Deck Building in Castle Pines, CO

Decks in Castle Pines go through the City’s Plan Review Permit process, the same two-drawing submittal used for additions and remodels, and the City’s own uncovered decks and porches guide lays out specific footing, ledger, guard, and stair requirements our crew builds every deck against. Because that guide is an older, undated homeowner resource published on the City’s site, we treat its numbers as the starting point and confirm current fastening-schedule tables with the Building Division before finalizing engineering on any given project.

Every Deck Needs a Plan Review Permit

The City’s Building Permit page lists decks under Plan Review Permits, which means two identical, to-scale drawings have to be submitted and reviewed before work can begin — the same process required for additions and basement finishes. Our crew prepares those drawings around the actual footprint, ledger location, and post layout, not a generic template, since the City’s review is checking the real structure against the real lot.

That Plan Review step is separate from the engineer-stamped foundation drawings the City requires for home additions. We did not find that same engineer-stamp requirement written into the deck guide, so we don’t apply it to a standard uncovered deck unless the specific project’s soil or span conditions call for engineering on their own merits.

Setbacks Can Trigger an As-Built Survey

The City’s deck guide requires a site plan showing where the deck will sit on the lot, and if the proposed deck falls within 12 inches of a required minimum setback line, an as-built survey by a registered land surveyor is required before the permit can move forward. That’s the same as-built-survey trigger the City uses for home additions built close to a setback.

Our crew checks the lot’s setback lines against the proposed deck footprint early in design, specifically so we know before drawings are finalized whether a survey needs to be ordered. Waiting until the Plan Review submittal to discover a survey is needed adds weeks to a project that otherwise moves quickly.

Ledger Attachment Has Specific Published Numbers

For an attached deck, the City’s guide specifies a maximum gap of 1/2 inch between the ledger board and the house’s band board or rim joist, fasteners such as staggered bolts spaced at 16 inches on-center, and a stated ledger connection design load of 40 psf. These numbers come from an older City-published guide, so our crew treats them as the baseline and confirms current fastening-schedule tables — which can vary by band-joist material and deck load — with the Building Division before the ledger goes up.

Flashing at the ledger connection is part of that same detail: keeping water from tracking behind the house band board at the ledger is one of the most common failure points on an older deck, so our crew treats the flashing step as non-negotiable even where a specific flashing product isn’t named in the guide.

Footings Go to Frost Depth, With Post-Base Clearance

Deck posts bear on footings that extend to the jurisdiction’s adopted frost line depth of 36 inches, the same frost-depth number used across Castle Pines’ adopted code table. The City’s deck guide additionally calls for setting posts with the post base roughly 1 inch above the top of the concrete footing, and, where a post bears directly on grade, 6 inches above the earth, both intended to keep wood off standing moisture.

Our crew pours footings to that frost depth on every deck regardless of deck size, since a shallow footing is one of the few deck mistakes that isn’t visible until the ground heaves a season or two later. The footing inspection has to happen before concrete is placed, which is the point where our schedule and the City’s inspection schedule have to line up exactly.

Guards and Stairs Follow Height and Riser Triggers

A guardrail is required once the deck’s walking surface is more than 30 inches above grade, and where a guard is required it must be at least 36 inches high. Stairs need a minimum width of 36 inches, and any stair with 4 or more risers needs a handrail, mounted 34 to 38 inches above the nose of the tread.

Our crew measures the actual grade-to-deck height on-site rather than assuming a plan-set elevation is exact, since a few inches of graded slope can push a deck over the 30-inch guard trigger even when the drawings suggested otherwise. Getting the guard and stair details right the first time avoids a failed final inspection over something that’s inexpensive to fix during framing but disruptive to fix after decking boards are down.

Inspections Happen at Three Points

The City’s guide describes a three-step inspection sequence for decks: a footing inspection before concrete is placed, a framing inspection before decking boards go down (so the ledger connection, posts, and beam framing are still visible), and a final inspection once decking, guards, and stairs are complete. Our crew schedules each inspection request before the next construction step covers up what the City needs to see, rather than working ahead and hoping the schedule lines up later.

That sequencing matters most at the framing stage, since decking boards permanently hide the ledger bolts, joist hangers, and post connections the framing inspection is specifically checking. We don’t install decking until that inspection has passed.

How We Sequence a Castle Pines Deck

Design starts with a site plan checking the deck footprint against setback lines, so we know up front whether an as-built survey is needed before Plan Review drawings are finalized and submitted. Once the permit is issued, footings are dug to the 36-inch frost depth and poured, with post bases set above grade per the guide, and the footing inspection is requested before any concrete goes in.

Framing follows — ledger attachment, posts, beams, and joists — built to the guide’s fastening specifications and confirmed against current Building Division guidance, with the framing inspection requested while all of it is still visible. Decking, guardrails sized to the measured height, and stairs with code-compliant risers and handrails close out the project, followed by the final inspection before we consider the deck complete.

Common Questions

Does a new deck in Castle Pines need a permit?
Yes. Decks are on the City’s Plan Review Permit list, requiring two identical, to-scale drawings submitted and reviewed before construction begins.

How deep do deck footings need to go?
Footings need to extend to the jurisdiction’s adopted frost line depth of 36 inches, with the post base set roughly 1 inch above the concrete or 6 inches above grade where a post bears directly on the earth.

When do I need a guardrail on my deck?
A guardrail is required once the deck’s walking surface is more than 30 inches above grade, and it must be at least 36 inches high where required.

Will I need a survey for my deck?
If the proposed deck falls within 12 inches of a required minimum setback line, the City’s guide calls for an as-built survey by a registered land surveyor before the permit can proceed.

Talk to Us About Your Project

Tell us your deck’s approximate size, height above grade, and whether it will attach to the house, and we’ll walk through the Castle Pines setback, footing, and inspection steps before we finalize a design.