What this site is
- A plain-language guide for houses inside the Town of Castle Rock.
- A referral line at 720-961-3434 that reaches the publisher of this website.
- A short list of the offices that actually issue permits.
Referral guide, not a contractor
Egress windows, explained for Castle Rock homeowners
What an emergency escape opening is, which office permits it inside town limits, and what it does not do by itself.
What this site is not
- Not an installation contractor, a crew, or a window manufacturer.
- Not a promise that a room becomes a legal bedroom.
- Not a quote, a permit, an appraisal, or a page of reviews.
What the opening is for
An egress window is an emergency escape and rescue opening. The point is a way out for people in the basement and a way in for firefighters. It is not a style upgrade, and adding one does not, by itself, finish a basement or relabel a room.
- Net clear opening
- 5.7 square feet
- Clear height
- 24 inches
- Clear width
- 20 inches
- Sill above the floor
- 44 inches max
- Well area
- 9 square feet
- Well projection
- 36 inches min
Those figures are published in the Town of Castle Rock residential basement finish guide. The same guide says a well deeper than 44 inches needs a permanently attached ladder or steps, and that the opening and any cover must work from the inside without a key, tool, or special knowledge. The Town's adopted building codes page says amendments, including the 2024 International Residential Code, took effect for new permit submittals on June 30, 2026. A handout can lag an ordinance. Confirm the edition that applies to your permit. This website cannot issue that ruling.
The guide also says cutting a new opening in an existing basement wall is outside the guide's details and needs a stamped structural plan.
An egress window does not automatically create a legal bedroom
An egress window does not automatically create a legal bedroom. The same Town guide expects habitable rooms of at least 70 square feet, at least 7 feet in each horizontal direction, and a ceiling height of at least 7 feet, and it calls for smoke alarms and, where its conditions apply, carbon monoxide alarms. A permit approval is still not an appraisal, an assessor update, or a bedroom count on a listing.
Finished area below grade is often reported separately from above-grade living area. An egress opening does not by itself change what an appraiser, an assessor, or a buyer should count. This site does not publish a Castle Rock price or a return figure, because neither a contractor quote nor an appraisal has been supplied.
Castle Rock is its own permit counter
If the house is inside the Town of Castle Rock, the permit goes to the Town of Castle Rock Building Division. Douglas County does not permit those in-town addresses, even though the county seat is also in Castle Rock. Nearby communities use different counters. This site does not publish a separate sales page for each of them.
Town of Castle Rock
Adopted codes, the basement finish guide, and the permit portal are linked on the resources page. Start there for an address inside town limits.
Town of Parker
Parker runs its own building division. A Castle Rock handout does not govern a Parker permit. Use the Town of Parker building pages linked under resources.
City of Lone Tree
Lone Tree permits its own addresses. The city describes basement finish, and a change in opening size, as work that needs a permit. Same-size window replacement is described separately. Read the city's own page before assuming an exemption.
Highlands Ranch
Highlands Ranch is not a city. Permits for the unincorporated community go through the Douglas County Building Division. A parcel near the edge can sit in another city, so confirm the address before you apply.