You are viewing the permanent link for the record currently in effect, published 2026-07-07.
Unincorporated Washington County building permits
VerifiedUnincorporated Washington County, Colorado — as published 2026-07-07.
Verified 2026-07-06 · Source
Codes adopted
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. Review focuses on zoning and placement compliance (legal description, road access, construction materials, foundation type, size, sewer/water source) rather than a technical model-code plan review — see the FAQ below for a note on the County's separate, 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 |
Small Solar Energy Conversion System (SECS) Permit — Rooftop/Accessory Solar
VerifiedWashington County's Solar Power Production Facilities Zoning Regulations define a 'Small Solar Energy Conversion System' (small SECS) as a solar energy conversion system occupying less than 7 acres of total land that is an accessory use (i.e., primarily energy production by the property owner where it is sited) — this covers ordinary residential rooftop and small ground-mount solar. Per the regulations: 'All small SECS require a building permit from the County' and small SECS are explicitly EXEMPT from the county's Solar Power Production Facility (SPPF) regulations, which instead require a Use by Special Review plus a building permit for larger, non-accessory, or 7+ acre commercial solar farms. A small SECS therefore uses the same general Building Permit Application as other construction (see residential-building-permit) — there is no dedicated solar application form or published flat fee, but Colorado's statewide fee cap on active solar energy system permits applies regardless of any locally calculated valuation-based fee.
Verified 2026-07-20 · Source
Requirements
- A 'small SECS' (solar energy conversion system under 7 acres of total land, accessory to the principal use/structure on the same lot, primarily for the property owner's own energy production) is exempt from the county's SPPF (Solar Power Production Facility) zoning regulations and Use by Special Review process — see Washington County Solar Power Production Facilities Zoning Regulations, Sections 2.C and 4 (definitions)
- A small SECS still requires a building permit from the County, per the regulations' definition of 'Small Solar Energy Conversion System': 'All small SECS require a building permit from the County'
- Use the same general Building Permit Application (Rev. 06-14) used for other construction/additions/accessory structures — no separate solar-specific application form was found published
- Colorado's statewide fee cap (C.R.S. § 24-48.5-113, enacted by HB21-1284) limits the aggregate of all fees a Colorado local government may charge to install an active solar energy system to the lesser of actual permit-issuance/review costs or $500.00 for a residential permit / $1,000.00 for a nonresidential (commercial) permit — this cap applies to Washington County's building permit fee for a small SECS regardless of the county's own declared-value-based fee calculation
- A larger installation (7+ acres, or not accessory to the property owner's own use — an SPPF) instead requires a Use by Special Review application plus a building permit, under the full Solar Power Production Facilities Zoning Regulations — out of scope for a typical residential/rooftop system
Required documents
- RequiredBuilding Permit ApplicationWashington County's general Building Permit Application (Rev. 06-14), same form used for other construction; no dedicated solar-only form is published
Fee schedule
| Fee type | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Building Permit Fee — small SECS (residential) | Not published as a fixed valuation table locally; statutorily capped at the lesser of the County's actual permit-issuance/review costs or $500.00 | Washington County's general Building Permit Application leaves the fee blank for County staff/the Commissioner Chairman to complete based on declared project value (same mechanism as residential-building-permit); Colorado's statewide cap under C.R.S. § 24-48.5-113 (HB21-1284) limits this to $500.00 residential regardless of the county's own calculation method |
| Building Permit Fee — small SECS (nonresidential/commercial, still under the small-SECS/accessory-use threshold) | Statutorily capped at the lesser of the County's actual permit-issuance/review costs or $1,000.00 | C.R.S. § 24-48.5-113 (HB21-1284) |
Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Station / EVSE Permit
VerifiedUnincorporated Washington County has no dedicated EV charger/EVSE permit application, fee, or process. Like the county's small solar (SECS) permit, an EV charging station installation would be handled through the county's single general Building Permit Application (Rev. 06-14), the same declared-value-based form used for all other construction and electrical work here, since the Land Use Office does not maintain a separate trade-specific electrical permit or in-house electrical inspector distinct from the general building permit. Because Washington County has not retained its own local electrical inspection program, the electrical/EVSE-circuit component of an EV charger installation instead falls under the Colorado State Electrical Board (DORA/DPO)'s statewide permit and fee schedule, per DORA's own published jurisdictional framework for unincorporated areas without a local electrical program. Washington County's population (approximately 4,700) is well below the 20,000-person threshold that triggers 'covered county' status under Colorado's HB24-1173 (Electric Vehicle Charging System Permits Act, effective 8/7/2024), so the statute's model-code/objective-standards adoption mandate and 3-business-day decision-notification requirement do not apply to this jurisdiction.
Verified 2026-07-20 · Source
Requirements
- No standalone EV charger/EVSE permit application exists; use the county's general Building Permit Application (Rev. 06-14), the same form used for other construction and electrical work
- Total declared value of the work is used by County staff to calculate the permit fee at approval, per the same mechanism used for all other Washington County building permits
- Colorado's HB24-1173 (EV Charging System Permits Act) does not apply to Washington County as a mandatory 'covered county,' since its population (~4,700) falls well below the statute's 20,000-person county threshold
- Property owner and Commissioner Chairman signatures required, per the standard Building Permit Application process
Required documents
- RequiredBuilding Permit Application (PDF, Rev. 06-14)Washington County's single general building-permit form; no EV-specific or electrical-specific application exists
Fee schedule
| Fee type | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado State Electrical Board Permit Fee (EV charger/EVSE circuit) -- Section B, non-living-area installation | $90 base fee for valuation up to $2,000, plus $8.00 per additional $1,000 of valuation (rounded up) -- per the State Electrical Board's May 2019 published schedule; a 2024 Colorado legislative fiscal note (HB 24-1263) documents the base state electrical inspection fee increasing from $88 to $92 effective FY2024-25, so the current exact base figure may be modestly higher than $90 | Colorado Revised Statutes § 12-115-121 (State Electrical Board permit-fee authority; this statute was renumbered from the commonly-cited § 12-23-117 effective 10/1/2019). Washington County's Land Use Office maintains only a single general, declared-value-based Building Permit Application and does NOT maintain a separate trade-specific electrical permit or in-house electrical inspector (unlike some Colorado counties, e.g. Teller County, which retain their own electrical inspection program) -- per DORA's own published framework, "on projects in unincorporated areas of counties without local building departments, the state Electrical Inspector program assumes inspection authority directly," so the electrical/EVSE-circuit component of this installation is billed under this state fee schedule rather than a county-published rate. Confirm the current exact figure with the State Electrical Board, 303-894-7800, since fees are reviewed and adjusted periodically. |
| County Building Permit Fee (if paired with new structural work, e.g. a carport/garage to house the charger) | Not published as a fixed table; calculated by County staff based on declared project value | Washington County Building Permit Application (Rev. 06-14) -- covers the structural/non-electrical portion only; no EV-specific or electrical-specific fee line is published separately from this declared-value-based calculation. |
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.