1.3 Permits, Inspections, Blue Tags, and Board Enforcement

Who inspects what

Colorado splits inspection authority by geography and by owner, and the rule is in C.R.S. 12-155-120(1)(a). A state plumbing inspector inspects any plumbing or gas piping installation in new construction, remodeling or repair except where the work is in an incorporated town or city, a county, or a city and county — or in a building owned or leased by a qualified state institution of higher education — that conducts its own inspections and issues its own permits. Manufactured units and tiny homes inspected under article 32 of title 24 are also carved out.

Two overrides sit on top of that split:

• Public schools. C.R.S. 12-155-120(5): notwithstanding that the town, city or county where a public school is located has its own plumbing code and inspection authority, plumbing or gas piping in new construction, remodeling or repair of a public school must be inspected by a state plumbing inspector.
• Qualified state institutions of higher education. Under 12-155-120(1)(e), an institution with a building department meeting or exceeding Board standards may process permits and inspections only for its own work, and must enforce standards at least as stringent as the Board's. Each inspection must include a contemporaneous review confirming the licensing requirements of 12-155-108 are met.

A jurisdiction that intends to start or stop performing plumbing or gas inspections must give the Board written notice (12-155-120(6)).

Permits

Board Rule 1.6(A)(1) requires a permit and inspections for all plumbing, fuel gas piping work, water conditioning equipment installation and manufactured home hookups. The operative rules:

The emergency exception — the following business day, not 72 hours

Colorado amends IPC Section 106.5 by adding one exception (Board Rule 1.2(E)(1)(b)):

Exception: Where emergency plumbing is performed, the required permit may be obtained the following business day after the work has been started (i.e., broken water lines, broken drain lines, water heater replacements).

The window is the following business day, not 72 hours and not "within three days." Broken water lines, broken drain lines and water heater replacements are the code's own examples.

The inspection sequence

Board Rule 1.6(B)(3) lists the categories, and it is worth noticing that gas piping gets its own three, separate from plumbing:

Rule 1.6(B)(3) says the installation "shall be complete and under test" before requesting the inspection. Rule 1.6(B)(1) points the method at IPC/IFGC Section 107 and IRC Section P2503.

What the person requesting the inspection must furnish

Rule 1.6(B)(2) is a short list that causes long delays when ignored:

• Access during reasonable working hours — Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Ladders for roofs and deep crawl spaces.
• An approved set of design plans on the job site for commercial and school jobs.

Reinspection fees

Rule 1.6(B)(5) lets the inspector assess a reinspection fee for, among other things: the job not being ready and requiring an extra trip (a job with multiple code violations may be considered "not ready"); corrections not made from the previous inspection; no access — locked gate, snow not plowed, no escort into an occupied structure (inspectors may not enter an occupied residence without an escort 18 or older); a hazardous site, including loose dogs; address not posted so as to be visible from the street; and improper directions on the permit or request. Rule 1.6(B)(6): no reinspection occurs until the reinspection fee is paid. Rule 1.6(B)(7): only the permit owner or their agent may request an inspection.

Blue Tag

Board Rule 1.6(B)(8) is the one enforcement detail unique to Colorado that field plumbers meet immediately: a utility purveyor shall not provide service to any structure required to have gas inspections under 12-155-120(1) without proof of approval, indicated by a "Blue Tag" affixed to the gas piping system at the point of utility connection. Approval may also be granted verbally or in writing by the inspector or supervisor. No Blue Tag, no gas.

Approval, disapproval and the clock

• A state plumbing inspector must inspect within three working days after receiving the application for inspection (12-155-120(1)(b)).
• If the work meets the Colorado Plumbing Code, the inspector issues a certificate of approval (12-155-120(2)(a)).
• If disapproved, the inspector gives written notice with reasons. If the installation is hazardous to life or property, the inspector may order plumbing or gas service discontinued until it is made safe. The qualified applicant may appeal to the Board, which must grant a hearing within seven days after the notice of appeal is filed (12-155-120(2)(b)(I)).
• The original notice of disapproval is mailed to the Board and a copy to the contractor within two working days after the inspection, with a copy posted at the site (12-155-120(4)).
• After correcting, apply for reinspection in the same manner as the original and pay the reinspection fee.

Stop work orders

Stop-work authority in Colorado comes from Board Rule 1.6(A)(5), not from an IPC administrative section — Colorado adopts only a narrow slice of IPC Chapter 1 and does not adopt a stop-work section. On notice from the plumbing inspector that work is being installed contrary to the code or in an unsafe and dangerous manner, the work shall be immediately stopped. The order must be in writing, and given to the owner, the owner's agent or the person doing the work, or posted at the job site, stating the conditions under which work may resume. Continuing work after being served, except work directed to remove the violation or unsafe condition, is itself a violation.

The fine schedule

Board Rule 1.7(D) publishes the actual dollar amounts, adopted under C.R.S. 12-155-123(2). Selected rows:

The statutory frame in 12-155-123(2)(b) is the same shape: first offense up to $1,000, second up to $2,000, subsequent offenses up to $2,000 for each day of violation. There is no blanket "$1,000 per day" penalty.

A citation must be answered within ten working days by paying the fine, requesting a stipulated settlement negotiation, or requesting a formal administrative hearing (Rule 1.7(C)(2)). Hearings are held before an administrative law judge at the Office of Administrative Courts under the Administrative Procedure Act. Paying a fine does not relieve you of correcting the violation (Rule 1.7(E)). Licensees must report a felony conviction to the Board within forty-five days (Rule 1.7(B)).