consulting) finalized in 2021 produced a fee schedule of $0.64 per square foot for a commercial building and $0.13 per square foot for industrial use. Residential fees are $1,060.82 for a single-family home and $734.09 per dwelling unit for a multi-family building.

The impact fee is not charged for fire-protection systems, such as automatic fire sprinklers or fire alarm systems.

What is Colorado HB1088 (“Public Safety Fairness Act”)?

CONCERNING THE AUTHORIZATION FOR A FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT TO IMPOSE AN IMPACT FEE ON NEW DEVELOPMENT, AND, IN CONNECTION THEREWITH, ENACTING THE “PUBLIC SAFETY FAIRNESS ACT”.

The bill authorizes the board of a fire protection district to impose an impact fee on the construction of new buildings, structures, facilities or improvements, on previously improved or on unimproved real property, if the impact fee is:

• Reasonably related to the overall cost of the fire protection district’s services; and
• Imposed in accordance with a fee schedule that is legislatively adopted by the board and that applies to all construction of new buildings, structures, facilities, or improvements.

Click here to read HB1088.

When must the fire impact fee be paid?

Fees are collected from properties within the Loveland Rural Fire Protection District when building permits are issued for new structures. For residential buildings, this will be when the owner obtains a building permit at Larimer County or the Town of Johnstown, as applicable. For industrial or commercial buildings in unincorporated Larimer County, the fee will be paid when the applicant obtains a building permit at the Larimer County Building Department. For industrial or commercial buildings in Johnstown, the fee will be paid at the LFRA Community Safety Division, when the applicant obtains a building permit from the fire department. For projects in the City of Loveland, LFRA fees are rolled into the building permit fees; impact fees are not paid directly to the first district.

How much is the impact fee for a residential building?

The fee is $1,060.82 for a single-family home and $734.09 per dwelling unit for a multi-family residential structure. A “dwelling” is defined as any building or portion thereof that is used as the private residence or sleeping place for one or more people.

How much is the impact fee for industrial property?

The fee for an industrial building is $0.13 per square foot. The impact fee for a 10,000 square foot industrial building would be $1,300.00 (10,000 x 0.13). Examples of industrial uses for the purpose of LFRA impact fees include but are not limited to manufacturing, fabricating, and oil and gas sites.

How much is the impact fee for a commercial building?

The fee for commercial-use development is calculated by multiplying the total square footage by 0.64. As an example, the impact fee for a 15,000 square foot commercial building would be $9,600.00. Examples of commercial uses for LFRA impact fees include but are not limited to churches, hotels, motels, schools, office and professional buildings, banks, restaurants, nightclubs, retail stores, theaters, warehouses, storage facilities and indoor sports facilities.

What is the impact fee for “mixed-use” buildings?

If a building is part-Commercial use and part-Industrial use, the impact fee will be assessed based on the majority use of the building (predominant square footage).  If a building is combined residential use and either Commercial or Industrial use, the impact fee will be assessed using number of residential units, combined with square footage of commercial or industrial use.

Does the Fire District need to review my building plans?

Yes: The LFRA Community Safety Division reviews building plans and issues permits for all commercial, industrial and multi-family buildings in its jurisdiction. Impact fees are to be collected from properties within the Loveland Rural Fire Protection District when building permits are issued (Town of Johnstown and unincorporated Larimer County).

No: While LFRA does not issue building permits for construction of single-family homes or duplexes, the appropriate building departments (Town of Johnstown and Larimer County), do issue permits for one- and two-family homes, and they will collect impact fees on behalf of LFRA when the applicant obtains a residential building permit.