Contractor Licensing

***ATTENTION*** Contractor Licensing for Pitkin County is handled by the City of Aspen. You MUST contact their office for licensing. Once your license has been updated or approved by the City, the City of Aspen will notify Pitkin ComDev staff and we will update our records. This will link your Aspen/Pitkin County Contractor License with PATS.

Pitkin County will no longer be administrating the Best Tests.  Please contact City of Aspen at (970) 920-5090 or go to https://www.cityofaspen.com/202/Contractor-Licensing to set up a test.

Contemporaneous Review of Electrical Licenses

Contact the State of Colorado for more information

Going Forward - Contemporaneous Review of Electrical Licenses for Pitkin County

Pursuant to Colorado Revised Statutes 12-155-120(1)(a) and (10), Pitkin County Building Division has established the following procedures for conducting contemporaneous reviews of electrical licenses.  These procedures apply to the inspection of all electrical work required to be installed by State Licensed Electricians. Inspections of electrical work will only be conducted when a State Licensed electrical contractor is provided on an approved electrical permit. Pitkin County will verify the State Electrical license by accessing the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) website.  

State's Contemporaneous Review Requirements and Pitkin's policy

1)  Establish when in the permitting process the Inspecting Entity (IE) verifies that the Electrical Contractor (EC) and the EC’s full-time Master Electrician (ME) maintain active registration and licensure (respectively), and what the IE will do if no active license or registration exists. 
  • Pitkin County maintains a licensing database with the Electrician's State Contractor license and Master Electrician information on file.  No permits are issued without verification of a current license registered with the City of Aspen/Pitkin County Contractor licensing system.
2) Determine the method IE will use to verify license and/or registration. Establish how the IE will handle changes if the EC or ME originally assigned to a job is replaced or leaves after the permit is obtained.  
  • (As stated in the answer to question #1) Pitkin County maintains a licensing database.  We will typically cancel the original permit and issue a replacement permit to the new contractor.  We require a notification letter when the EC or ME leaves the project and the new contractor is required to contact us prior to any further inspections being requested.
3)  Determine whether the permit remains in place or terms in which the permit can remain active. 
  • In some cases, if the scope of work is separated we will continue with the original permit until a specific stopping point for separation of liability and permit obligation.  If the new contractor assumes all liability we do not perform a status inspection prior to change over.  If a delineation in scope is required, we perform a status inspection to determine contractor liability.
4)  The IE’s inspector must determine when and how to verify the licensee’s performing work and their compliance with licensee-to apprentice ratio, as required by law. 
  • Pitkin County Inspectors require credentials for any staff that accompanies them on an inspection and questions the licensee about supervisory status at their discretion or if a problem arises.
5)  IE must also determine actions to take should violations occur. 
  • Pitkin County has a process for local license review and refers any State infractions to DORA.
6)  Establish how, if, and when the IE or IE’s Inspector will report violations to the Board.  
  • Any misconduct or misuse related to a State license is immediately reported to DORA.

Contemporaneous Review of Plumbing Licenses

Contact the State of Colorado for more Information

Going Forward - Contemporaneous Review of Plumbing Licenses for Pitkin County

Pursuant to Colorado Revised Statutes 12-58-114.5, Pitkin County Building Division has established the following procedures for conducting contemporaneous reviews of plumbing licenses.  These procedures apply to the inspection of all plumbing work required to be installed by State Licensed Plumbers.   Inspections of plumbing work will only be conducted when a State Licensed plumbing contractor is provided on an approved plumbing permit. Pitkin County will verify the State Plumbing license by accessing the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) website.   County plumbing inspectors will request, at their discretion, any of the following:

  • Verification of plumbing licenses for the plumbers working on the job site for compliance with CRS 12-58-105.
  • Verification of apprentices working on the job site for compliance with CRS-12-58-117.
  • That the plumbing contractor is the same as that listed on the issued permit.
  • If the inspector is unable to verify the identity or verification of any of the items listed above, the inspector may issue a ‘stop work’ order or fail the requested inspection, at their discretion, until verification can be provided.
  • Based upon scope and extent of violations, Pitkin County Building Department staff may further issue a written warning to non-compliant plumbing installers, and at the County’s discretion, proceed with submitting a formal complaint of violations to the State Plumbing Board (SPB).   Documentation of issued warnings and complaints submitted to the (SPB) shall be retained in the Chief Building Official’s office.