QUICK ANSWER
Basement finishing in Centennial helps you make space for family, guests and work. Typical full finish, metro Denver: $30K to $90K, from one local builder's 2026 cost guide. Your address and project scope determine the quote. Fill out the form and we'll be in touch.
Centennial basements
The City of Centennial has its own Building Division. It issues permits, licenses contractors and schedules inspections. Everything is applied for online.
Centennial publishes a single-family basement finish checklist for permit applicants. It lists the floor plan details the city wants to see. Your contractor works from it.
A family room, home office or guest suite makes better use of the space you already own. Start with the layout, light and moisture before choosing finishes.
Centennial basement guide
Plan on a 24-hour check-in, then about 5 to 20 business days of review when review is required. The City of Centennial lists those times in its building permit process.
After approval, fees are paid, contractors are added and the permit is issued. Permits stay active for 180 days, and inspections are scheduled online. Once every inspection passes, the Building Division is emailed to close the permit.
Centennial's checklist asks for a floor plan with the existing dimensions, every new room and all new openings. It also asks for window sizes and types, with egress windows and well sizes marked.
Watch these items closely:
You do if your home has fire sprinklers. Centennial's checklist sends sprinkler plans to South Metro Fire Rescue for review and approval. South Metro also enforces the fire code in the city.
Homes on septic need a separate sign-off when the basement adds a bedroom. Centennial asks for an approval letter from Arapahoe County Public Health in that case. Your contractor gathers both before the city reviews the plans.
Living rooms, dining rooms and bedrooms in a Centennial basement need a ceiling at least 7 feet high, per the table in the city's basement finish checklist. Bathrooms need at least 6 feet 8 inches.
The same table sets a minimum of 70 square feet and 7 feet of width for living rooms, dining rooms and bedrooms. It also lists natural light and ventilation as a share of floor area. Where windows fall short, the checklist points to mechanical ventilation and artificial light under the residential code.
Sources: City of Centennial, Building Division (September 2026) · City of Centennial, Single Family Basement Finish checklist (September 2026)
What a full finish looks like
Before
AfterIllustrative examples of a basement finish, not photos of completed client projects.
Room ideas
Illustrative room designs, not completed local projects.
Your next steps
Tell us your ZIP code, layout ideas and project type.
Discuss moisture, ceiling height, utility access and finishes at the estimate.
Check the written price, allowances and permit responsibilities before work starts.
Denver planning costs
Published metro Denver benchmark
$30K to $90K
Typical full finish, metro Denver. Source: one local builder's 2026 cost guide, checked September 2026. Your address and scope determine the quote; this is not a price for every remodel.
Source: One local builder's 2026 cost guide. Checked September 2026.
Read the Denver cost guideNearby
80001 to 80047; 80101 to 80131; 80134 to 80166; 80201 to 80299; 80301 to 80310; 80401 to 80403; 80501 to 80504; 80516; 80601 to 80603.
Enter your full ZIP code in the form. Confirm availability for your address before arranging an estimate.
Compare basement remodeling in Denver, basement finishing in Denver and Denver basement finishing costs before requesting your estimate.
Questions
Straight answers. Ask your contractor anything else at the free estimate.
Yes, Centennial requires a permit to alter a building and for any electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing work. A basement finish involves several of those.
Permits are applied for online only. Workstations in the Building Division office are there if you need help getting online.
The Building Division works from the Civic Center at 13133 East Arapahoe Road. Most contact happens by email or online.
The city treats it as an incomplete submittal and waits to review it until everything on the checklist is in. A complete first set keeps the review moving.
Your project
What happens next