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Pikes Peak Regional Building Department reports modest housing uptick, fewer new apartment permits in 2024
Summary
Pikes Peak Regional Building Department told the El Paso County board that single-family permits rose modestly in 2024 while new multifamily permits fell sharply; inspections and completed apartment units increased.
The Pikes Peak Regional Building Department (PPRBD) presented its 2024 year-in-review to the El Paso County Board of County Commissioners on Jan. 28, reporting a small rise in single-family home permits and a steep decline in new multifamily permits.
“Housing construction sees a slight improvement in 2024,” Greg DeGrando, PPRBD public information officer, told the commissioners. He said the department issued about 2,854 single-family permits regionwide and that El Paso County recorded just over 1,000 single-family permits — up roughly 15% for the county.
DeGrando and Roger Lovell, PPRBD building official, briefed commissioners on the department’s statistics and services. Highlights included: 2,854 single-family permits regionwide (detached homes led with 2,463), 302 new commercial permits (down year over year), and 838 new apartment permits (down 63% compared with prior periods). The department also reported 3,795 apartment units completed in 2024 and roughly 6,060 apartment units still under construction at year-end.
On inspections and plan review, the department reported a 3% increase in inspections (about 296,112 inspections in 2024) and a 6% increase in plan reviews. DeGrando said the department averages about 1,100 inspections per day across roughly 63 field inspectors and continues to offer same-day inspections for most work.
PPRBD also highlighted its public GIS permit-mapping tool and free educational classes for builders, homeowners and realtors at pprbd.org/education. DeGrando said the region retains “the lowest fees in the entire state of Colorado” for the department’s building services and promoted its contractor and homeowner classes.
Commissioners asked about rent trends, fee history and outreach to local home inspectors. DeGrando said PPRBD does not set rents and that fees have not been increased in “at least 20 years,” according to Roger Lovell. Commissioners praised PPRBD’s same-day inspections and the department’s efforts to keep fees low while processing more plans and inspections.
No formal county action was required on the report; the presentation was informational.
