Fence or deck costs in Colorado Springs

In Colorado Springs, your deck permit doesn't come from City Hall. The Pikes Peak Regional Building Department handles permits for the city, the county around it, and towns including Fountain, Monument and Manitou Springs.

Its list of work exempt from permit gives decks a narrow pass. A detached deck can skip the permit only if it's 200 square feet or less, no more than 30 inches above grade at any point within 36 inches of its edge, and doesn't serve the required exit door. Attach it to the house, make it bigger or raise it, and you're filing plans.

The department's deck plan review packet shows what it checks. Every deck plan gets a site plan review, and the packet sends you to the zoning office for your town or the county too. If you choose composite boards, the product needs an evaluation report, and that report has to be on site at inspection. Joists within six inches of the ground must be treated or decay-resistant.

Watch the basement windows. If a deck goes over an egress window well, the code wants a clear path at least 36 inches high and 36 inches wide from the well out to a yard or court. If your deck would cover an egress window, design around that path from the start.