Commercial/Industrial Zoning Certificate (county's commercial "Building Permit" stand-in) in Unincorporated Albany County, Wyoming

Unincorporated Albany County requires a commercial/industrial zoning certificate (county's commercial "building permit" stand-in) for: 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. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Albany County Planning Department at (307) 721-2568 before starting work.

In Unincorporated Albany County, the published Commercial/Industrial Structure (primary, 1st structure) is: $500.00. Additional published fees: Addition to existing Commercial/Industrial structure — $200.00; Accessory Structure (incidental to the primary structure) — $300.00; Small Accessory Building (less than 500 sq ft) — $200.00; Structure Change of Use — $100.00; Rural Address Assignment — $100.00; Conditional Use (only if the use requires it per Land Use Table 4.1) — $750.00; Late fee (construction begun prior to approval) — $200.00. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Unincorporated Albany County's published plan-review target for a commercial/industrial zoning certificate (county's commercial "building permit" stand-in) is 1–30 business days.

You'll need: Commercial/Industrial Structure Zoning Certificate & Rural Address Application. Depending on your project, Unincorporated Albany County may also ask for: Conditional Use Application. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Unincorporated Albany County requires 1 inspection(s) for a commercial/industrial zoning certificate (county's commercial "building permit" stand-in), in order: Right-of-entry inspection (as needed). Schedule each through Albany County Planning Department ((307) 721-2568).

Apply through Albany County Planning Department at 1002 S 3rd Street, Laramie, WY 82070. Phone: (307) 721-2568, email: planning@albanycountywy.gov. Office hours: Monday–Thursday, 7:30am–5:00pm (business by phone, email, and mail also available; staff may be unavailable during posted hours, call ahead to guarantee availability — per albanycountywy.gov/253/Planning, checked 2026-07-17). Official information: https://www.albanycountywy.gov/253/Planning.

No. Albany County has adopted no building code and performs no structural or life-safety plan review. Commercial and industrial construction in the unincorporated county instead requires the Commercial/Industrial Structure Zoning Certificate & Rural Address Application ($500 for the first structure) — a zoning/placement review with commercial-specific landscaping and parking standards. Separately, electrical work is permitted by the Wyoming State Fire Marshal's state program, and many commercial occupancies (restaurants, bars, public buildings over 5,000 sq ft, etc.) require State Fire Marshal building/fire plan review and a state certificate of occupancy under W.S. § 35-9-108.

No — it is a separate application form with additional requirements: building plans, a landscaping site plan (Zoning Resolution Ch. 6 Sec. 1), a parking site plan (Ch. 6 Sec. 6), and a $500 first-structure fee. It is filed one-per-structure and reviewed by the same Planning Department under the same Zoning Resolution.