Licensing Information

Who needs a contractor’s license?

 

General Contractors

  • Unlimited
  • Commercial
  • Light Commercial
  • Homebuilder

 

Specialty Trades

  • Alteration & Maintenance
  • Fire Alarm System Installation
  • Fire Sprinkler System Installation
  • Mechanical
  • Roofing
  • Solid Fuel & Gas Appliance
  • Solar Installer
  • Electrical Registration
  • Plumbing Registration

 

Contractor License Application Requirements

  • Completed application form
  • Payment of fees (checks made payable to the City of Aspen)
  • Photocopy of current B.E.S.T. card (both sides) or State License corresponding to the type of license (eg. Affidavit State NICET, CoSEIA or NABCEP, State Electrical, Master Electrical, State Plumbing, Master Plumbing)
  • Completed Insurance Affidavit
  • Completed State Immigration Affidavit and proof of lawful presence in the United States in compliance with state HB1023

 

Insurance Requirements

Every contractor is required to maintain at all times employee and public liability insurance with minimum limits or not less than $100,000 for one person and $300,000 for any one accident, and property damage insurance with a minimum limit of not less than $100,000 for any one accident.  The contractor license is null and void if the insurance expires.

         

Renewing Your Contractor License

  • Provide the same information required for application.  If we already have your Insurance Affidavit and State Immigration Affidavit on file you are not required to supply them to us a second time.
  • The B.E.S.T. Card (or other proof of certification) must be current, and you must supply us with a copy of the front and back of the B.ES.T. Card or copy of other accepted certifications.
  • Payment of fees is also required (checks made payable to the City of Aspen)

 

Acceptable Forms of Identification

  • Any State issued driver’s license, driver’s permit, or photo identification card expired one (1) year or less.
  • U.S. Passport expired less than ten (10) years.
  • Valid foreign passport with I-94 or valid processed I551 Stamps.
  • Valid I551 Resident Alien/Permanent Resident Card.  No. B1/B2 Visa/BCC Cards.
  • Valid I688 Temporary Resident, I688B, and I766 Employment Authorization Card with Intact photo.
  • Valid U.S. Military ID (active duty, dependent, retired, reserve, National Guard).
  • Tribal Identification Card with intact photo (U.S. or Canadian)
  • Certificate of Naturalization with intact photo.
  • Certificate of U.S. Citizenship with intact photo.

 

Reciprocating a License From Another Jurisdiction

  • Contractors MUST license with each individual jurisdiction in which they work.  City of Aspen/Pitkin County honor B.E.S.T. Cards from other jurisdictions in the Valley but only if tested under the 2009 Codes or current edition.
  • City of Aspen/Pitkin County will accept International Code Council contractor certifications for comparable categories of licenses. 
  • The holder of an ICC General Building Contractor (A) certification is eligible for any class Aspen/Pitkin County General Contractor License. 
  • The holder of an ICC Building Contractor License (B) is eligible for an Aspen/Pitkin County General Contractor (Light Commercial) License.
  • The holder of an ICC Residential Building Contractor License (C) is eligible for an Aspen/Pitkin County General Contractor (Homebuilder) License.
  • Aspen/Pitkin County will also accept an ICC Roofing Contractor certification for a Roofing Contractor license, and an ICC Master Mechanical certification for a Mechanical Contractor License.

 

What is a B.E.S.T. Card?

B.E.S.T. stands for Board of Examiners for Standardized Testing.  B.E.S.T. is a program used by Aspen/Pitkin County and many other jurisdictions in the Roaring Fork Valley and along the I-70 corridor to verify the level of Code knowledge for contractors and job supervisors.

 

A B.E.S.T. Card is not the same as a Contractor’s License.

 

Please contact the Pitkin County Community Development Department for questions regarding B.E.S.T. testing or to schedule a test at (970) 920-5526.

 

Visit the Pitkin County Community Development website for additional information.

 

License Validity 

 

General contractors

License will expire every three years on the month and year of B.E.S.T. card expiration.  A contractor’s license automatically expires if the required insurance expires.

Specialty Trades

Plumbers and Electricians: License will expire every two years on the month and year the State certification expires.

Fire Sprinkler Installers: License will expire each year on the month the State registration expires.

Solar PV Installers: CoSEIA certificates for photovoltaic systems are valid for three years; certificates for solar thermal systems are valid for five years.  NABCEP certificates for both PV and thermal are valid for three years.

All other Specialty Trades

All licenses expire on the month and year the B.E.S.T. card expires.

 

 

Owner/Builder

Colorado state law allows homeowners to build, remodel and otherwise work on their own homes and to install and work on plumbing and electrical systems.  The City of Aspen and Pitkin County require homeowner/builders to take a 25-question test on the 2009 International Residential Code to demonstrate that they are aware of the minimum code standards they must comply with.  There is no passing grade and no fee to take the test.  Tests are taken in the Pitkin County Community Development Department offices.

 

Homeowner/builders must also sign an Insurance Affidavit to acknowledge the responsibility for maintaining minimum levels of employee liability and public liability insurance.  No permit can be issued to an owner who has not taken the test and signed the affidavit.

 

A homeowner/builder is an individual personally engaged in the construction of a single-family residence or accessory building for his or her own use.  The following conditions apply:

  • The owner/builder cannot be issued more than one building permit for new home construction in any two-year period; this restriction does not apply to work done on the same building, i.e. an owner may be issued more than one permit to remodel his/her home within a two-year period, but may not construct two residences within that period.
  • The owner/builder is responsible for ensuring that all paid personnel are covered by workman’s compensation as required by state law.
  • The owner/builder must be present at the work site during all inspections unless prior arrangements have been made with the building department.
  • The owner/builder is required to sign an ‘Owner/Builder Affidavit’.
  • For the purposes of this program, only buildings that fall under the International Residential Code are considered single-family residences.  That means detached single-family residences, duplexes and IRC townhouses.  The owners of a condominium unit are not included since the results of their construction efforts directly impact the safety of adjoining units.

 

Please call (970) 920-5526 for more information and to schedule a test.