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Why Steel Works in Colorado
Steel buildings hold up in Colorado when the frame is engineered for its own site. We are a dealer of pre-engineered steel building kits from American steel, and our metal buildings in Colorado, from barndominiums to cattle barns, arrive with PE-stamped drawings for the parcel.
Elevation sets the snow load. Colorado has the highest average elevation of any state, 6,800 feet, and its high mountains get 150 to more than 400 inches of snow a year. In Larimer County the ground snow load climbs from 55 psf below 5,000 feet to 160 psf at 9,000 feet, and no roof there is designed for less than 35 psf.
Wind and hail come next. Larimer County lists basic wind speeds from 115 to 225 mph. Northeastern Colorado lies in Hail Alley, the most hail-prone part of the country, with 7 to 9 hail days a year; in May 2017 hail over 2 inches damaged more than 100,000 vehicles around Denver. The drawings carry the design wind speed, exposure category and snow loads under ASCE 7. For how the two loads differ, see our guide to wind load vs. snow load.
Frost depth, wildfire rules and permits are in the codes and permits section below.
Colorado at a Glance
What We Engineer for:
Ground snow load for your exact site, set by elevation; in Larimer County it runs from 55 psf below 5,000 feet to 160 psf at 9,000 feet
Larimer County lists basic wind speeds from 115 to 225 mph; design wind speed and exposure category set per site under ASCE 7
Northeastern Colorado sees 7 to 9 hail days a year; ask about roof panel options when you request your quote
Footings go below the local frost line, 30 inches in Larimer County and 36 in Alamosa County; a local contractor pours them to our anchor bolt layout
No statewide building code; codes are adopted and enforced locally, such as the 2024 IBC in Larimer and Mesa counties
Building Codes and Permits in Colorado
Colorado has no statewide building code. Cities, towns and counties adopt and enforce their own, and many use recent International Codes: Larimer and Mesa counties enforce the 2024 International Building Code and International Residential Code. Drawings are prepared to the edition your jurisdiction enforces; your building department is the authoritative source.
Inside city or town limits, start with the city building department. In unincorporated areas, the county issues permits where it has adopted a code. A heated home or shop also has to meet an energy code: since July 1, 2023, a jurisdiction that updates its building codes must adopt the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code or an equivalent. We don’t pull the permit; we supply PE-stamped drawings, load calculations and specifications.
State law lets a county exempt buildings used only to shelter farm implements, farm products, livestock or poultry from its building code, and each county writes its own rule. In El Paso County, for one, an exempt farm building still has to meet electrical, plumbing and mechanical requirements, cannot store personal vehicles, and the exemption is recorded with the county. Ask your county before you order a barn as exempt.
Larimer County sets frost protection at 30 inches and Seismic Design Category B for most buildings, and Mesa County lists a ground snow load of 30 psf around Grand Junction and 100 psf at Mesa Lakes. A local contractor pours the footings to our anchor bolt layout. In mapped wildland-urban interface areas, the Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code, adopted in 2025, sets minimum standards for new construction; Mesa County set July 1, 2026, as its start date. Check flood risk on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center and with your county.
Colorado has no statewide building code. Cities, towns and counties adopt and enforce their own, and many use recent International Codes: Larimer and Mesa counties enforce the 2024 International Building Code and International Residential Code. Drawings are prepared to the edition your jurisdiction enforces; your building department is the authoritative source.
Inside city or town limits, start with the city building department. In unincorporated areas, the county issues permits where it has adopted a code. A heated home or shop also has to meet an energy code: since July 1, 2023, a jurisdiction that updates its building codes must adopt the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code or an equivalent. We don’t pull the permit; we supply PE-stamped drawings, load calculations and specifications.
State law lets a county exempt buildings used only to shelter farm implements, farm products, livestock or poultry from its building code, and each county writes its own rule. In El Paso County, for one, an exempt farm building still has to meet electrical, plumbing and mechanical requirements, cannot store personal vehicles, and the exemption is recorded with the county. Ask your county before you order a barn as exempt.
Larimer County sets frost protection at 30 inches and Seismic Design Category B for most buildings, and Mesa County lists a ground snow load of 30 psf around Grand Junction and 100 psf at Mesa Lakes. A local contractor pours the footings to our anchor bolt layout. In mapped wildland-urban interface areas, the Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code, adopted in 2025, sets minimum standards for new construction; Mesa County set July 1, 2026, as its start date. Check flood risk on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center and with your county.
Steel Buildings We Deliver Across Colorado
What a Steel Building Costs in Colorado
The price of a steel building in Colorado depends on its size, the loads of its site and its finish. Mountain snow and Front Range wind add frame weight.
From 20×20 to 30×40: garages, RV garages and backyard shops.
From 30×50 to 40×80: barndominiums, horse barns with stalls and shop buildings.
From 60×100 up: riding arenas, cattle and hay barns, and equipment storage.
A 40×60 near Mesa Lakes, with a ground snow load of 100 psf, gets a heavier frame than the same building in Grand Junction at 30 psf.
The $ tier covers the kit itself: frame, roof and wall panels. Insulation, overhead doors and liner panels move it to $$, and a finished living space or office inside to $$$. Our metal building cost guide lists dollar ranges by size, and our guide to what it costs to build a barndominium covers homes.
