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Denver, CO

Commercial plumbing in Denver

Facility First manages commercial plumbing in Denver for retail stores, restaurants and offices, from clogged drains and leaks to annual backflow tests and grease interceptor pumping. Work goes to vetted plumbing providers licensed by the State of Colorado and registered with the City and County of Denver.

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What is covered in Denver

Commercial plumbing in Denver under a Facility First program covers repair, planned service and the testing records that Denver Water and the City ask to see:

Leak, clog and backup response in restrooms, kitchens and back-of-house areas
Drain cleaning and camera inspection of kitchen and restroom lines
Fixture, flush valve, faucet and supply stop repair and replacement
Backflow prevention assembly testing, repair and reporting to Denver Water
Grease interceptor pumping, cleaning and maintenance records for food service sites
Water heater repair and replacement, including gas-to-heat-pump replacements under Denver’s energy rules
Freeze prevention and repair of exposed lines, hose bibs and irrigation backflow assemblies

Licensing and permits in Denver

Plumbing is licensed by the State of Colorado and permitted locally in Denver. The State lists Denver among the jurisdictions that run their own plumbing permits and inspections, so permits come from the City, not the State.

Requirement	Agency	Level	Official source
Plumber license (residential, journeyworker or master)	State Plumbing Board, Division of Professions and Occupations, Department of Regulatory Agencies	State	DPO: Plumbing
Denver plumbing contractor license and registration; the State contractor card and master plumber card must be current with the Department of Regulatory Agencies before a Denver renewal	City and County of Denver, Community Planning and Development	City	Denver: Contractor Licensing
Plumbing permit for commercial work other than faucet and trap repair and like-for-like replacement of sinks, disposals and water closets	Community Planning and Development	City	2025 Denver Building Code, Section 130.3.3
Annual test of every backflow prevention assembly by a certified tester, with results reported to Denver Water	Denver Water, Cross-Connection Control	Utility	Denver Water: Backflow Prevention Program
Permit for any new, modified, abandoned, reused or reconstructed grease interceptor	Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI), Right-of-Way Services	City	DOTI Policy 14.0: Grease Interceptors

Each provider’s State license, Denver registration and insurance are checked before work is assigned. Sites outside the City and County of Denver are permitted by their own city or county.

Codes and local rules

Plumbing code. The Denver Plumbing Code consists of the 2025 Denver amendments to the 2024 International Plumbing Code, published in the 2025 Denver Building Code.

Backflow prevention. Denver Water requires an approved backflow prevention assembly on all commercial, industrial, domestic, irrigation and fire line services. Each assembly must be tested at installation and annually after that, and Denver Water states there are no exemptions or grandfathering. The program follows the Colorado Primary Drinking Water Regulations (Regulation 11).

Grease interceptors. Denver prohibits discharging fats, oils and grease (FOG) into the sanitary sewer, and requires grease interceptors wherever food is prepared or processed, other than in single-family homes and duplexes. Under DOTI Policy 14.0, effective January 5, 2026, the owner or lessee is responsible for pumping and cleaning, and signed maintenance documents must be produced on request. Interceptors must stay accessible and may be inspected by the Wastewater Management Division; needing a ladder or moving bulky equipment to reach one counts as an accessibility violation.

Water heaters. Since March 1, 2023, new or replacement gas-fired water heaters in commercial buildings cannot use a quick permit. The application goes through review with an electrification feasibility report or one of the other options the City lists. Water heaters below 200 MBH may be replaced with a different type, such as a heat pump unit, under a quick permit with an electrical quick permit for the reconnection.

Preventive maintenance schedule for plumbing

Planned plumbing work keeps small problems from becoming closures. At Denver sites, scheduled backflow tests and interceptor pumping also produce the records Denver Water and the City ask to see, and fall checks reduce winter freeze damage.

