Adams County is the north metro, and its housing stock has a specific age signature: the county grew from roughly 22,000 people to 66,000 between 1950 and 1960, an average of more than 11% a year, and the subdivisions that absorbed that growth are still the houses we remodel today.
Who Issues the Permit
In unincorporated Adams County — Derby, Welby, Sherrelwood, Twin Lakes, Berkley, Todd Creek — permits come from the Planning and Development Division’s One Stop Permitting Center, 720-523-6800. Kitchen and bathroom remodels need permits when electrical or plumbing changes, as do roof work, additions, decks, fences and basement finishes; a basement finish that includes a kitchen may be treated as an accessory dwelling unit, which is a different review. Staff review runs 10 to 20 business days depending on scope. The county moved to the updated 2026 International Building Code cycle effective July 1, 2026.
Cities in the county run their own departments: Thornton (303-538-7250, CityView portal), Commerce City (Building Safety Division, eTRAKiT), Federal Heights, Westminster, Northglenn, Brighton, and the Adams County portion of Aurora (15151 E Alameda Parkway, 303.739.7420). Note for anyone doing electrical work in Aurora: as of August 1, 2026 the city applies the 2026 National Electrical Code to all electrical permits.
The 1950s–1970s Housing Problem
Thornton was incorporated in 1956 and is now the sixth-largest city in Colorado at 141,867 residents. Its original core is 1960s–80s ramblers and two-storeys; West Thornton is 1980s–90s split-levels, ranches and bi-levels. Federal Heights dates to 1940. The unincorporated communities — Sherrelwood at 19,228, Welby at 15,553, Derby at 8,407, Berkley at 12,536 — are largely postwar ranch stock. Median home values across the county run roughly $500,000 to $515,000, with the unincorporated communities lower, in the $350,000 to $465,000 band.
What that age means in practice is a predictable list of things we find:
- Aluminum branch wiring from the early 1960s copper shortage. It is brittle, it expands and contracts, connections loosen, and loose connections are a fire risk. Found during a remodel, it is corrected, not ignored.
- Cast iron sewer lines, standard from the 1950s to the 1970s, with a 75 to 100 year life. They corrode inward, restrict flow and back up — which matters when a bathroom remodel adds fixtures to a line already near capacity.
- Asbestos-cement (Transite) water and sewer pipe from the same period, plus asbestos in wire insulation, floor tile and ceiling material.
- Lead paint throughout the pre-1978 stock.
None of this makes a house a bad project. It makes an honest scope different from a cheap one.
Asbestos, Lead and What the State Requires Before Demolition
Colorado’s Regulation 8 applies to buildings of any age and is the single most-missed step in a remodel here. For a single-family home, an inspection by a Colorado-certified asbestos building inspector is required once the work will disturb 32 square feet of material, 50 linear feet on pipe, or the equivalent of a 55-gallon drum — thresholds that a kitchen gut or a popcorn-ceiling removal clears without trying. Friable material must be removed by a Colorado-certified General Abatement Contractor before demolition, only an accredited laboratory can confirm a result, and demolition requires notification to CDPHE ten working days before the work starts, whether or not asbestos was found.
Lead runs alongside it. The federal Renovation, Repair and Painting rule requires certified lead-safe work practices on any pre-1978 home once more than a small area of painted surface is disturbed. We build both into the schedule at the start, because discovering them after demolition means a stopped job.
The Rocky Mountain Arsenal Restriction
Near Commerce City and Derby, the former Rocky Mountain Arsenal — a chemical weapons manufacturing site whose Superfund cleanup completed in 1996 and which is now largely a national wildlife refuge — carries environmental use restrictions dating to the 1980s that prohibit residential use and construction on the former arsenal property. Those restrictions can only be lifted through testing and sampling plans approved by both CDPHE and the EPA, and as of 2026 most of the property remains restricted. It is a factor for new development in that corridor rather than for remodeling an existing home, but anyone buying land nearby should know the restriction exists before making plans.
Hail on the North Metro
The north metro sits squarely in the Front Range hail corridor, and roof replacement is one of the most common projects we run in Adams County. Class 4 impact-resistant shingles usually earn an insurance discount; whether your policy pays actual cash value or replacement cost is the difference between a manageable claim and an expensive one. Colorado bars insurers from raising a premium solely because of a weather claim.
Services We Provide in Adams County
Every service below is available throughout Adams County, permitted through the authority with jurisdiction over your address.
- Kitchen Remodeling in Adams CountyLayouts, cabinets, counters, full gut rebuilds
- Bathroom Remodeling in Adams CountyPrimary baths, guest baths, wet-area rebuilds
- Basement Finishing in Adams CountyEgress, ceiling height, permits, finished space
- Home Additions in Adams CountyBump-outs, second stories, whole-room additions
- Roofing in Adams CountyReplacement, storm damage, Class 4 options
- Deck Building in Adams CountyComposite and wood decks, rails, structural repair
- Fencing in Adams CountyWood, composite and metal fence installation
- Framing in Adams CountyStructural framing, walls, load-bearing changes
- Drywall in Adams CountyHang, tape, texture, repair and patching
- Tile Work in Adams CountyFloors, showers, backsplashes, waterproofing
- Painting in Adams CountyInterior and exterior, prep and finish work
- Demolition in Adams CountySelective interior demo and full teardowns
Cities and Communities We Serve in Adams County
Local permitting, soil, wildfire and code details differ by community. Pick yours for the specifics that apply to your address.
- Berkley
- Commerce City
- Derby
- Federal Heights
- Northglenn
- Sherrelwood
- Thornton
- Todd Creek
- Twin Lakes
- Welby
- Westminster
We also work in the unincorporated communities the county permits directly — Welby, Sherrelwood, Twin Lakes, Berkley and Todd Creek. There is no city hall to apply to in any of them: plans, inspections and the certificate of completion all run through Adams County. Derby is the exception on this list — it was absorbed into Commerce City and is permitted by the city.
Common Questions
How long does a county permit take?
Staff review in unincorporated Adams County runs 10 to 20 business days depending on scope. Thornton, Commerce City, Westminster, Northglenn, Brighton, Federal Heights and Aurora each run their own department with their own timelines, so the first question is always which one your address falls into.
My house has aluminum wiring. Is that a problem?
It is common in early-1960s stock here, and it needs correcting rather than ignoring: aluminum expands and contracts more than copper, connections loosen over time, and loose connections are a fire risk. Found during a remodel, it gets addressed properly at the device and panel connections.
Should I scope the sewer line before a bathroom remodel?
On a 1950s to 1970s house, yes. Cast iron has a 75 to 100 year service life and corrodes inward. Adding fixtures to a line already restricted is how a finished remodel turns into a backed-up basement. A camera inspection before demolition is cheap next to that.
Are there restrictions near the old Rocky Mountain Arsenal?
On the former arsenal property itself, yes — environmental use restrictions dating to the 1980s prohibit residential use and construction, and most of the site remains restricted as of 2026. It affects new development in that corridor rather than remodeling an existing home nearby.