Do you need a Denver licensed general contractor for a remodel?

[Jennifer Ward]

Hi BP Denver community,

I am trying to sale our house in Denver proper and we are running into a road block because the basement is only partially finished and was done back in the 70s.  It definitely needs a remodel to be comfortable for anyone wanting to use it. It has a bathroom, non confirming bedroom, and a living area.  I am reaching out to contractors about remodeling the basement.  They are saying I would only need an electrical permit and maybe a plumbing permit.  I choose to be on the cautionary side and would like to hire a licensed Residential C contractor in the city of Denver in case an inspector comes along and says, "you need a full permit for this remodel".

I have reached out to a lot of "contractors". So far I received 3 bids and two of them are not licensed in Denver and failed to mention that before they came out for a bid, even though I asked. I guess I wasn't specific enough, need to ask: "are you licensed in DENVER". I have to share... when I asked one contractor for their license information, they sent me their LLC registration....really!!!!

Anyways....I am starting to second guess myself....should I not be so stringent and be more open to hiring a "contractor" that has a license outside of Denver and works with licensed Electricians and Plumbers within Denver??

Thanks!