Unincorporated Albany County building permits

Requirements

• Complete Zoning Certificate application form
• Site plan showing structure location, setbacks, driveway, easements
• Approach License (driveway/road-access authorization) for any driveway accessing a state, county, or city road — obtained from WYDOT, Albany County Road & Bridge Department, or the City of Laramie depending on the road
• Proof of ownership (deed, lease, or contract for deed)
• Documentation of easements, plats (if in a platted subdivision)
• Additional aquifer-protection documentation if the property lies in the Aquifer Protection Overlay Zone (APOZ)
• A $200 late fee applies if construction begins before the Zoning Certificate is approved

Required documents

• RequiredZoning Certificate Application (residential/general)Application form for Zoning Certificate & Rural Address covering principal and accessory residential structures
• OptionalZoning Certificate Application — Commercial/IndustrialSeparate application track for commercial/industrial structures
• OptionalZoning Certificate — Land Use ApplicationUsed for land-use-only zoning certificates not tied to a specific structure

Fee schedule

Requirements

• Confirm the proposed use is permitted in the parcel's zoning district via Land Use Table 4.1 (application Appendix V) — A = allowed by right; C = requires a separate Conditional Use permit ($750.00, public-hearing process); P = prohibited. E.g., office buildings, retail, restaurants, and bakeries are allowed by right in the Commercial (C) district but prohibited in most residential districts; heavy manufacturing is allowed by right only in Industrial (I)
• One application per structure; incomplete applications are returned and review does not begin until a complete application is submitted with fees paid
• Complete site plan AND building plans showing setbacks from property lines — floor plans drawn to scale (recommended 1/4" = 1') with exterior/interior dimensions, room labels and uses, doors, basement dimensions, and plumbing fixture locations (application Appendix I)
• Landscaping site plan per Zoning Resolution Chapter 6 Section 1 (application Appendix III) — applies to all Commercial/Industrial-zoned unincorporated areas: 6-ft-high screening buffer where adjacent to residential uses, one coniferous tree per 50 linear ft of road frontage within 20 ft of the right-of-way plus four tall shrubs per 50 linear ft, with substitution and alternate-plan options
• Parking site plan per Zoning Resolution Chapter 6 Section 6 (application Appendix IV) — offices/financial 1 space per 300 sq ft, retail 1 per 400 sq ft, service shops 1 per 250 sq ft, restaurants/bars 1 per 3 seats, industrial 1 per employee plus company vehicles, hotels/motels 1 per unit plus 1 per employee; 10 ft × 20 ft minimum stalls; disabled parking per 28 CFR Part 36; loading on county roads needs Board of County Commissioners permission
• Approach License for any driveway accessing a state, county, or city road (WYDOT / Albany County Road & Bridge / City of Laramie), plus access documentation, proof of ownership, easement documentation, and plat copy if in a platted subdivision
• Parcels of two (2) acres or less: the site plan must be performed by a professional surveyor before the application can be approved; structures within the Dedicated Plat of Centennial require a property survey
• Setbacks: 10 ft in Commercial (C), Neighborhood Business (NB), and Industrial (I) districts; 20 ft in Agricultural (A) (setback table printed on the application)
• Fees must be received before application review begins; a $200.00 late fee applies to any construction begun prior to approval

Required documents

• RequiredCommercial/Industrial Structure Zoning Certificate & Rural Address ApplicationThe county's dedicated commercial/industrial application (separate from the residential form) — submit online via the county's Adobe Sign widget or as the printable PDF; includes Appendices I-V (building plan, site plan, landscaping, parking, and land-use-table requirements)
• OptionalConditional Use ApplicationRequired in addition only if the proposed use is marked 'C' for the parcel's zoning district in Land Use Table 4.1

Fee schedule

Requirements

• Complete Floodplain Development Application
• Site plan and building plan certified by a professional engineer or architect if flood-proofing is required
• Documentation of access and proof of ownership
• Elevation certification (lowest floor elevation relative to mean sea level) for new/substantially improved structures
• Narrative description of the project and any watercourse alteration
• A $200 late fee applies if construction begins before the permit is approved

Required documents

• RequiredFloodplain Development ApplicationCounty application form; fee table on the form itself lists $400.00

Fee schedule

Requirements

• Complete Small Wastewater Treatment Facility application
• Site plan, easements (if applicable), proof of ownership
• Completed percolation test with photos, and exploratory pit inspection/photos
• For engineered (PE-designed) systems: stamped, signed, and dated engineering documentation
• An Authorization to Construct letter must be issued BEFORE construction begins ($200 late fee if construction starts first)
• Post-installation inspection required before backfilling
• If the site is within the Aquifer Protection Overlay Zone (APOZ), the septic field must be designed by a Wyoming-licensed Professional Engineer or Professional Geologist

Required documents

• RequiredApplication for Small Wastewater Treatment FacilityCounty application form and fee table

Fee schedule

Requirements

• Identify which authority owns the road the driveway will access (WYDOT / Albany County Road & Bridge / City of Laramie)
• Obtain an Approach License / access authorization from that authority
• Submit a copy of the Approach License with the Zoning Certificate application

Required documents

Fee schedule

Requirements

• Apply through the state electrical program's online portal (wyelectrician.imagetrendlicense.com) rather than through Albany County

Required documents

Fee schedule

Requirements

• No county building permit applies to unincorporated Albany County — the County has not adopted a general building code, consistent with its other published permit types (zoning, floodplain, wastewater, driveway access)
• A Zoning Certificate / Land Use Permit fee of $2,000.00 applies specifically to a 'Commercial Solar Energy Facility' under the County's Wind/Solar Energy & Towers fee category — this is understood to mean utility-scale/commercial solar generation facilities, not small residential rooftop or accessory-scale installations
• No published fee, zoning-certificate requirement, or process specific to small residential rooftop or ground-mount solar was located on the County's own Planning Department pages or Land Use Permit Fee Schedule — genuinely unresolved rather than assumed exempt
• The ELECTRICAL interconnection portion of any solar installation is issued by the Wyoming State Fire Marshal's Office under W.S. § 35-9-119, not Albany County — apply via wyelectrician.imagetrendlicense.com

