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Driveway / Road Access (Approach License) in Unincorporated Albany County, Wyoming

Any new driveway accessing a state, county, or city road in unincorporated Albany County requires an Approach License from the road authority that owns that road segment — the Wyoming Department of Transportation (state highways), the Albany County Road & Bridge Department (county roads), or the City of Laramie (city roads), depending on which road the driveway connects to. The Approach License (or equivalent access documentation) is a required attachment to the county's Zoning Certificate application.

Verified 2026-07-17 · Source

When you need this permit

  • 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

Check off what you have — your progress is saved on this device.

    Fee schedule

    Filing fee
    Not published — contact the department

    Review timeline

    Plan reviewTypical estimate — confirm current times with the Unincorporated Albany County building department
    ~5–20 business days

    How long did your Driveway / Road Access (Approach License) permit actually take in Unincorporated Albany County?

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

    Inspection process

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

      Tips

      • This is not a standalone fee line in the county's Land Use Permit Fee Schedule — it is a prerequisite document obtained from the applicable road authority (WYDOT, County Road & Bridge, or City of Laramie) and then submitted with the Zoning Certificate.
      • Contact Albany County Road & Bridge Department (2920 County Shop Road, Laramie, WY 82070) for county-road approach licensing.

      Frequently asked questions

      Unincorporated Albany County requires a driveway / road access (approach license) permit for: 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. If your project isn't listed, confirm with Albany County Planning Department at (307) 721-2568 before starting work.

      Plan review for a driveway / road access (approach license) permit in Unincorporated Albany County typically runs 5–20 business days. This is an estimate, not a published figure — confirm current review times with Albany County Planning Department at (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.

      Unincorporated Albany County, Wyoming has adopted: Albany County has NOT adopted a countywide building code and does NOT issue a general IBC/IRC-style building permit for private construction in unincorporated areas. Under Wyoming's local-option delegation statute (W.S. § 35-9-121), county-level building-code enforcement authority is opt-in via application to the State Fire Marshal; Albany County has not taken that authority, so the State Fire Marshal's Office retains BOTH building and electrical jurisdiction countywide (WSFM 'Local and State Jurisdictions' chart, header reads 'UPDATED 7/7/2026' — corrected 2026-07-17 from a stale '5/11/2026' citation, embedded at https://wsfm.wyo.gov/electrical-safety, lists Albany County BLDG INSP/PR = S and ELEC INSP/PR = S, re-confirmed unchanged 2026-07-17).; The county's OWN site confirms this: Albany County Planning's permit menu and Land Use Permit Fee Schedule (https://www.albanycountywy.gov/253/Planning ; fee schedule PDF https://www.albanycountywy.gov/DocumentCenter/View/6249/Fee-Schedule) contain NO International Building Code / International Residential Code adoption and NO 'building permit' fee line — only zoning, floodplain, wastewater, subdivision, sign, tower, and wind/solar fees. The county's own application labels its zoning approval for new residential/commercial structures 'Zoning Certificate & Rural Address (Building Permit)' — i.e., the county's stand-in for a building permit is a ZONING review against the Albany County Zoning Resolution, not a state building-code plan review/inspection.; The Albany County Zoning Certificate application (https://www.albanycountywy.gov/DocumentCenter/View/4521/Zoning-Certificate-Application) confirms review is 'by the Planning Department' for compliance with 'the Albany County Zoning Resolution' — land-use/setback/use compliance, not IBC/IRC structural or life-safety code compliance.; Practical takeaway: if you are building in unincorporated Albany County, you generally do NOT need a county building permit for the construction itself, but you DO need the county's Zoning Certificate (a land-use/placement approval, sometimes informally called the 'building permit' by the county) plus any of the real exceptions below that apply to your project (floodplain, septic/small wastewater, driveway access, state electrical).. Local amendments apply — see the Unincorporated Albany County overview page for the full list.

      Sources & verification

      Verified against official sources. Last reviewed 2026-07-17.

      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 Albany County building department before you submit. PermitBase is an independent reference and is not affiliated with any government agency.