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Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Station / EVSE Permit in Unincorporated Washington County, Colorado

Unincorporated 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

When you need this permit

  • 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

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Fee schedule

Colorado State Electrical Board Permit Fee (EV charger/EVSE circuit) -- Section B, non-living-area installationColorado 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.
$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
County Building Permit Fee (if paired with new structural work, e.g. a carport/garage to house the charger)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.
Not published as a fixed table; calculated by County staff based on declared project value

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Station / EVSE Permit permit actually take in Unincorporated Washington County?

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

Inspection process

  1. 1

    Commissioner Chairman Review & Approval

    Same general approval step used for other Building Permit Applications; the county's forms do not describe a separate multi-stage field-inspection sequence specific to electrical or EV charger work

Tips

  • There is no dedicated EV charger permit category or application in Washington County -- use the same general Building Permit Application used for a small solar system or any other construction/electrical work.
  • Washington County's small population keeps it outside Colorado HB24-1173's mandatory EV-permitting-standards requirement (20,000+ population threshold for counties), unlike larger Front Range counties.

Frequently asked questions

Unincorporated Washington County requires an electric vehicle (ev) charging station / evse permit for: 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. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Washington County Land Use Office (Planning & Zoning Department) at (970) 345-2701 ext. 234 (fax (970) 514-7710, per the department's live webpage — resolved as current: a 2020 Wayback capture of the same page shows fax 345-2702 with then-Zoning-Official Denise Chavez named, while the live page today shows no named official ('temporary') and the new fax, indicating the webpage was updated since 2020 and the number changed; the Building Permit Application form (Rev. 06-14, unrevised since 2014) still carries the older 345-2702 and is treated as stale on this one field) before starting work.

In Unincorporated Washington County, the published Colorado State Electrical Board Permit Fee (EV charger/EVSE circuit) -- Section B, non-living-area installation is: $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. Additional published fees: 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. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Unincorporated Washington County does not publish a plan-review timeline for this permit. Contact Washington County Land Use Office (Planning & Zoning Department) at (970) 345-2701 ext. 234 (fax (970) 514-7710, per the department's live webpage — resolved as current: a 2020 Wayback capture of the same page shows fax 345-2702 with then-Zoning-Official Denise Chavez named, while the live page today shows no named official ('temporary') and the new fax, indicating the webpage was updated since 2020 and the number changed; the Building Permit Application form (Rev. 06-14, unrevised since 2014) still carries the older 345-2702 and is treated as stale on this one field) for current turnaround.

You'll need: Building Permit Application (PDF, Rev. 06-14). See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Unincorporated Washington County requires 1 inspection(s) for an electric vehicle (ev) charging station / evse permit, in order: Commissioner Chairman Review & Approval. Schedule each through Washington County Land Use Office (Planning & Zoning Department) ((970) 345-2701 ext. 234 (fax (970) 514-7710, per the department's live webpage — resolved as current: a 2020 Wayback capture of the same page shows fax 345-2702 with then-Zoning-Official Denise Chavez named, while the live page today shows no named official ('temporary') and the new fax, indicating the webpage was updated since 2020 and the number changed; the Building Permit Application form (Rev. 06-14, unrevised since 2014) still carries the older 345-2702 and is treated as stale on this one field)).

Apply through Washington County Land Use Office (Planning & Zoning Department) at Washington County Courthouse, 150 Ash Avenue, 2nd Floor, Akron, CO 80720. Phone: (970) 345-2701 ext. 234 (fax (970) 514-7710, per the department's live webpage — resolved as current: a 2020 Wayback capture of the same page shows fax 345-2702 with then-Zoning-Official Denise Chavez named, while the live page today shows no named official ('temporary') and the new fax, indicating the webpage was updated since 2020 and the number changed; the Building Permit Application form (Rev. 06-14, unrevised since 2014) still carries the older 345-2702 and is treated as stale on this one field), email: planning@co.washington.co.us (per the Foundation Permit and Mobile/Manufactured Home Permit forms; also matches the address shown for then-Zoning-Official Denise Chavez on a 2020 Wayback capture of the department's own webpage — the current live webpage's visible text does not repeat an email address, but nothing found contradicts this one, so it is carried forward as still-current pending direct confirmation). Office hours: Not published as specific hours for this department; the County's website states only that proposed regulations are available for inspection 'during normal business hours' at 150 Ash Avenue. The Planning Commission's regular meeting is the third Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the old courtroom at the Courthouse (date subject to change).. Official information: https://washingtoncounty.colorado.gov/departments/administration/planning-and-zoning.

Unincorporated Washington County, Colorado has adopted: No model building code (IBC/IRC/NEC) found published online — see the FAQ below for what governs instead; Manufactured/mobile homes: Colorado Division of Housing state standards apply, not a county-adopted code; County Zoning Resolution is in force but not published online — full scope on this point unconfirmed; 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).. Local amendments apply — see the Unincorporated Washington County overview page for the full list.

Sources & verification

Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-07-20.

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.

Other permits in Unincorporated Washington County

Building Permit (New Construction, Addition, Remodel, Accessory Structures)Mobile or Manufactured Home Permit (with Foundation Permit if applicable)Small Solar Energy Conversion System (SECS) Permit — Rooftop/Accessory Solar

Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Station / EVSE Permit in other cities

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