Skip to main content
PermitBase

Change of Use Permit in Poncha Springs, Colorado

A change in the use of land or a structure within the Town of Poncha Springs is a distinct Town Land Use Application, administered directly by the Town under its Land Use Code (Chapter 30), with its own flat fee on the Town's Land Use Application Fees schedule. Any accompanying construction remains subject to the same two-step Town-then-Chaffee-County building-permit process already established elsewhere in this file.

Verified 2026-08-14 · Source

When you need this permit

  • Land Use Code Sec. 6.1.1.2, verbatim: 'Existing uses not creating a public health, safety or nuisance hazard are grandfathered if they existed in use prior to the adoption of this code until such time the use is changed and/or expanded. Expansion of a use requires compliance with this code unless a variance is granted by the Town.'
  • Sec. 6.1.1.3 applies the same principle to existing signs and other appurtenances: they remain grandfathered only 'until the Structure, Sign or other appurtenances are changed, replaced or expanded.'
  • Sec. 6.1.2.2: 'Any use specifically listed is either allowed or prohibited per Table 12. Any use not specifically listed in Table 12 may be interpreted by the Board of Trustees majority vote to determine if it fits within a listed use' — a proposed new use must be checked against Table 12 (Matrix of Permitted and Conditional Uses by Zoning District, Land Use Code Sec. 6.5)
  • Sec. 5.11.2.2.2: 'Any building expansion or change of use that results in an increase in required [parking] spaces over the number of existing spaces shall provide additional parking spaces only for that increment of the expansion, as if it were a separate development' — a change of use can independently trigger new parking requirements
  • CCFPD's own Plan Reviews page confirms a change of use (its own example: 'from a residence to a restaurant') independently triggers a fire-code plan review, separate from the Town's zoning-side review
  • Where the change of use involves any construction/alteration, the standard two-step process applies: Town of Poncha Springs Building Permit Coversheet (Town Zoning Criteria, Land Use Application Fee, 2% Building Construction Materials Use Tax, confirmed Salida sewer payment) followed by Chaffee County Building Safety Department plan review/permit issuance/inspections, per this file's residential-building-permit and commercial-building-permit entries

Required documents

Check off what you have — your progress is saved on this device.

Not ready yet — 0 of 1 required documents checked.

This checker covers one permit. A full project usually triggers several — our checklist will assemble all of them, free →

Fee schedule

Town of Poncha Springs Change of Use Application FeeCONFIRMED 2026-08-14, visually read from the Town's own 'Land Use Application Fees' schedule (ponchasprings.us/media/3656): 'Change of Use $50.'
$50.00 flat

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Change of Use Permit permit actually take in Poncha Springs?

Anonymous — one question, no email. Answers are combined and only shown once at least 5 people have reported.

Inspection process

    See the full Poncha Springs inspection guide — scheduling & re-inspection fees →

    Tips

    • A change of use can reopen compliance obligations the property was previously grandfathered out of — per Sec. 6.1.1.2 and 6.1.1.3, existing (nonconforming) uses, structures, and signs are only protected 'until' the use changes; once it does, the property must be brought into compliance with the current Land Use Code.
    • Check whether your proposed new use adds parking demand — Sec. 5.11.2.2.2 requires additional on-site parking spaces specifically for the incremental demand created by a change of use, treated as if it were a separate development.
    • A change of use involving food service (e.g., 'from a residence to a restaurant,' the fire district's own example) independently triggers a Chaffee County Fire Protection District plan review — budget for that review alongside the Town's $50 Change of Use fee.
    • The $50 Change of Use fee covers the Town's zoning-compliance review only — any accompanying construction/alteration still needs the full two-step Town Building Permit Coversheet + Chaffee County Building Permit process documented elsewhere in this file.

    Frequently asked questions

    Yes. The Town's Land Use Code (Sec. 6.1.1.2) ties grandfathered/nonconforming status to the use remaining unchanged; once a use changes, the property must comply with the Code's current requirements for that use, processed through the Town's Change of Use Land Use Application ($50 fee).

    A flat $50.00, per the Town of Poncha Springs' own Land Use Application Fees schedule — separate from any building permit fees owed if the change of use involves construction.

    Poncha Springs does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact Two-agency split: Town of Poncha Springs (Town Zoning Criteria review, Town Building Permit Coversheet, Town Building/Utility fees, and 2% Building Construction Materials Use Tax, first step) + Chaffee County Building Safety Department (I-Code plan review, permit issuance, fees, and inspections, second step) at Town of Poncha Springs: 719-539-6882 (after-hours/on-call: 719-207-2293; fax 719-539-6898). Chaffee County Building Safety Department: 719-539-2124 (Option 1 for inspections, Option 2 for applications/fees); fax 719-530-9208 for current turnaround.