From 20×20 to 30×40: garages, RV garages and backyard shops.
From 30×50 to 40×80: barndominiums, horse barns with stalls and shop buildings.
From 60×100 up: riding arenas, cattle and hay barns, and equipment storage.
A 40×60 near Mesa Lakes, with a ground snow load of 100 psf, gets a heavier frame than the same building in Grand Junction at 30 psf.
The $ tier covers the kit itself: frame, roof and wall panels. Insulation, overhead doors and liner panels move it to $$, and a finished living space or office inside to $$$. Our metal building cost guide lists dollar ranges by size, and our guide to what it costs to build a barndominium covers homes.
How Colorado Owners Use Steel Buildings by Region
Front Range (Denver, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Boulder, Pueblo; Denver, El Paso, Larimer, Boulder, Pueblo counties)
The Front Range is home to Denver and Colorado Springs and to many of the state’s horses: Larimer County counted 4,367 horses and ponies in the 2022 Census of Agriculture, out of 75,992 statewide. Owners on acreage outside Fort Collins and Castle Rock pair stalls with hay storage. Wind off the foothills drives the design, and in September 2013 floods spread across the foothills. Start with our horse barns and stables.
See also: Barn with living quarters · Metal office buildings
Eastern Plains (Greeley, Sterling, Fort Morgan, Limon, Lamar; Weld, Logan, Morgan, Lincoln, Prowers counties)
The Eastern Plains are cattle and wheat country. Colorado held about 2.7 million cattle and calves at the end of 2022 and ranks fifth in the U.S. for cattle sales, and Weld County ranks seventh among U.S. counties for them. Wheat covered about 1.5 million acres statewide. The northeast is Hail Alley, and the March 2019 bomb cyclone brought a blizzard and set the state’s record for low air pressure at Lamar. Calving sheds and feed storage fit under our livestock barns.
See also: Tractor barns · Metal warehouses
Mountains (Breckenridge, Vail, Steamboat Springs, Salida, Gunnison; Summit, Eagle, Routt, Chaffee, Gunnison counties)
In the mountains, snow decides the design. The high country gets 150 to more than 400 inches a year, so a garage or home at 9,000 feet carries a larger snow load than the same plan on the plains. Wildfire matters too: the three largest fires on record in Colorado all burned in 2020. Owners build homes and garages; see our residential metal buildings.
See also: RV garages · Metal sheds
Western Slope (Grand Junction, Palisade, Montrose, Delta, Durango; Mesa, Montrose, Delta, La Plata counties)
The Western Slope mixes orchards, hay and cattle. Mesa County leads Colorado in fruit sales, with about 2,000 acres of peaches, and puts up hay on more than 31,000 acres. Snow loads swing with elevation, from 30 psf in Grand Junction to 90 psf at Powderhorn on Grand Mesa. Hay and equipment storage fit under our metal hay barns.
See also: Metal greenhouses · Metal carports
What can we design for you today?
Talk to a building specialist to learn more!
Design Your Building NowFrequently Asked Questions
No. Colorado leaves building codes to cities, towns and counties; Larimer and Mesa counties, for example, enforce the 2024 editions. Our drawings follow your jurisdiction’s edition; your building department has the final word.
It depends on the county and the building’s use. State law lets a county exempt buildings used only to shelter farm equipment, farm products or livestock. In El Paso County an exempt barn still needs electrical, plumbing and mechanical approvals. A barndominium is a home, so a farm exemption does not cover it.
They are engineered for the ground snow load of the exact site, which rises with elevation. Counties publish their own figures: Mesa County lists 30 psf around Grand Junction and 100 psf at Mesa Lakes. Send the full address with your quote request.
Yes, we deliver across Colorado, from Fort Collins to Pueblo and Grand Junction. Make sure a truck can reach the pad. We confirm your production schedule and delivery window when your order is finalized. Your crew or a local erector assembles the building; if you want installation arranged, ask when you request your quote.
Yes. A barndominium starts as a pre-engineered steel building kit drawn for your site’s snow and wind loads, with the living space finished inside. It goes through your city or county like any home, including the energy code. Tell us the floor plan size and site address with your quote request.
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Quick Answer What PEMB Stands for, and What the Industry Actually Calls it PEMB stands for pre-engineered metal building. Contractors and building officials use the acronym for a low-rise steel building that one manufacturer designs and supplies as a complete structural package. The same product appears in quotes under other names too: pre-engineered steel building, […]
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Quick Answer What Red Iron is and Where the Name Comes From Dealers and classified ads use “red iron” as if it were a material you could order by name. It isn’t. It’s trade shorthand for the heavy structural steel in the primary frame of a metal building, and the phrase stuck because the parts […]
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How Much Does it Cost to Build a Barndominium in 2026?
How much does it cost to build a barndominium? Nationally in 2026, a fully turnkey build with standard finishes runs $65 to $160 per square foot, and the steel or post-frame shell alone, the kit plus on-site assembly, runs $30 to $50 per square foot before any interior work starts (Source: HomeGuide, 2026). For a […]
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How Long Do Metal Roofs Last?
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