Required documents

• OptionalZoning Certificate / Land Use Permit Application (commercial-scale solar only)Required only for a Commercial Solar Energy Facility per the County's fee schedule; not established as required for small residential systems
• RequiredWyoming State Fire Marshal Electrical Wiring PermitState-issued permit for the electrical interconnection portion — see this database's electrical-wiring-permit-state-program entry for Albany County

Fee schedule

Requirements

• No Albany County building or zoning permit applies to a residential EV charger installation — the County has not adopted a general building code, consistent with this file's other permit entries
• Apply through the state electrical program's online portal (wyelectrician.imagetrendlicense.com) rather than through Albany County, per the same process documented in this file's Electrical Wiring Permit (State Program) entry
• Effective July 1, 2026, the 2026 edition of the National Electrical Code applies statewide per the WSFM electrical-safety page, superseding the prior 2023 NEC default
• No Albany-County-specific or WSFM-published EV-charger-specific fee line item exists — this entry cites the closest real, applicable statewide fee categories rather than an invented EV-specific figure

Required documents

Fee schedule

Requirements

• Signs exceeding the as-of-right quantity/size/height thresholds for the applicable zoning district require a Sign Permit application submitted to the Planning Department; the Planning Director approves and issues the permit if it satisfies Section 10
• Permitted signs must be set back at least 5 feet from property boundaries (Section 10.D)
• No sign may be located within a publicly dedicated right-of-way (Section 10.B.3)
• Illumination, if used, may not flash, rotate, or revolve; luminance of illuminated signs may not exceed 60 nits at night; external light fixtures must be shielded, directed downward, and away from public roadways and residential areas (Section 10.B.1-2)
• Sign permits are granted on a site-specific basis — relocation of a permitted sign is prohibited (Section 10.D)
• As-of-right thresholds vary by zoning district, e.g.: Agricultural — up to 5 permanent signs per 35 acres, faces ≤12 sq ft, height ≤6 ft; Commercial/Industrial — up to 10 permanent signs per parcel, faces ≤12 sq ft, height ≤8 ft; Agricultural/Rural/Ranchette/Small Lot/Urban Residential — up to 2 permanent signs per allowable minimum lot size, faces ≤6 sq ft, height ≤4 ft; temporary signs ≤32 sq ft for up to 180 days and flags ≤24 sq ft are also allowed as of right without a permit (Section 10.C)
• Above those as-of-right thresholds, a Sign Permit is required and district caps rise (e.g. Commercial/Industrial permitted signs may reach 100 sq ft face / 25 ft height with a 200 sq ft aggregate cap per property) (Section 10.D)

Required documents

• RequiredSign ApplicationZoning Applications fee-schedule form covering signs that exceed the as-of-right thresholds of Zoning Resolution Section 10

Fee schedule

Requirements

• Plans for installation, addition, or alteration of a fire alarm, fire sprinkler, or fire suppression system must be submitted to the WSFM Dept. of Fire Prevention & Electrical Safety for review and approval BEFORE any work begins, regardless of size or valuation (WSFM Plan Review page; statutory basis W.S. § 35-9-108)
• Fire alarm and fire sprinkler system plans must be submitted as successive-phase plans after the initial building plan review is approved (W.S. § 35-9-108(s))
• Statutory categories explicitly requiring plan review under W.S. § 35-9-108(a) include: buildings/structures owned or leased by the state or local governmental entities; public buildings over 5,000 sq ft; multistory public buildings; child care centers housing more than 10 children; public bars, lounges, restaurants, night clubs, lodge halls, theaters, churches, or public meeting places regardless of size; and public/private aboveground fuel-dispensing facilities
• No newly constructed or remodeled building within those categories may be used or occupied until WSFM issues a certificate of occupancy (new construction) or letter of compliance (remodel) confirming the fire protection system conforms to the approved plan (W.S. § 35-9-108(n))

Required documents

• RequiredFire Protection System Plan Review SubmittalPlans for the fire alarm, fire sprinkler, or fire suppression system submitted to the WSFM Dept. of Fire Prevention & Electrical Safety for review and approval

Fee schedule

Requirements

• Submit the same Zoning Certificate application used for new, expanded, or conditional uses (see this file's zoning-certificate-rural-address entry), selecting 'Structure Change of Use' as the application/fee category
• Standard Zoning Certificate submittal items apply: site plan, proof of ownership, easement/plat documentation, and Approach License if access changes (see zoning-certificate-rural-address entry for the full list)
• A $200.00 late fee applies if the use is changed before the Zoning Certificate is approved (same late-fee rule documented in the zoning-certificate-rural-address entry)
• If the new use is not permitted outright in the applicable zoning district, a Conditional Use review may be required instead of, or in addition to, the administrative change-of-use fee — a separate $750.00 process involving a public hearing (see the county's Zoning Certificate — Conditional Uses procedure, Chapter 5 Section 7 of the Zoning Resolution)
• No separate county-issued Certificate of Occupancy exists for ordinary structures; the only real state-issued Certificate of Occupancy applies narrowly to certain public/government/commercial building types reviewed by the Wyoming State Fire Marshal (see this file's fire-sprinkler-alarm-permit entry)

Required documents

• RequiredZoning Certificate Application (Structure Change of Use)Same Zoning Certificate application form used for new/expanded/conditional uses, with 'Structure Change of Use' selected as the fee/application category

Fee schedule