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Change of Use Permit in Unincorporated Pueblo County, Colorado

CONFIRMED ABSENCE of a standalone 'Change of Use Permit' in unincorporated Pueblo County. A change of occupancy/use is instead explicitly folded into the county's Commercial Building Permit: the Building Division's own Building Permit Types page states the Commercial Building Permit 'also include[s]; multi-family structures, commercial additions/expansions, accessory commercial structures, tenant finishes/improvements, change of occupancy/use, structural alterations, accessibility improvements (ADA), solar installations, or fire protection work.' On the zoning/land-use side, the Unified Development Code (UDC) references 'change of use' repeatedly as a triggering condition (e.g., exempting a change in use that does not involve other development from Development Plan review, per §17.06.050(b)(2)(ii)(a); and requiring nonconforming signs to come into conformance when 'a change of use, as defined in the UDC, occurs on the property,' per §17.10.070(d)(1)) but the UDC's own alphabetized Definitions chapter (§17.12.030) contains no actual entry defining 'Change of Use' despite that cross-reference — a genuine internal gap in the county's own code, not an omission by this review.

Verified 2026-08-14 · Source

When you need this permit

  • No standalone 'Change of Use Permit' application, checklist, or fee line exists in unincorporated Pueblo County
  • A change of occupancy/use is processed through the same Commercial Building Permit (OpenGov record-type 6873) documented elsewhere in this file, per the Building Division's own description of what that permit type covers
  • Under the UDC, a change in use that does NOT involve or require other development (new/expanded buildings, additional parking) is explicitly exempted from Development Plan review, per §17.06.050(b)(2)(ii)(a) — but remains subject to the UDC's other requirements generally
  • A 'Zoning Compliance Review' ($50.00 flat fee per the Planning & Development Department's fee schedule) is the closest documented Planning-side administrative check that would apply to confirm a new use complies with the applicable zone district, though it is not labeled specifically as a change-of-use review
  • A change of use is also a defined trigger requiring nonconforming signs on the property to be brought into UDC conformance, per §17.10.070(d)(1) — despite 'change of use' itself lacking a formal UDC definition
  • GENUINE GAP: the UDC's own text cross-references 'a change of use, as defined in the UDC' (§17.10.070(d)(1)) but the Definitions chapter (§17.12.030) does not actually contain a 'Change of Use' entry — confirmed by reading the full downloaded UDC text and searching its Definitions chapter directly; this is an internal inconsistency in the county's own code, reported honestly rather than papered over

Required documents

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Fee schedule

Zoning Compliance ReviewPueblo County Department of Planning and Development Fee Schedule, adopted 5/8/2025 (verified visually by rendering the fee-schedule PDF to an image, per this corpus's multi-column-PDF misalignment check). Not labeled specifically as a 'change of use' fee — this is the closest documented Planning-side zoning-compliance line item; the applicable Commercial Building Permit fee (valuation-based, 50% commercial plan review per the commercial-building-permit entry in this file) would also apply if construction/alteration is involved.
$50.00

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Change of Use Permit permit actually take in Unincorporated Pueblo County?

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

Inspection process

    See the full Unincorporated Pueblo County inspection guide — scheduling & re-inspection fees →

    Tips

    • Don't search for a 'Change of Use Permit' application on PuebloPermits.com — it doesn't exist. A change of occupancy/use is explicitly folded into the Commercial Building Permit category by the county's own description text.
    • If your change of use doesn't involve new construction, expanded buildings, or additional parking, it is exempted from Development Plan review under the UDC — but you may still need a Zoning Compliance Review ($50) to confirm the new use is allowed in the applicable zone district.
    • The UDC itself has an internal inconsistency worth knowing about: several sections reference 'a change of use, as defined in the UDC,' but no such definition actually appears in the UDC's Definitions chapter (§17.12.030) as of this review — don't assume a precise legal definition exists that the county can point you to.

    Frequently asked questions

    Unincorporated Pueblo County requires a change of use permit for: No standalone 'Change of Use Permit' application, checklist, or fee line exists in unincorporated Pueblo County; A change of occupancy/use is processed through the same Commercial Building Permit (OpenGov record-type 6873) documented elsewhere in this file, per the Building Division's own description of what that permit type covers; Under the UDC, a change in use that does NOT involve or require other development (new/expanded buildings, additional parking) is explicitly exempted from Development Plan review, per §17.06.050(b)(2)(ii)(a) — but remains subject to the UDC's other requirements generally; A 'Zoning Compliance Review' ($50.00 flat fee per the Planning & Development Department's fee schedule) is the closest documented Planning-side administrative check that would apply to confirm a new use complies with the applicable zone district, though it is not labeled specifically as a change-of-use review; A change of use is also a defined trigger requiring nonconforming signs on the property to be brought into UDC conformance, per §17.10.070(d)(1) — despite 'change of use' itself lacking a formal UDC definition; GENUINE GAP: the UDC's own text cross-references 'a change of use, as defined in the UDC' (§17.10.070(d)(1)) but the Definitions chapter (§17.12.030) does not actually contain a 'Change of Use' entry — confirmed by reading the full downloaded UDC text and searching its Definitions chapter directly; this is an internal inconsistency in the county's own code, reported honestly rather than papered over. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Pueblo County Building Division at 719-583-6100 before starting work.

    In Unincorporated Pueblo County, the published Zoning Compliance Review is: $50.00. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

    Unincorporated Pueblo County does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact Pueblo County Building Division at 719-583-6100 for current turnaround.

