Skip to main content
PermitBase

Building Permit (New Construction, Addition, Remodel, Accessory Structures) in Unincorporated Washington County, Colorado

Washington 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 2026-08-02 · Source

When you need this permit

  • 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

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

Building Permit Fee
The Building Permit Application PDF (this entry's source) carries a printed fee grid: '(b) Building Permit Fees for all buildings except Use by Special Review: $100.00' and, separately, '(d) OR UBSR… Show full citationThe Building Permit Application PDF (this entry's source) carries a printed fee grid: '(b) Building Permit Fees for all buildings except Use by Special Review: $100.00' and, separately, '(d) OR UBSR (Commercial Use) Building Permit Fee for: Use by Special Review Application - $150.00.'
$100.00 flat, for all buildings except Use by Special Review (commercial-use) buildings
Use TaxPrinted directly on the same fee grid -- '(2) Value of (1) x 0.48... 48% of value of Building', then '(a) Value of (2) x 0.015... (Use Tax: 1.5%)'.
1.5% of 48% of the total declared value of the completed building

Review timeline

Plan review
Not published — contact the department

How long did your Building Permit (New Construction, Addition, Remodel, Accessory Structures) 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

    The Building Permit Application is signed by the property owner and approved (or not) by the County Commissioner Chairman; the form does not describe a separate multi-stage plan-review or field-inspection sequence for general/site-built construction beyond this approval step.

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

Tips

  • No model building code (IBC/IRC) turns up in the County's permit forms or Ordinances page for general construction — expect a zoning/placement compliance check by the Land Use Office and Commissioner Chairman, not a technical code-based plan review. The County does have a separate Zoning Resolution not published online, so confirm with the Land Use Office if your project needs code-specific answers.
  • If your parcel is under 35 acres, budget time for a Subdivision Exemption application, which routes through the Planning Commission and Board of County Commissioners before a building permit can be finalized.
  • The permit fee is calculated from your declared 'Total Value of Building' — there is no published rate table, so contact the Land Use Office ahead of time for a fee estimate.
  • Well and septic clearance is a separate process through the Northeast Colorado Health Department, not the County — start that application in parallel, not after, applying for your building permit.
  • There is no separate commercial-building-permit or tenant-improvement (TI) application — commercial construction and interior remodels of commercial space use this same general Building Permit Application ('Remodel' is one of the four Class of Work options). But commercial use of the property itself is a separate zoning gate: if your project requires a Use by Special Review (commercial, mixed-use, industrial, CMRS, or wind-tower use), budget for that process's own $500 Administrative Review fee, $150 Sign Posting fee, and recording fees, on top of a $150 (vs. $100 for other buildings) Building Permit fee tier for Use-by-Special-Review buildings — both figures stated directly on the County's own forms. See the note in localAmendments for full sourcing.

Frequently asked questions

Unincorporated Washington County requires a building permit (new construction, addition, remodel, accessory structures) for: 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. 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.

Not a fixed amount — the County calculates the fee from your declared Total Value of Building at approval, with no published rate table. Contact the Land Use Office, (970) 345-2701 ext. 234, for a current estimate.

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. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

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.

No model building code (IBC/IRC/NEC) appears on the County's permit forms or its online Ordinances page — general construction review looks like zoning and placement compliance rather than a technical code-based plan review. The County does maintain a separate Zoning Resolution that isn't published online, so it's worth confirming directly with the Land Use Office whether any building-code standard applies to your specific project. Manufactured-home installation is a separate case: it follows Colorado Division of Housing state standards, not a county code. For project-specific questions, call the Land Use Office at (970) 345-2701 ext. 234.

Yes. The Washington County Land Use Office, part of the Planning & Zoning Department, administers building permits for buildings and structures, and land-use changes, throughout the unincorporated portion of the county - as stated on the department's current webpage and application forms.

No. Commercial construction and tenant improvements/remodels use this same general Building Permit Application (Rev. 06-14) — 'Remodel' is one of its four Class of Work checkboxes, and no dedicated commercial or TI application is published anywhere on the County's site. Commercial construction does carry a distinct $150.00 Building Permit fee tier (vs. $100.00 for other buildings), per the form's own fee-calculation grid. Separately, commercial/mixed-use/industrial USE of the property (not the building itself) requires a 'Use by Special Review' zoning application — its own public-hearing process with a $500 Administrative Review fee, $150 Sign Posting fee, and recording fees — before or alongside the building permit.

Sources & verification

Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-08-02.

Applications & forms

Codes & ordinances

Department & other records

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.

Unincorporated Washington County's permit history isn't searchable here yet

This page covers what the permit requires. What we don't have for Unincorporated Washington County yet is the record of permits actually issued — the history you'd search by street address. That is a gap in our coverage, not a statement about any particular property.

Your email, and the place — never an address. We only use it to tell you when Unincorporated Washington County lands. Privacy.

Other permits in Unincorporated Washington County

Commercial Building Permit (Use by Special Review)Mobile or Manufactured Home Permit (with Foundation Permit if applicable)Small Solar Energy Conversion System (SECS) Permit — Rooftop/Accessory SolarElectric Vehicle (EV) Charging Station / EVSE PermitSign PermitFire Sprinkler / Fire Alarm System PermitChange of Use Permit

Building Permit (New Construction, Addition, Remodel, Accessory Structures) in other cities

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

Compare building permit (new construction, addition, remodel, accessory structures) fees across Colorado →

Look up this fee in a different city →

Embed this data card →

Related guides

Colorado Permits

Now live

Build your Unincorporated Washington County project checklist

Describe your project once and get every permit, document, and fee it triggers in Unincorporated Washington County — in one checklist. Free, for any city and any number of projects.

Get started →