Task	Recommended frequency	Basis
Test each backflow prevention assembly and send the report to Denver Water	At installation and annually	Denver Water Cross-Connection Control and Backflow Prevention Program
Pump and clean gravity grease interceptors	Before fats, oils, grease and solids reach 25 percent of total liquid capacity	DOTI Policy 14.0
Pump and clean hydromechanical grease interceptors	Per manufacturer direction, or before grease or solids reach 80 percent of storage capacity	DOTI Policy 14.0; manufacturer instructions
Keep signed grease interceptor maintenance records on file	Every service	DOTI Policy 14.0
Jet or snake high-use kitchen and restroom drain lines	Quarterly to twice a year, based on backup history	Facility First program default, adjusted per site
Flush water heater sediment and check the relief valve	Per manufacturer instructions	Manufacturer instructions
Inspect fixtures, flush valves, supply stops and visible piping for leaks	Quarterly	Facility First program default, adjusted per site
Winterize exposed lines, hose bibs and irrigation backflow assemblies	Each fall before the first freeze	Facility First program default, adjusted per site
Exercise main and fixture shut-off valves	Once a year	Facility First program default, adjusted per site

The authority having jurisdiction, the manufacturer and the property’s insurer can require more frequent service, and each location’s schedule is set in its program and recorded on every visit.

Seasonal and local conditions

Winter freezes. Snow and freezing temperatures put exposed piping, hose bibs, roof drains and irrigation backflow assemblies at risk. Fall winterizing and spring start-up are scheduled for every location with exterior plumbing.
Heat pump conversions. Denver’s energy rules steer water heater replacements toward electric equipment, so a failed gas water heater can need review time and electrical capacity checks. Planning replacement before failure avoids a long outage.
Restaurant volume. Pumping intervals depend on interceptor size, menu and volume, which DOTI recognizes by leaving the schedule to the owner or lessee within its guidelines. Facility First sets each site’s interval from its pump-out history.
Recycling and compost. Under Denver’s Universal Recycling and Composting Ordinance, food businesses must provide composting for employees and contractors. Diverting food scraps to compost also keeps solids out of kitchen drains.

Where Facility First works in Denver

Facility First manages plumbing for locations across the Denver area’s main retail and business districts, including Cherry Creek Shopping Center, Cherry Creek North, Larimer Square, and Union Station and LoDo, along with suburban centers such as Park Meadows and the Denver Tech Center. Sites outside the City and County of Denver follow the licensing and permit rules of their own city or county. Work covers mall tenant restrooms, downtown restaurants with grease interceptors, older buildings with aging supply lines and suburban offices. Typical clients are retail and luxury retail, restaurants and corporate offices.

How plumbing requests are handled

Request. The location or facilities team submits the request through the platform or by phone, with photos of the leak, fixture or backup.
Triage. Facility First confirms scope, priority, shut-off locations, landlord rules and any warranty.
Dispatch. A vetted Denver plumbing provider, licensed by the State and registered with the City, receives the work order and pulls any permit.
Photo close-out. The provider documents the cause and the repair with photos, and attaches backflow test reports or pump-out manifests where they apply.
Verification and invoice. The work is checked against the request and invoiced in one format, with test records stored against the location.

Routine repairs proceed within the approval limits the client sets. Anything above a limit, such as a water heater replacement, is quoted for approval first.

Security by McCray in Denver

Where a flood or major repair leaves a location closed with doors open or stock exposed, McCray can post an officer until the work is complete. Security services in Denver

Frequently asked questions

How often must backflow preventers be tested in Denver?

Denver Water requires each backflow prevention assembly to be tested at installation and annually after that by a certified tester. Test reports go to Denver Water’s Cross-Connection Control office.

How often should a restaurant grease interceptor be pumped in Denver?

DOTI Policy 14.0 calls for pumping gravity interceptors before grease and solids reach 25 percent of total liquid capacity, and hydromechanical units per the manufacturer or before 80 percent of storage capacity. The owner or lessee sets the schedule and must produce maintenance records on request.

Who issues plumbing permits in Denver?

The City and County of Denver issues its own plumbing permits and inspections. Plumbers are licensed by the Colorado State Plumbing Board, and plumbing contractors also register with Denver.

Can a gas water heater in a Denver store be replaced like for like?

Since March 1, 2023, gas-fired water heaters in commercial buildings cannot use a quick permit. The replacement goes through review with an electrification feasibility report or another option the City lists.

Sources

Checked November 2026.

One plumbing record for every Denver location, with backflow and grease reports on file.