Short answer
When a Denver Fire Department inspector finds violations at a commercial property, they are written into an inspection report that is sent to the property with an invoice. The violations are corrected and the property is reinspected, and under the city’s July 2026 fee schedule a non-compliance reinspection costs $85 the first time and $165 each time after that. The city’s public pages do not state a standard correction deadline, so the dates and instructions in your own inspection report are what count.
What happens after the inspector leaves
The Denver Fire Department says commercial occupancies are inspected once a year and that a representative of the property walks the facility with the inspector. Violations are noted in an inspection report that is sent to you, and an invoice comes with it. After that the next steps are mostly in the property’s hands.
- Read the whole report and sort each item by who can fix it. Housekeeping items such as storage and blocked exits can usually be corrected by the property team. Work on a fire alarm, sprinkler system, extinguisher or fire pump involves a provider licensed by the Denver Fire Department.
- Ask the inspector about anything that is unclear. The city’s inspection page sends questions about documented violations to the inspector, whose contact details are on the report.
- Schedule the system work with a licensed provider and keep the provider’s service record for each correction.
- Expect a reinspection. It produces its own report and its own invoice.
What Denver’s inspectors look for
Denver Fire publishes the checklist its inspectors work from. It is undated and covers more than most buildings need, but the areas below are the ones that produce findings at a typical commercial property.
| Area | Examples from the checklist | Usually handled by |
|---|---|---|
| Exterior access | Address numerals at least 4 inches tall and visible from the street, fire lane open and marked, fire department connection and hydrant unobstructed, Knox Box keys where required | Property team |
| Fire alarm | Panel logbook and the previous 3 years of annual records on site, annual inspection with deficiencies corrected, horns, strobes, pull stations and detectors intact and uncovered | Licensed fire alarm provider |
| Sprinklers and standpipes | Wet and dry systems inspected annually, sprinkler room and valves labeled, a current 5-year standpipe flow test, fire pump test records | Licensed sprinkler or fire pump provider |
| Extinguishers | Annual inspection tag, right size and type for the space (2A:10BC minimum), mounted properly and reachable | Licensed extinguisher provider |
| Commercial cooking | Hood system inspected every 6 months and after an activation, hood cleaning records, a Class K extinguisher where there is grease production | Licensed suppression provider and hood-cleaning vendor |
| Exits and emergency lighting | Emergency lights and exit signs light when the test switch is pressed and run on battery or generator, exits unobstructed and openable from the inside | Property team, or a provider for lighting repairs |
| Storage and electrical | 18 inches of clearance below sprinkler heads, 30 inches of clearance around electrical panels | Property team |
The same checklist has sections for hazardous materials, generators, fueling stations, marijuana facilities, institutions and elevators. Those apply only to specific occupancies.
What a reinspection costs
Denver’s inspection fee schedule dated July 23, 2026 lists a non-compliance reinspection fee of $85 for the first reinspection and $165 for each one after that. The city’s inspection page notes that inspection and permit fees increased effective July 1, 2026. These are the city’s charges for its own reinspection. They are separate from what a provider charges to correct the findings.
Reinspections tied to a permit are billed differently. For inspections of permitted fire alarm, sprinkler and similar work, Denver Fire’s permit page lists $500 for the first reinspection and $800 for each later one. A correction that needs a permit can therefore cost more to recheck than an ordinary reinspection.
When the finding is a system that is not working
An impaired fire alarm or sprinkler system follows a separate Denver process from an ordinary violation. A system that is out of service for more than 10 hours needs a fire watch and a fire watch permit, and the outage is reported to the Fire Department online. The Denver fire watch guide covers the steps in order.
What to have ready for a provider
A provider can scope the corrections faster with the complete report rather than the page that lists the violations. Denver’s checklist expects the previous three years of fire alarm reports and the panel logbook to be kept on site, so those are worth pulling too.
- Every page of the inspection report, and the date by which corrections are expected.
- The property address and who can give access to riser rooms, the panel and tenant spaces.
- System types and the panel make, if known, or photos of the equipment.
- The most recent annual inspection reports for each system.
- A note of anything already fixed since the inspection.
Using Denver Fire Safety for the corrections
Denver Fire Safety cannot change a finding or a deadline, and it does not speak for the city. If the report lists work on alarms, sprinklers, extinguishers or similar systems, call (970) 591-1310 with the report and the address. Denver Fire Safety gathers the details, identifies a qualified provider and confirms scope, timing and price with you before anything is authorized. The provider named for the job performs and documents the correction.
Sources and limits
Written from the Denver Fire Department’s public pages as reviewed on October 27, 2026. Your inspection report and your inspector control for your property, and deadlines, fees and requirements for your building can differ from this general description.
Denver Fire Department: Fire Safety Inspections
The city’s page on annual commercial inspections, inspection reports, invoices, fees and contacts.
Denver Fire Department inspection fee schedule, July 23, 2026
Annual inspection fees by building size and occupancy, and the non-compliance reinspection fees.
Denver Fire Department inspection checklist
The undated form inspectors use, listing what is checked for alarms, sprinklers, extinguishers, kitchens, exits and more.
Denver Fire Department: plan review, systems testing and occupancy
Inspection steps and reinspection fees for permitted fire alarm, sprinkler and related work.
Denver Fire Department: Fire Safety Systems Licensing
License categories, who needs a license and how to apply.
Who publishes this guide
Denver Fire Safety is an independent commercial service coordinator for Denver-area properties. It is not affiliated with the City and County of Denver or the Denver Fire Department, and it does not hold the licenses described above. A qualified provider, named to you before you authorize work, performs and documents the regulated work. Call (970) 591-1310 to start a request. If there is an active fire, smoke or immediate danger, call 911.