Adams and Jefferson Counties, Colorado Denver & the Metro

Barndominium Builders in Westminster, Colorado

Westminster sits between Denver and Boulder, a mature city of neighbourhoods, open space and Standley Lake, and it is not short of people who want a barndominium. What it is short of is room. We design and build shop homes for Westminster households, and most of those projects end up on acreage outside the city while the family still lives in town during construction. Our range covers post frame homes with a heated shop and loft, steel homes on a bolted frame for owners who want clear spans, and custom layouts drawn around vehicles, hobbies or a home business. When a parcel inside city limits can take one, the city's Building Division reviews it through a fully paperless eTRAKiT portal, against design criteria Westminster publishes itself. When the land is elsewhere in Colorado, the permit, septic and well steps shift to whichever county holds it, and we map those out first. Start the survey with an address or a listing link and we will tell you what the parcel can realistically hold.

Westminster at a glance

County: Adams and Jefferson Counties
Building permit: City or town building department
Local facts on this page: 4, each linked to its source

Tell us about your land

Before you build in Westminster

The local answers that shape a build here, each taken from the office or document that publishes it. Rules change, so we confirm them again against your parcel before drawing.

City or town permitWho issues the permit

City of Westminster Building Division

Inside Westminster city limits, building permits are applied for, plans submitted and inspections requested through the city's eTRAKiT portal; the process is fully paperless. The Building Division offers walk-through residential plan review on set weekday afternoons and mornings, and fire suppression or alarm permits go separately to the fire department at application. Parcels outside the city answer to their county.

Source: Building | Westminster, CO (westminsterco.gov)

Snow, wind and frost (city-published): Westminster's Design Criteria for Structures, effective 1 June 2024, set a 30 psf ground snow load, a 36-inch frost line depth, a design wind speed of 130 to 155 mph by map with a special wind region, seismic category B and severe weathering, at a listed elevation of 5,384 feet.
Code edition: Westminster has enforced the 2021 International Codes, with city amendments, since 1 June 2024. From 1 August 2026 permits must also comply with the 2026 National Electrical Code, and the city held public sessions in 2026 on a further building code and contractor licensing update.
Fire department permits: The Westminster Fire Department requires its own permits and plan submittals for new construction and for fire suppression, sprinkler and alarm systems, alongside the building permit.
Split-county city: Adams County lists Westminster among the cities only partly inside its boundary, together with Arvada, Aurora, Bennett and Lochbuie.

Building on land near Westminster

Inside Westminster, acreage for a shop house is scarce: the city is largely built out, and lots that allow a large accessory-style building are rare. Families near Westminster who want metal building homes with room for trailers and equipment usually buy outside the city, most often on the rural eastern side of [Adams County](/areas/adams-county-co/) or on foothill and plains parcels in [Boulder County](/areas/boulder-county-co/). Rural land brings different questions: the county's design numbers, septic suitability and what well the parcel can get. Our [site preparation](/services/site-preparation/) planning covers the pad, access and utilities once you pick the ground.

Where we build in this part of Colorado

Denver & the Metro

What we build in Westminster

Kits, custom plans and turnkey builds. The parcel decides the budget more than the floor area does, so we price against your land rather than a rate card.

Custom Plans

Custom barndominium plans for Colorado: floor plans drawn around your land, snow load and soils, ready for a licensed engineer's seal where required.

Barndominium Kits

Barndominium kits for Colorado land: steel or pole barn shell packages drawn to the snow load your own county or city sets for your elevation.

Turnkey Builds

Turnkey barndominium builds in Colorado: one team from land and permits through well, septic, shell and finishes to a house you move into.

See every service

Have land in or near Westminster? Tell us about the parcel and what you want to build, and we will check it against the local rules before anything is drawn.

Start your build survey

Building in Westminster: questions

Start the survey

How much does it cost to build a barndominium for a Westminster family?

Location drives it. A city lot carries permit and use-tax costs tied to valuation, while a rural lot swaps those for a well, a septic system and longer utility runs. We price against a real parcel. The barndominium cost guide sets out sourced ranges and what pushes them, and the survey is where you send us the site.

Do I need a building permit for a barndominium in Westminster?

Yes. Within city limits the Building Division issues it through eTRAKiT, and the structure has to meet the city's own design criteria, including its 36-inch frost depth and mapped wind speeds. The fire department permits sprinkler and alarm work separately. Outside the city, the county holding the land issues the permit. Our permitting service prepares either package.

Can barndominium contractors use a kit on a Westminster-area build?

Yes, and plenty of barndominium contractors do, provided the package is checked against the design loads where it will stand. Westminster's mapped wind speeds and frost depth differ from many kit suppliers' defaults, so we confirm the numbers before ordering and have a Colorado-licensed engineer stamp the drawings where review calls for it. Our barndominium kits page explains how we source or review a package.

Keep reading

What usually comes next once you know what Westminster allows.

Barndominium Cost Guide

Sourced per-square-foot ranges by tier and size, and what moves the number on your land.

Read it

Is a Barndominium Legal in Colorado?

Zoning, septic and who inspects, before you buy the land.

Read it

How Long Does It Take?

From parcel to move-in, and which steps set the clock.

Read it

Sources for this page

The published pages behind the Westminster facts above. Rules change, so check the current version with the office before you rely on it.

Barndominium builders near Westminster

Nearby places we also build in. Across a city limit or a county line the permit office, zoning and septic rules can change, so each has its own page.

Adams County

Colorado county

Arvada

Jefferson and Adams Counties, Colorado

Thornton

Adams County, Colorado

Boulder County

Colorado county

Building in Westminster?

Start with the survey. Tell us where the land is and what you want on it, and we will come back with which office permits it, what it will allow, and a plan to fit.

Start the survey