In Colorado, over 300 areas have governing bodies, but not all have active building departments. The Department of Housing (DOH) oversees construction, focusing on foundation systems for factory built homes and HUD homes in areas without building departments.
HUD code homes adhere to the U.S. Housing and Urban Development standards, established in the 1974 National Manufacturing Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act. Visit HUD for additional details on HUD construction standards.
Stick Built Hotels, Motels, and Multi-Family
The DOH oversees the approval of plans, inspection processes, and issuing Certificates of Occupancy (CO) for all stick-built hotels, motels, and on-site multi-family structures.
Foundation Requirements
Starting July 1, 2023, DOH has taken on the task of approving, inspecting, and final approval of foundations for factory-built homes and HUD in areas without building departments.
HUD Code Homes
HUD Code homes adhere to installation requirements sanctioned by the Design Approval Primary Inspection Agency (DAPIA) from the state where the structure is built or the DOH Installation standards when an installation manual cannot be found. These homes can be placed on either permanent or temporary foundation systems, which must be engineered with stamped drawings or stamped foundation plans following the Manufacturer Installation instructions.
Jurisdictions Without Building Department
Below is a list of the DOH-known local jurisdictions without building departments.
- Baca County
- Cheyenne County
- Costilla County
- Custer County
- Delta County
- Dolores County
- Kit Carson County
- Mineral County
- Montezuma County
- Phillips County
- Prowers County
- Saguache County
- Sedgwick County
- Washington County
- Yuma County
Montezuma County doesn't issue C.O.'s or enforce any residential building codes. But they do require that a person acquire the proper permits before building in the county.
Foundation Resources
- Foundation FAQ (last updated July 2023)
- Foundation Plans Checklist (last updated July 2023)
- Foundation Inspection Card and Checklist (last updated July 2023)
Inspection Scheduling
- Prior to the issuance of a CO of the applicable stick built structures or the installation of a factory built structure, it is imperative that the applicant schedule an inspection for items that are going to be concealed within assemblies not visible at the final construction stage. These items include but are not limited to rebar, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, framing, energy, fire and life safety components.
- To schedule an inspection for factory built construction please contact dola_manufacturedbuildings@state.co.us.
- To schedule an inspection for Tiny homes or Tiny Houses, please contact dola_tinyhomes@state.co.us.
- To schedule an inspection for the installation of manufactured homes, tiny homes, or manufactured multi-famliy structures, please contact dola_mhip@state.co.us.
Third Party Inspection Agencies
- The DOH has approved Third Party Inspection Agencies who are authorized to complete certain inspections on the behalf of the division. The Agencies may do inspections in these jurisdictions without building departments for On-site Construction (OC) items to complete the compliance of factory built structures, and foundation inspections.
- Third Party Agencies are authorized to inspect HUD foundation systems.
- Third Party Agencies who would like to inspect the installation of HUD Code homes, are required to register as an installation inspector. Please refer to the installation section on the previous page.
Plan Submission
- In jurisdictions without building departments, foundation plans are required to be submitted to the DOH for approval. Typical, modular structures still require construction drawings to be submitted to the DOH for approval.
- Please submit foundation plans to dola_mhip@state.co.us.
- Please submit construction plans to manufactured.plans@state.co.us.