This is PermitBase’s published record for Unincorporated Washington County as of 2026-07-06. It has since been superseded — see the current record. A historical record reflects what PermitBase had verified at that time; it may not capture a real-world change the jurisdiction had made but PermitBase had not yet verified, and it includes any errors we later corrected. Snapshots are never edited retroactively.
Unincorporated Washington County building permits
VerifiedUnincorporated Washington County, Colorado — as published 2026-07-06.
Verified 2026-07-06 · Source
Codes adopted
IMPORTANT CAVEAT (found on a deeper re-chase): Washington County DOES have a standing 'Zoning Resolution' as a legally operative instrument — confirmed by the County's own 'Minutes of the Annual Reorganization Meeting of the Board of County Commissioners,' January 10, 2023 (a scanned 31-page PDF, archived at washingtoncounty.colorado.gov/sites/washingtoncounty/files/Reorganization%20Resoutions%201-47.pdf, retrieved via Wayback since the live 2023-resolutions page itself is unarchived at that specific file but the parent listing is), which states verbatim: 'In relation to existing Zoning Resolutions duly adopted prior to the year 2006, wherein any such provisions contained therein relating to policies, procedures and/or mandates conflict with current Zoning regulations, those provisions are hereby acknowledged to be outdated and by the adoption of this Resolution are hereby declared to be null, void and of no effect.' This confirms a currently-operative Zoning Resolution exists (superseding pre-2006 provisions) — but its full text is NOT published anywhere online: not linked from the current or 2020-archived Planning & Zoning page, not in the (empty) live Ordinances page, not in any of the 2022-2026 Resolutions archive pages (checked live/Wayback for all 5 years — none list a 'Zoning Resolution' or 'Zoning Regulations' file), and not found via a direct web search for the exact phrase. The three permit-application forms and the Master Plan (see below) remain the only Washington County documents this file could directly read. Net effect: this file cannot confirm or rule out whether the (unpublished) Zoning Resolution itself incorporates a building code by reference — the 'no evidence of an adopted model code' finding below is bounded by 'no evidence found in every document actually reachable online,' not an affirmative confirmation that the Zoning Resolution contains no such reference. Applicants relying on code specifics for a real project should confirm directly with the Land Use Office, (970) 345-2701 ext. 234, and request to review the Zoning Resolution in person.Within that bound, no evidence of a locally adopted model building code (IBC, IRC, IPC, IMC, IFGC, IECC, or NEC, any edition) was found for Washington County's unincorporated area after directly reading all three of the County's own permit-application documents (Building Permit Application Rev. 06-14; Foundation Permit for Manufactured Homes Rev. 09-12; Mobile or Manufactured Home Permit Application Rev. 09-12, all 7 pages including the attached 'Additional Criteria' instructions) plus the County's own live Ordinances page (washingtoncounty.colorado.gov/ordinances), which as of verification shows a single '2025' accordion entry with zero documents published under it.The general Building Permit Application collects zoning/placement information only — legal description (section/township/range), road access, class of work, construction materials, whether the structure sits on a permanent foundation, intended use, size, sewer facility, and water source — with no reference anywhere on the form to a specific code section, plan-review checklist, or adopted edition year. This is the same zoning/placement-compliance pattern (rather than ICC-code-based plan review) already documented for other rural Eastern Plains Colorado jurisdictions in this corpus (e.g. Burlington, Town of Sedgwick).For mobile/manufactured homes specifically, installation and inspection standards are set by the State of Colorado Division of Housing, NOT a county-adopted code — the County's own 'Additional Criteria for Mobile or Manufactured Home Permits' sheet states verbatim: 'The State of Colorado has requirements for locating and setting a mobile home or a manufactured home within any jurisdiction of the State as stated in resolution 38 under Division of Housing, including Rules and Regulations. These requirements are not imposed by Washington County but the County must adhere to these regulations.' The County collects the state fee and arranges the state-required inspection/insignia; it does not enforce its own separate manufactured-home code.This resolves an open lead flagged at the close of this corpus's S114 Colorado full-universe session: Washington County's own Land Use Office DOES issue building permits for the unincorporated portion of the county (confirmed live, current webpage, current forms) — contradicting an earlier premise that the county had no building department. It is a genuine, active, if code-light, permitting authority, not a null case.The County's 'Master Plan.pdf' (linked from the Planning & Zoning page) was directly opened and read (43-page scanned PDF, rendered to PNG at 200 dpi since it is a pre-2010 fax-scanned document with no extractable text layer) — it is the Washington County Comprehensive Land Use Plan, approved by the Planning Commission September 16, 2002 (Resolution 2002-01), a policy document covering land-use categories (Agricultural, Residential, Retail Commercial, Office/Light Industrial, Industrial, Feedlots) and development goals/objectives. It contains no building-code text, code-adoption clause, or reference to any IBC/IRC/IECC/NEC edition — confirmed directly rather than assumed from its title.HB22-1362 (2022, Colorado's statewide model energy/low-carbon code law) population-based carve-out analysis: unincorporated Washington County's population is approximately 3,060 (county total 4,817 per 2020 Census, minus Akron's 1,757 — Akron is the only incorporated municipality in the county per this corpus's counties.json), which is ABOVE the law's 2,500-resident exemption threshold, so the population carve-out alone would not exempt the county. HB22-1362's model-code mandate is triggered only when a jurisdiction adopts or updates a building code; within the bound of what this file could actually read online, no building code (energy or otherwise) was found to have been affirmatively adopted, so no adoption/update event was found for the law's mandate to attach to. Given the unpublished-Zoning-Resolution caveat above, this is stated as 'no trigger event found' rather than an affirmative certainty that none exists. Re-check if the County adopts any future code, or if the Zoning Resolution's actual text is obtained and found to reference one — either would trigger the law's Model Low Energy and Carbon Code requirement (binding on any update after July 1, 2026).
