Exterior Painting cost in Denver, CO
Denver, CO · updated August 2026
$7,300
Typical local cost
$3,200 – $17,100
Typical range
- per sq ft of wall area
- $2.50 – $7
- Permit
- Usually no
- Typical timeline
- 4-8 days of work
Installed, local pricing
$0 – $0 in fees
4-8 days of work
Denver runs +14% against the U.S. average · data confidence Medium · modeled estimate, not a quote
The modeled midpoint for Denver is $7,300. The local adjustment for this trade is x1.137 — driven mainly by Denver County labor rates and 5% exposure to local code requirements.
Estimate your Denver job
Priced with this market's cost index, so the calculator, the size table and the ranges on this page all agree.
Paint needed
2.3 gallons
2 coats
- Paintable area
- 396 sq ft
- Buy
- 3 gallons
- Primer (1 coat)
- 1.2 gallons
- Paint cost estimate
- $130 – $266
Priced for Denver (local adjustment x1.137).
Estimates only. Local pricing, site conditions and code requirements change the real number.
Cost by project size
Generated from the same unit pricing the calculator uses.
| Project size | Estimated range |
|---|---|
| 900 sq ft of wall area | $2,300 – $6,300 |
| 1,200 sq ft of wall area | $3,000 – $8,400 |
| 1,600 sq ft of wall area | $4,000 – $11,200 |
| 2,000 sq ft of wall area | $5,000 – $14,000 |
| 2,700 sq ft of wall area | $6,800 – $18,900 |
Based on Denver pricing of $3–$7 per sq ft of wall area.
Where the money goes
- Labor
- $5,400
- 74% of median
- Materials
- $1,900
- 26% of median
- Permit & fees
- $0
- 0% of median
Denver project costs+14% vs U.S. average
Based on Denver County labor rates, local material logistics and permit-fee posture for this trade.
What the project looks like start to finish
Typical sequence for this scope. Timing varies with contractor backlog and plan-review queues.
01
Planning & quotes
Scope, material choice, contractor selection
02
Scheduling
No permit typically required for this scope
03
Materials & staging
Order lead time on non-stock materials
04
Installation
4-8 days of work
05
Closeout
Final sign-off, warranty and documentation
Denver labor intelligence
What the trade charges here, and how much of your price it is.
Loaded hourly rate
$69–$90
Exterior crews in Denver County · +16% vs U.S. ($68/hr)
Typical crew
2 × 4.5 days
On-site time for a typical exterior paint job here.
Labor in the price
$5,400
74% of the median — the rest is material, disposal and permit.
Because labor is 74% of this job, Denver wage levels move the price far more than material prices do. A quote well under this labor figure usually means a smaller crew, a longer schedule, or unlicensed help.
Basis: Hometriva labor model: national exterior crew rates adjusted by the Denver County labor factor (x1.156). · BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Hometriva methodology
Why Denver differs from the national average
The local delta, broken into dollars by driver.
Trade labor rates+$750
Denver County crews price 16% above the national average, and labor is 74% of this job.
Material and delivery+$100
Materials are nationally traded, so they move less — but delivery into this market runs 7% over baseline.
Basis: Decomposition of the modeled Denver median against the U.S. median for this scope. · City of Denver building department, Hometriva methodology
Denver vs Colorado vs the U.S.
Change the inputs, see your number
The same local model, run against your job instead of the average one.
Simulated exterior painting in Denver
$7,300
Likely range $3,200 – $17,100
Simulated from the same local model as the numbers above — it changes the inputs, not the pricing method.
What makes the number move
- Wall square footage and number of stories
- Stucco crack patching before painting
- Elastomeric versus standard acrylic coating
- Trim, soffit and shutter detail
- Pressure washing and mildew treatment
Who issues each permit
Tracked per discipline — the building permit issuer is not always the body that reviews electrical, plumbing, zoning or fire.
| Discipline | Issuing authority |
|---|---|
| building | City of Denver building departmentModeled estimate |
| electrical | City of Denver building departmentModeled estimate |
| mechanical | City of Denver building departmentModeled estimate |
| plumbing | City of Denver building departmentModeled estimate |
| zoning | City of Denver building departmentModeled estimate |
| fire | City of Denver building departmentModeled estimate |
Permit requirement in Denver
A permit is usually not required for exterior painting on its own. Denver still applies zoning rules such as setbacks, lot coverage and HOA approval, and any structural, electrical or plumbing work added to the job does need a permit.
- Permitting authority
- City of Denver building departmentModeled estimate
- Permit fee
- Estimated allowance $0–$0Modeled from comparable fee schedules — not an official quoted fee.
Local conditions that change this job
Only the exposures that materially affect exterior painting.
Cooling load / heat exposure
High62/100
Humidity
Low26/100
Solar irradiance
Severe84/100
Annual rainfall
Low30/100
Nearby market comparison
| Market | Local factor | Median | Per sq ft of wall area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denver (this page) | x1.137 | $7,300 | $2.50 – $7 |
| Lakewood | x1.118 | $7,200 | $2.50 – $6.50 |
| Arvada | x1.095 | $7,000 | $2.50 – $6.50 |
| Westminster | x1.095 | $7,000 | $2.50 – $6.50 |
+ Had exterior painting done in Denver? Add what you paid or were quoted
Reports are reviewed before they count, and nothing is published until at least 5 reports exist for a market. No name, email or address is collected.
How Hometriva estimates Denver exterior paint costs
Hometriva does not publish invented city prices. The Denver estimate for exterior painting is produced by this chain, and every input is stored separately:
- National baseline$6,400
Typical U.S. cost for exterior painting on a single-family home.
- Local labor factorx1.156
Denver-area trade labor rates, weighted at 74% of this job.
- Material factorx1.066
Material and delivery pricing into Denver County, weighted at 26%.
- Regulatory factorx1.075
Local code, product-approval and inspection load, applied at 5% for this project type.
- Applied multiplierx1.137
Blended Denver adjustment specific to exterior painting.
- Permit component$0 – $0
Budgeted separately from the contract price because it is paid to the jurisdiction.
Because labor, material and regulatory factors are weighted per project, exterior painting in Denver carries a different local adjustment than other trades in the same market.
Reviewed by
Hometriva Cost Data Desk
Maintains the unit-cost baselines, local adjustment factors and material pricing. Reviewed for exterior painting pricing in Denver, CO.
- • National unit-cost baselines against current trade pricing
- • Local labor and materials factors for the market
- • Material installed-cost ranges and service life
Last reviewed August 2026 · Editorial standards · Report an error
Frequently asked questions
How long does exterior painting take?
4-8 days of work. Permit review and inspection scheduling are usually the largest source of variation.
What changes the price the most?
The largest cost drivers are wall square footage and number of stories; stucco crack patching before painting; elastomeric versus standard acrylic coating.
Sources
Sources & verification
- City of Denver building department
- Denver permit portal
- Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Model vintage August 2026. The links above are the issuing agencies' own pages — we publish them so you can confirm the current rule yourself, not as evidence that each fact on this page was re-checked with them today. Cost figures are modeled estimates based on national baselines adjusted for local labor and material pricing, not quotes. Permit rules change; confirm with the building department before starting work.