Do You Need a Structural Engineer for Foundation Problems in Colorado Springs?

Most foundation problems here start in the ground.

Much of Colorado Springs sits on clay soil and Pierre Shale that swell when they get wet and shrink when they dry. The Colorado Geological Survey says field soil “may expand 10 percent or more as the clay becomes wet,” and that the swelling can exert “pressures of 20,000 pounds-per-square-foot or greater on foundations.” That’s enough force to lift a slab or push a basement wall inward.

Some parts of town face a second problem: slopes. Hillside neighborhoods on the southwest side, near the foothills around Broadmoor and up into Rockrimmon, sit on shale that can slide. After heavy spring rain in 1999, landslides hit more than 12 developed areas in Colorado Springs, with damage over $80 million. The Survey has since mapped landslide risk across the city.

Age matters too. About half of Colorado Springs homes were built before 1986, and 47.2 percent went up between 1970 and 1999, according to Census data. Decades of wet and dry seasons add up.

Not sure whether your cracks are a problem yet? Start with our guide to the signs of foundation problems.

A structural engineer and a repair contractor both look at foundations, but they do different jobs. The big difference is simple: an engineer is paid for the visit and the report, whatever they find. A contractor is paid for the repair.

Plenty of homeowners call a contractor first, and that’s fine for simple jobs. For anything bigger, the engineer’s report gives every contractor the same starting point. That makes their quotes easier to compare, because they’re all pricing the same fix.

1. A basement wall is bowing or leaning. A wall that bends inward is being pushed by wet clay. An engineer can tell you whether it needs anchors, straps, bracing or a rebuild, and how far it’s moved. See our basement wall repair and waterproofing page for what the repairs look like.

2. A crack is wider than about 1/4 inch or keeps getting wider. Mark the ends with a pencil and write the date. If it grows over a few weeks or months, the house is still moving. An engineer can work out why before anyone patches it. Hairline cracks that stay the same size are common here and are usually just concrete shrinking as it cures.

3. You’re buying or selling a home. On a clock, you need an answer both sides trust. An engineer’s letter carries more weight with buyers, sellers and lenders than a contractor’s quote, because the engineer isn’t selling the repair. Colorado’s standard seller disclosure form also asks about structural problems, so a clear report helps whichever side of the sale you’re on.

4. Someone has recommended helical piers or underpinning. Pier jobs are among the biggest foundation repairs. An engineer can confirm you need them, how many, and where they go. Read more on our helical piers and underpinning page before you sign anything.

5. A retaining wall over 4 feet is leaning or cracking. PPRBD’s permit-exempt list only covers retaining walls up to 4 feet from the lower grade to the upper grade. Taller walls, or walls holding up a structure or a steep slope, generally need a permit, and a design is often part of that. See our retaining wall repair page.

A good engineer’s report should answer three questions: what’s wrong, why it’s happening, and what to do about it. Most include:

• An elevation survey. The engineer measures floor heights across the house to see how far, and which way, it has moved. Floors in older Broadmoor homes and newer Briargate homes can tell very different stories.
• Crack mapping. Each crack is located, measured and photographed, so you can tell later whether it has grown.
• Soil and drainage notes. Gutters, downspouts, grading and sprinklers all feed the clay. Many reports point to water as the main cause.
• The likely cause. Settling, clay heave, drainage, a slope moving, or a mix. On hillside lots like many in Rockrimmon, the engineer may also ask for a geotechnical soil report.
• A repair spec. What to fix and how, such as where helical piers should go or how a wall should be braced. Contractors can quote from this.

Ask before you book whether you’ll get a written report or only a verbal opinion. The written report is what makes quotes comparable.

Structural foundation work anywhere in El Paso County goes through the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department. It’s a busy office. In 2025, PPRBD permitted 2,811 new single-family homes and ran 266,077 inspections, about 1,064 a day.

The local building code sets the rules. The Pikes Peak Regional Building Code (2023, RBC302.4.63) requires footings “extending 30 inches (762 mm) or greater below the undisturbed ground surface.” Structures that fall outside the code’s narrow exceptions need a soil test or an engineered foundation design. That’s one more reason an engineer’s involvement is common here.

Your contractor should pull the permit. Ask for the permit number, and you can check it yourself on PPRBD’s permit search. For what engineering and permits add to a repair budget, see our guide to foundation repair costs in Colorado Springs.