Homeowner Decision Support™
What Should I Understand About Permits Before My Remodel Starts?
You are getting ready to start a remodeling project. The plans may be coming together. The contractor may be talking about a start date. Then somebody asks: “Who is pulling the permits?”
That can sound administrative, but it is worth understanding before work begins.
STRUXION BUILT™ homeowner education
The important question is not simply whether your project needs a permit. It is whether you understand what may be required, who is handling it, and what must happen before work starts.
WHAT WE FOUND
Permit requirements are not the same for every remodeling project, and they are not the same in every city or county.
The kind of work matters. So does the local jurisdiction.
A project involving structural changes, electrical work, plumbing, mechanical systems, additions, or other regulated work may involve permits or inspections. A smaller cosmetic project may be treated differently.
That means homeowners should be careful with simple statements such as “We don't need a permit,” “The homeowner always pulls it,” or “The contractor always pulls it.” Those statements may or may not fit the project and jurisdiction in front of you.
Before work begins, there are several separate questions hiding inside the word “permit”:
Does the planned work require one? Who will apply for it? Whose name will appear on it? Who pays the fees? Are separate trade permits involved? Who schedules inspections? Does an approval have to be in place before certain work starts? What happens if the project changes after permits are issued?
Those are different questions. A proposal that simply says “permits included” may not answer all of them.
WHY IT MATTERS
A permit is not just a fee or a piece of paper. It is part of the process that may govern how certain work is authorized and inspected in your local jurisdiction.
The homeowner decision is not to decide building-code questions on your own. It is to understand who is handling the permit process and whether that understanding matches the written agreement.
Homeowners can sometimes be eligible to obtain permits themselves, depending on the jurisdiction and circumstances. But applying as the homeowner may carry responsibilities that are different from having a licensed contractor obtain or work under the applicable permit.
Denver jurisdiction example
For example, the City and County of Denver has a specific homeowner permit process for qualifying owner-occupiers. Its current policy says a homeowner acting under an owner-occupier permit acknowledges responsibility for work performed under that permit, and Denver requires a registered Denver-licensed contractor for work not completed by the owner-occupier, authorized agent, or approved designated worker.
Official Denver source: City and County of Denver Community Planning and Development — Homeowner (Owner-Occupier) Permits, ADMIN 131.4, effective March 5, 2025.
That is a Denver example, not a statewide rule for every Colorado homeowner.
The point is that “you can pull the permit” does not necessarily tell you everything you need to understand about what that choice means. Local rules matter. So does the role each person is agreeing to take.
WHAT CAN BE DONE
Ask what permits or approvals are expected.
You do not need to determine technical permit requirements yourself. Ask the contractor what they expect the project to require, then confirm uncertain requirements with the appropriate local building or permitting authority.
Ask who will obtain them.
Do not stop at “permits are included.” Ask who is actually applying and whose name or license will be associated with the work where applicable. If you are being asked to obtain a homeowner or owner-occupier permit yourself, understand what that means in your jurisdiction before agreeing to do it.
Ask who is paying the fees.
A contractor may include permit fees in the project price, list them separately, treat them as an allowance, or use another arrangement. The important thing is that you understand what the price represents.
Ask what has to happen before work starts.
If a permit or approval is required, find out whether it must be issued before the related work begins. Ask whether plans, drawings, trade information, contractor registration, or other documents still have to be submitted or approved. A projected start date can mean something different if a required approval is still pending.
Ask how inspections will be handled.
Some permitted work may require inspections at particular stages. You do not need to manage those inspections yourself unless that is actually your role. You do want to understand who is expected to schedule them and whether an inspection affects a later milestone, payment, or the ability to continue the work.
Compare the answers with your written agreement.
Does the agreement say who obtains permits? Whether fees are included? Whether required inspections or approvals affect the work? Whether the start date depends on permit issuance?
If the written documents and the conversation do not seem to match, that is worth clarifying before work begins.
A SIMPLE QUESTION BEFORE WORK STARTS
You do not need to become a permitting expert. You need enough clarity to understand the homeowner decision in front of you.
“Do I know what permit process applies to this project, who is handling it, and what still has to happen before the related work begins?”
If you can, you are in a better position to understand the start of the project. If you cannot, you have identified something worth clarifying before construction gets ahead of the paperwork.
That is the point. Not to assume somebody is doing something wrong. To understand who is responsible for what before the project begins.
STRUXION BUILT™ helps homeowners understand the decisions on their side of a remodeling project.
Your contractor knows how to build. We help prepare you for the decisions you're being asked to make.
Realization Is Free. Application Is Paid.™