Zoning Certificate & Rural Address (county's "Building Permit" stand-in) in Unincorporated Albany County, Wyoming

Unincorporated Albany County requires a zoning certificate & rural address (county's "building permit" stand-in) for: 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. 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 Zoning Certificate — Site Built Home (principal structure) is: $300.00. Additional published fees: Zoning Certificate — Modular Home (principal structure) — $300.00; Zoning Certificate — Mobile Home (principal structure) — $200.00; Zoning Certificate — Addition to Principal Structure — $200.00; Zoning Certificate — Multi-Family (principal structure) — $300.00; Zoning Certificate — First Accessory Structure (not used as dwelling) — $200.00; Zoning Certificate — Attached Accessory Dwelling — $200.00; Zoning Certificate — Detached Accessory Dwelling — $300.00; Zoning Certificate — Small Accessory Building (under 500 sq ft) — $100.00; Zoning Certificate — Accessory Building (general) — $200.00; Zoning Certificate — Addition to Accessory Structure — $100.00; Zoning Certificate — Structure Change of Use — $100.00; Zoning Certificate — Commercial/Industrial 1st Structure — $500.00; Zoning Certificate — Land Use — $100.00; Rural Address Assignment — $100.00; 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.

Plan review for a zoning certificate & rural address (county's "building permit" stand-in) 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.

You'll need: Zoning Certificate Application (residential/general). Depending on your project, Unincorporated Albany County may also ask for: Zoning Certificate Application — Commercial/Industrial; Zoning Certificate — Land Use Application. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Unincorporated Albany County requires 1 inspection(s) for a zoning certificate & rural address (county's "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). 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).; 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.