TL;DR: Getting a fire alarm permit for new construction in Denver means submitting engineered shop drawings through the city’s ePermits portal, passing plan review, and completing a witnessed acceptance test before occupancy. The process runs through Denver Development Services and the Fire Prevention Division, and missing a required document is the most common cause of delay.
New construction projects in Denver cannot receive a certificate of occupancy until the fire alarm system has a reviewed, permitted, and inspected installation on file with the city. For general contractors, developers, and facility managers working anywhere from downtown Denver to Aurora, Arvada, Brighton, or Broomfield, understanding this process early can prevent weeks of schedule delay at the end of a build.
This guide walks through the fire alarm permit process for commercial new construction in the City and County of Denver, what you need before you submit, and the mistakes that most often stall plan review or final inspection.
Who Handles Fire Alarm Permits in Denver
All fire permits related to any commercial construction project in new or existing structures in the City and County of Denver are handled by the Fire Prevention Division.
For new construction,
permits for new construction or installation of life safety systems are issued following plan review through Development Services, as required by the International Fire Code Adopted (IFCA) 105.7.
In practice, that means your fire alarm permit is tied to the overall building permit (often called Commcon for commercial construction), and it is submitted and tracked through Denver’s online ePermits system rather than at a counter.
What You Need Before You Apply
- Engineered shop drawings for the fire alarm system
- A complete sequence of operation showing initiating devices and the responses they trigger
- Voltage-drop and, where applicable, amplifier load calculations
- Central station monitoring company name and license number
- Contractor and Denver Fire Department licenses for the installing company
Where shop drawings are required, they must be stamped and signed by a Colorado licensed professional engineer.
On smaller scopes,
all fire alarm work requires shop drawings with either a Professional Engineer (PE) seal or NICET Level III certification signature.
Our technicians at Pre Action Fire, Inc. hold NICET certifications that support this requirement on qualifying projects.
The shop drawings also need to identify
whether the system is code-required, non-required code-compliant, or user-defined
, along with
a complete sequence of operation input/output matrix with initiating events as rows and response events as columns
.
How to Get a Fire Alarm Permit for New Construction in Denver
-
Confirm your scope matches the general construction permit
Fire alarm permit scope has to align with the building’s overall construction permit.
The scope of work must follow the general construction (Commcon) permit, so one construction permit issued for three floors of a high-rise would have one fire
alarm permit covering that same scope. Confirm this with your general contractor before drawings are finalized. -
Hire a Colorado licensed design professional
Engineered drawings are not optional for new systems.
Where shop drawings are required, they shall be stamped and signed by a Colorado licensed professional engineer, and drawings shall be submitted for permit application with specific required information.
Confirm your engineer or design-build contractor is familiar with Denver’s local amendments, not just the base NFPA 72 code. -
Create an account and submit through Denver’s ePermits portal
Permits are submitted through Denver’s ePermits portal at denvergov.org.
You will select the fire alarm and signaling (or fire suppression, if applicable) service category and upload your drawings, calculations, and equipment cut sheets. -
Pay log-in and review fees
Full plan review submittals require payment before review begins.
Drawings must be submitted for log-in review and log-in fees paid prior to requesting conditional or conduit-only permits.
Budget this into your project schedule, since fees are tied to device counts and system type. -
Wait for plan review, or request a conditional permit to keep work moving
If your full plans are still in review but you need to start rough-in work, Denver allows a workaround.
Upon submission of fire alarm shop drawings for review, an applicant may request issuance of a fire alarm conduit-only rough-in installation permit without approved submitted plans.
Keep in mind
the contractor is responsible for all changes required by the subsequent plan review, and work under a conduit-only permit is subject to later plan review and field inspection for code compliant installation. -
Coordinate tenant-finish or prep-demo permits if applicable
For tenant build-outs, Denver has a separate expedited track.
This allows the whole tenant-finish project to be submitted for review with the architect or engineer of record attesting the construction drawings are 100 percent complete, and the plans must include fire suppression and alarm system shop drawings if the applicant intends to use the prep demo permit to work on these systems.
This can help keep interior work moving while formal plan review is underway. -
Pick up your permit and pay issuance fees
Once plans are approved, there is a final step at the counter.
Separate payment to the Fire Department is required at the time of permit issuance at the Fire Department walk-through counter. -
Schedule and pass acceptance testing
New systems must be fully tested before they go into service.
NFPA 72 requires acceptance testing to cover 100 percent of devices and functions before the system is turned over, and the AHJ must be notified in advance so an inspector can witness the test if they choose.
Document the central station monitoring connection as part of this step, since
submittals must include the central station monitoring company name and Denver Fire Department central station license number. -
Close out the permit with a record of completion
After a successful acceptance test, your contractor files a formal record of completion documenting that every device and sequence performed as designed. This record is what Development Services and your building inspector will want on file before signing off on occupancy.
Common Mistakes That Delay Fire Alarm Permits in Denver
- Submitting drawings without proper stamps. Missing PE or qualifying NICET Level III signatures is one of the fastest ways to get kicked back in review.
- Mismatched scope between the fire alarm permit and the building permit. If your fire alarm scope does not line up with the Commcon permit’s floors or occupancies, expect a rejection.
- Skipping the central station information. Leaving out your monitoring company’s name and Denver Fire Department license number is a common omission that holds up approval.
- Starting rough-in work without a conduit-only permit. Electrical contractors sometimes begin raceway installation before pulling the correct interim permit, creating rework.
- Underestimating voltage-drop and amplifier load calculations. These calculations are required documentation, not a formality, and errors here are a frequent cause of plan review comments.
- Waiting too long to involve a licensed fire alarm contractor. Projects move faster when the installing contractor is involved during design, not after drawings are already submitted.
Why This Matters for Front Range Projects
Whether you are building out a warehouse in Commerce City, a medical office in Highlands Ranch, or a multi-tenant building in Lakewood, the permit process described here applies to any project inside the City and County of Denver. Surrounding Front Range jurisdictions, including Aurora, Brighton, Broomfield, and Arvada, each run their own fire marshal review process with similar documentation expectations, so confirm requirements with the specific authority having jurisdiction for your project address.
Getting your fire alarm monitoring connection right the first time also matters for occupancy timelines. If you are still evaluating monitoring options for a new building, our guide on what UL listed fire alarm monitoring means for your Denver business explains what inspectors and insurers look for in a central station relationship.
Working With a Local Fire Alarm Contractor
Pre Action Fire, Inc. has worked on commercial fire alarm installations across the Denver metro area and Front Range since 2009. Our NICET certified technicians are familiar with Denver’s local shop drawing requirements, ePermits submittals, and acceptance testing procedures, and we coordinate directly with design engineers and general contractors to keep new construction projects on schedule.
If your new construction project involves multiple tenants or shared systems, see our breakdown of fire alarm monitoring considerations for multi-tenant commercial buildings in Denver for additional planning details. For budgeting purposes during preconstruction, our commercial fire alarm monitoring cost guide can help you estimate ongoing monitoring expenses alongside your permit and installation costs.
Recommended Reads
- Fire Alarm Monitoring Denver, CO | Pre Action Fire
- What UL Listed Fire Alarm Monitoring Means for Your Denver Business
- What Does Commercial Fire Alarm Monitoring Cost in the Denver Metro Area?
Sources
- denvergov.org
- citycountydenver-dev.adobecqms.net
- up.codes
- lowvoltagenation.com
- denvergov.org
- denver.prelive.opencities.com