    You'll need: Town of Poncha Springs Land Use Application (Change of Use). Depending on your project, Poncha Springs may also ask for: Town of Poncha Springs Building Permit Coversheet + Chaffee County Building Permit Application. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

    Apply through Two-agency split: Town of Poncha Springs (Town Zoning Criteria review, Town Building Permit Coversheet, Town Building/Utility fees, and 2% Building Construction Materials Use Tax, first step) + Chaffee County Building Safety Department (I-Code plan review, permit issuance, fees, and inspections, second step) at Town of Poncha Springs Town Hall: 333 Burnett Avenue, PO Box 190, Poncha Springs, CO 81242. Chaffee County Building Safety Department: 104 Crestone Ave., Room 125 (2nd Floor), Salida, CO 81201 (mailing: P.O. Box 699, Salida, CO 81201). Phone: Town of Poncha Springs: 719-539-6882 (after-hours/on-call: 719-207-2293; fax 719-539-6898). Chaffee County Building Safety Department: 719-539-2124 (Option 1 for inspections, Option 2 for applications/fees); fax 719-530-9208, email: Town of Poncha Springs: mail@ponchasprings.us. Chaffee County Building Safety Department: bdepartment@chaffeecounty.org (electronic plan submittals: eplans@chaffeecounty.org). Office hours: Town of Poncha Springs Town Hall: Monday-Thursday 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Fridays 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., closed weekends and major holidays, per the Town's own site footer. Chaffee County Building Safety Department: operates on a 4-day work week (Monday-Thursday), inspections performed Monday-Thursday excluding federal holidays; inspection requests must arrive by 4:00 p.m. the business day before the desired inspection date.. Official information: https://www.ponchasprings.us/planning-zoning and https://www.chaffeecounty.org/departments/building_department/index.php.

    Poncha Springs, Colorado has adopted: 2021 International Building Code (IBC) — enforced county-wide by the Chaffee County Building Safety Department per the County's own Adopted Codes & Design Criteria page; the Town of Poncha Springs' own Land Use Code (Section 6.13.5.9) explicitly confirms IBC compliance is 'administered by the Chaffee County Building Department' for construction within Town limits; 2021 International Residential Code (IRC); 2021 International Fire Code (IFC); 2021 International Existing Building Code (IEBC); 2021 International Plumbing Code (IPC); 2021 International Mechanical Code (IMC); 2021 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC); 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC); 2023 National Electrical Code (NFPA 70 / NEC) — per Chaffee County Building Safety Department's Adopted Codes & Design Criteria page, the agency that actually issues and enforces electrical permits county-wide including Poncha Springs; 2017 ICC A117.1 Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities — Chaffee County Adopted Codes & Design Criteria page; Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code (effective July 1, 2026) — Chaffee County Adopted Codes & Design Criteria page, BOCC Ordinance 2026-02 with local amendments; Colorado Model Electric Ready & Solar Ready Code — Chaffee County Adopted Codes & Design Criteria page; Town of Poncha Springs Land Use Code (adopted December 9, 2013, amended on an ongoing basis, most recently by Ordinance No. 2025-04) — governs zoning districts, setbacks, dimensional standards, ADU eligibility/design standards (Section 6.13), home occupations (Section 6.12), lighting standards (Section 5.15), and site work required before Certificate of Occupancy; reviewed by Town Staff (John Armstrong, Town Planner, per the Town's own Building Permit Coversheet) as the mandatory first step before the County's building-permit review begins; Town of Poncha Springs Ordinance #2008-11 (Building Construction Materials Use Tax) and CRS 29-2-105 — imposes a 2% Town use tax on building materials for any building-permit project, collected as part of the Town's own permit intake process, verified verbatim on the Town's own Exemption Certificate / Use Tax acknowledgment form. Local amendments apply — see the Poncha Springs overview page for the full list.

    Other permits in Poncha Springs

    Residential Building Permit (New Construction, Single-Family, ADU, Additions)Residential Addition / Remodel Building PermitCommercial Building Permit (New Construction, Alteration, Change of Occupancy/Use)Electrical PermitPlumbing PermitMechanical / HVAC PermitRoofing PermitAccessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Building PermitSolar Photovoltaic (PV) PermitEV Charger / EVSE PermitSign PermitFire Sprinkler & Alarm Permit

    Change of Use Permit in other cities

    Akron, ColoradoAlamosa, ColoradoArvada, ColoradoAspen, ColoradoAult, ColoradoAurora, ColoradoAvon, ColoradoBasalt, Colorado

    Compare change of use permit fees across Colorado →

    Look up this fee in a different city →

    Embed this data card →

    Now live

    Build your Poncha Springs project checklist

    Describe your project once and get every permit, document, and fee it triggers in Poncha Springs — in one checklist. Sign up and pay once to generate it, or go unlimited with Pro.

    Get started →