Permit types & fees
Building Permit (New Construction, Addition, Remodel, Accessory Structures)
VerifiedWashington County's general Building Permit Application covers new construction, additions, and remodels for residences (including manufactured homes checked as a class of work on this same form) plus accessory structures — out buildings (barns, shops, machine sheds), grain bins, garages, room additions, and decks with attached roofs or screened porches. Reviewed and approved by the County Commissioner Chairman via the Land Use Office. No locally adopted model building code was found in any document reachable online; review as reflected on the form itself is zoning/placement-focused (legal description, road access, construction materials, foundation type, size, sewer/water source) — see codesAdopted for a caveat about the County's separately-referenced, not-online-published Zoning Resolution.
Verified 2026-07-06 · Source
Requirements
- Completed Building Permit Application (Rev. 06-14) — legal description by section/township/range, road/highway access, class of work (new building, addition, remodel, manufactured home), construction materials and building type, whether set on permanent foundation/basement, intended use, size of house/building, size of acreage/lots
- If the parcel is less than 35 acres, a Subdivision Exemption may be required
- Sewer facility and water source (including well number if applicable) must be disclosed
- Well and septic permits (via the Northeast Colorado Health Department) may be required before final approval
- Total declared value of the building, used by County staff to calculate the permit fee at approval
- Property owner and Commissioner Chairman signatures
Required documents
- RequiredBuilding Permit ApplicationWashington County's official PDF application (Rev. 06-14), available from the Planning & Zoning Forms page or by contacting the Land Use Office directly
Fee schedule
| Fee type | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Building Permit Fee | Not published as a fixed valuation table | The application form leaves a blank 'Permit Fees:' line following the declared 'Total Value of Building,' completed by County staff/the Commissioner Chairman at approval. No separate fee-schedule document exists on the County's website. Confirm the current fee directly with the Land Use Office, (970) 345-2701 ext. 234. |
Mobile or Manufactured Home Permit (with Foundation Permit if applicable)
VerifiedA separate application (distinct from the general Building Permit) for placing a mobile or manufactured home in unincorporated Washington County. Installation and inspection standards are set by the Colorado Division of Housing (state), not a county-adopted code; the County collects its own permit fee and the state's inspection/insignia fee, arranges the state-required inspection, and — if the unit will sit on a permanent foundation or basement — requires a separate Foundation Permit using the same County-designated inspector.
Verified 2026-07-06 · Source
Requirements
- Completed Mobile or Manufactured Home Permit Application (Rev. 09-12) — legal description, road/highway access, reason for application (new/addition/alteration/repair/move), type and year built of unit, size, acreage, sewer facility, and water source
- Evidence of the total value of the unit or home attached to the application (used to calculate use tax and the state inspection fee)
- Foundation Permit (Rev. 09-12), obtained separately or alongside this application, if the unit will be set on a permanent foundation or basement — inspected by the same County inspector before the home is set
- Evidence of a water source/well permit and either a Northeast Colorado Health Department (NCHD) septic permit or proof that process has begun
- A temporary permit must be posted on the unit after application and fee payment, per State of Colorado Division of Housing requirements (Division of Housing Resolution 38)
- Placement and inspection must be completed within six (6) months of the date the application is signed
- Contact the County-designated building inspector directly (contact info provided by the County after application) to arrange required inspections before occupancy; an installation insignia sticker is issued by the State once inspections are satisfactorily completed
Required documents
- RequiredMobile or Manufactured Home Permit ApplicationWashington County's official PDF application (Rev. 09-12), including an attached 'Additional Criteria for Mobile or Manufactured Home Permits' instruction sheet (7 pages total)
- OptionalFoundation Permit for Manufactured HomesSeparate County form (Rev. 09-12) required only if the unit will be placed on a permanent foundation or basement
Fee schedule
| Fee type | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Washington County Permit Fee | $100.00 | Flat fee, stated directly on the Mobile or Manufactured Home Permit Application form |
| Colorado Division of Housing Inspection & Insignia Fee | $435.00 | State fee (not retained by the County), described on the form as 'State Inspection and Sticker Fees $435.00' / '48% of value of M-Home' cross-reference; covers state inspection and issuance of the required installation insignia |
| Use Tax | 1.5% of the total declared value of the completed manufactured home (including labor) | Calculated on the application form worksheet; combined with the Permit Fee and State Inspection/Sticker Fee into a single 'TOTAL FEES' amount payable to Washington County |
| Foundation Permit Fee (if applicable) | $100.00 | Separate flat fee on the Foundation Permit for Manufactured Homes form; not included in the Mobile/Manufactured Home Permit fees above |
Sources & verification
Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-07-06.
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 Washington County building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.