    You'll need: Commercial Building Permit Application (OpenGov). See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

    Apply through Pueblo County Building Division at 201 W. 8th St. #120, Pueblo, CO 81003. Phone: 719-583-6100, email: buildingdivision@pueblocounty.us. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., closed on County holidays. Same-day inspection requests must be submitted before 8:30 a.m.; inspections may otherwise be scheduled in advance. Source: Pueblo County Building Division homepage and Request an Inspection page, https://pueblopermits.com/ and https://pueblopermits.com/request-an-inspection/. Official information: https://pueblopermits.com/.

    Unincorporated Pueblo County, Colorado has adopted: AUTHORITY MODEL: Effective January 1, 2026, Pueblo County withdrew from the Southern Colorado Building Department (SoCoBD, formerly Pueblo Regional Building Department/PRBD) intergovernmental agreement and created its own standalone Pueblo County Building Division to serve all unincorporated areas of the county (Pueblo West, Colorado City, Beulah, Rye, Avondale, and other unincorporated areas). SoCoBD continues to serve only the City of Pueblo and Town of Boone. Pueblo County Building Division assumed all active permits from PRBD/SoCoBD on 1/1/2026; permit applications and inspections through the new county system became available 1/5/2026. Source: Pueblo County Building Division Transition announcement, https://pueblopermits.com/pueblo-county-building-division-transition/; Colorado has no statewide mandatory building code for most jurisdictions (home-rule/county-adoption authority under C.R.S. § 30-28-201); Pueblo County adopts and amends its own construction codes for unincorporated areas, separate from the City of Pueblo/SoCoBD adopted codes.; 2021 International Building Code (IBC), with Appendix C (Group U Agricultural Buildings), Appendix H (Signs), and Appendix I (Patio Covers); plus the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and 2021 International Existing Building Code (IEBC). Adopted by Pueblo County Resolution No. 25-303 (Pueblo County Building Code Resolution) on December 22, 2025, effective December 31, 2025, codified as Pueblo County Code Chapter 15.02. Source: Title 15 – Buildings and Construction (PDF), https://pueblopermits.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Title-15-FINAL-12-22-25.pdf, Sec. 15.01.010 and 15.02.010; 2021 International Residential Code (IRC), with Appendix AH (Patio Covers), Appendix AJ (Existing Buildings and Structures), Appendix AQ (Tiny Houses), Appendix AR (Light-Straw Clay Construction), Appendix AS (Strawbale Construction), and Appendix AU (Cob Construction/Monolithic Adobe); electrical and plumbing chapters/sections of the IRC are expressly deleted in favor of the separately adopted Electrical and Plumbing Codes below. Adopted by Resolution No. 25-303, effective 12/31/2025, codified as Pueblo County Code Chapter 15.08. Source: Title 15 (PDF), Sec. 15.08.010 and 15.08.110; 2021 International Plumbing Code (IPC), as amended by the 2023 Colorado Plumbing Code (Colorado State Plumbing Board), plus the 2021 International Residential Code plumbing provisions, the 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code, and the 2013 NFPA 24 Standard for the Installation of Private Fire Service Mains and Their Appurtenances. Adopted by Resolution No. 25-303, effective 12/31/2025, codified as Pueblo County Code Chapter 15.04. Note: like the City of Pueblo/SoCoBD, unincorporated Pueblo County uses the International Plumbing Code, not the Uniform Plumbing Code. Source: Title 15 (PDF), Sec. 15.04.010; 2021 International Mechanical Code (IMC) and 2021 International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC). Adopted by Resolution No. 25-303, effective 12/31/2025, codified as Pueblo County Code Chapter 15.05. Source: Title 15 (PDF), Sec. 15.05.010; 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC/NFPA 70), with the 2003 ICC Electrical Code Administrative Provisions. Adopted by Resolution No. 25-303, effective 12/31/2025, codified as Pueblo County Code Chapter 15.06. Source: Title 15 (PDF), Sec. 15.06.010; 1997 Uniform Housing Code (UHC), published by the International Conference of Building Officials. Adopted by Resolution No. 25-303, effective 12/31/2025, codified as Pueblo County Code Chapter 15.07 (this is an older adoption predating the 2026 transition, carried forward unchanged). Source: Title 15 (PDF), Sec. 15.07.010; Pueblo County Unified Development Code (UDC), adopted 2024 and amended May 2025, consolidating county zoning and subdivision regulations (separate from the Title 15 building/construction codes above). Source: https://county.pueblo.org/sites/default/files/2025-10/PuebloCounty_UDC_Amended05102025.pdf, referenced via Pueblo County Building Division Building Codes page, https://pueblopermits.com/building/resources/building-codes/; Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code 2025 is referenced on the Pueblo County Building Division's Building Codes page as an applicable resource; its scope and applicability to standard building permits (versus wildfire-mitigation-specific review) was not further detailed in the pages reviewed. Source: https://pueblopermits.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Colorado-Wildfire-Resiliency-Code-2025.pdf, listed at https://pueblopermits.com/building/resources/building-codes/. Local amendments apply — see the Unincorporated Pueblo County overview page for the full list.

    Not as a standalone permit type. The county's Building Division explicitly folds 'change of occupancy/use' into its Commercial Building Permit category, per the Building Permit Types page. On the zoning side, a change of use that doesn't involve new construction is exempt from Development Plan review, and a $50 Zoning Compliance Review is the closest documented Planning-side check.

    Sources & verification

    Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-08-14.

    Fees, timelines, and adopted codes are researched from each jurisdiction's published records — see how we verify. Requirements change and vary by project, so always confirm the current details with the Unincorporated Pueblo County building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.