Guides · 2026-10-24 · By David Linda, Founder
Denver contractor licensing explained: certificates, license classes and what to check before you hire
Denver licenses contractors differently from almost everywhere else in Colorado. It's a combined city and county with its own licensing office, its own certificates and its own exams, and it doesn't take anyone else's license. If you're hiring for a Denver address, a contractor's license from Aurora, Lakewood or another state doesn't count. This guide explains how the system works, in plain terms, and what to check.
Who runs it
Contractor licensing in Denver is handled by Denver Community Planning and Development (CPD). According to CPD's licensing page, Denver does not accept or reciprocate licenses from other counties or states. Every contractor who pulls a permit in Denver needs a Denver license for that type of work. You can reach the licensing office at Contr.Licensing@denvergov.org or (720) 865-2770.
Step one: a supervisor certificate
Denver's system has two layers. First, a person earns a supervisor certificate by showing experience and, for most classes, passing an exam. Then a business gets a contractor license by holding a certificate itself or employing someone who does. The certificate is about the person's competence. The license is what lets the business pull permits.
That's why two companies with the same kind of license can differ a lot in practice. Ask who the certificate holder is, and whether that person actually supervises your job.
The license classes
| Class | What it covers | What Denver asks for |
|---|---|---|
| Class A | The broadest building class, including high-rise work | Seven years of experience, including high-rise work, and the ICC F11 exam |
| Class B | A mid-level building class (CPD also lists a version limited to 30 feet) | Four years of experience and the ICC F12 exam |
| Class C | Residential construction | Two years of foundation, framing or roofing experience and the ICC F13 exam |
| Class D | Specialty trades, such as roofing | Trade-specific experience; requirements vary by certificate |
CPD says application review takes about 14 to 20 business days. Licenses renew every one to three years depending on type, and supervisor certificates renew every three years. A contractor who says their Denver license is "in process" can't pull your permit yet.
Roofing certificates in Denver
Roofing is a Class D specialty, and Denver splits it into several certificates. They include Roof Covering/Waterproofing (commercial and residential), Roofing-Shingles (residential only), Roofing limited to green roof systems, and Metal Roof Installer. CPD lists two years of experience and 24 projects in the previous 24 months for the Roof Covering/Waterproofing certificate, with no exam. If your house has a low-slope or membrane section, ask whether the roofer's certificate covers it, not just shingles.
Denver's Roofing Guide and Checklist sets the permit threshold. On buildings under 25,000 square feet, repairs over 10% of the roof or two roof squares (whichever is smaller) need a permit, and you can't replace a partial slope. Shingle re-roofs on one- and two-family homes get a final roof inspection (code 201). Denver also allows third-party roofing inspectors for those jobs.
Electricians and plumbers: state license first
Colorado licenses electricians and plumbers at the state level, through the DORA State Electrical Board and the DORA State Plumbing Board. In Denver, a Colorado electrical or plumbing license takes the place of the supervisor certificate. The business still needs its Denver license. CPD also says plumbing contractors must renew their state (DORA) registration before they can renew in Denver. So an electrician or plumber working in Denver should be able to show you both a state license and a Denver license.
Homeowner permits, and why a contractor might suggest one
Denver lets owner-occupants pull some permits themselves. Its homeowner permit page says these permits are for single-family homes only (not condos, townhomes or duplexes), the owner must live there and keep living there for at least 12 months after the work, and electrical, plumbing and mechanical work requires passing a homeowner exam. General construction and roofing don't require the exam.
Here's why that matters. If a contractor asks you to pull the permit in your name, you take responsibility for the work, and the city sees you as the builder. Sometimes it's innocent. Often it means the contractor isn't licensed in Denver. Ask directly.
What our Denver data shows
HomeProFax holds 7,151 contractor profiles with a Denver address, mostly built from the state DORA roster plus city license lists. Of those, 3,654 show an active license, 3,387 show an expired one and 206 carry a board discipline flag. That's a state-license view. Denver's own city license list isn't in our data yet, so for a Denver general contractor or roofer, use CPD's lookup or ask for the report.
We also hold Denver's open-data demolition permit log: 9,812 permits from 2015 to October 2026. Of those, 7,155 are full wrecking permits and most of the rest are alterations. Two facts are useful for homeowners:
- Most permits close. Of the permits issued before 2024, 89% (7,286 of 8,162) show a final date. A permit that never got a final inspection is worth asking about when you buy or hire.
- A few firms do most of the work. 502 different contractor names pulled wrecking permits, and the busiest one pulled 2,548 of them, about 36%. A demolition contractor with no Denver permits at all is a question worth asking.
Denver construction permits are also matched to profiles where we can. On the permit rows we show, the median value is $12,000 for residential permits and $38,000 for commercial ones.
How Denver differs from the suburbs
Cross a city line and the system changes. Aurora's Building Division issues its own licenses tied to ICC certifications and has electricians and plumbers file their state licenses rather than issuing a separate trade license. Lakewood uses registration classes, such as 5H for roofing, with a one-year probationary period. Arvada requires a Class R license for roofers. None of those count in Denver, and Denver's license doesn't count in them. A contractor who works the whole metro should hold several, and should be able to tell you which one covers your address. Our city-by-city roofing guide lists the rules for each.
A four-step check for a Denver contractor
- Ask for the Denver license number and the type. A license from another city doesn't count.
- Ask who holds the supervisor certificate and whether they'll be on your job.
- For electrical or plumbing work, ask for the state license too, and check it on the DORA site.
- Confirm the permit is in the contractor's name before work starts, and don't make the last payment until the final inspection passes.
Or skip the legwork
Each of those checks lives on a different website. The shortcut is to ask the contractor for their verified HomeProFax report. It puts the state license record, any discipline flag, matched permits, business registration and outside links on one page, with sources. A Denver contractor with a clean record can share it in a minute.
Browse Denver contractors, Denver electricians and Denver plumbers.
Licensing rules: Denver CPD and DORA pages, checked October 24, 2026. Profile counts: HomeProFax data as of October 24, 2026. Permit data: City and County of Denver Open Data Catalog, licensed under CC BY 3.0. HomeProFax matched permits to licensed contractors by name; data modified from the original. Not endorsed by the City and County of Denver. This isn't legal advice. Confirm current requirements with CPD.
Common questions
Does Denver accept contractor licenses from other cities?
No. Denver Community Planning and Development says it does not accept or reciprocate licenses from other counties or states, so a contractor needs a Denver license to pull permits there.
What is a supervisor certificate in Denver?
It’s the personal credential behind a Denver contractor license. A person earns it with experience and, for most classes, an ICC exam, and the business holds or employs a certificate holder to get its license. A Colorado electrical or plumbing license substitutes for it.
Do roofers need a license in Denver?
Yes. Roofing is a Class D specialty, with certificates such as Roof Covering/Waterproofing, Roofing-Shingles (residential only) and Metal Roof Installer.
Can I pull my own permit in Denver?
Owner-occupants of single-family homes can pull some permits and must live in the home for at least 12 months after the work. Electrical, plumbing and mechanical permits require a homeowner exam. Roofing and general construction don’t.
What is the quickest way to check a Denver contractor?
Ask for their verified HomeProFax report, which shows the license, discipline and permit records we hold with sources, instead of searching each agency yourself.
Sources
Official pages we checked for this guide. Rules change, so confirm with the agency before you rely on them.
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