Change of Use / Establishment Permit (Zoning — No Construction) in Unincorporated Sweetwater County, Wyoming

Unincorporated Sweetwater County requires a change of use / establishment permit (zoning — no construction) for: A zoning permit is required for any change in the use of land or a structure, even where no construction is involved — confirmed both by the fee schedule's 'Establishment or Change of Use (No Construction)' line item and by §4.A.2's directive that the Department review all applications for 'construction, alteration, or change of use of land or structures'; Submit the 'Use - Change or Establish' application form available from the Land Use Office; The new use must be a permitted, conditional, or otherwise allowed use in the applicable zoning district under the 2015 Zoning Resolution; Apply BEFORE the new use begins — the county assesses a Late Application Fee for a use established or changed before an approved permit application (2015 Zoning Resolution §H); This is a zoning-use approval, not a building-code Certificate of Occupancy — Sweetwater County has no county-level building-code CO program (see zoning-construction-permit); if the use change also involves new construction/remodeling of a building type subject to state fire/electrical plan review, a state Certificate of Occupancy or Letter of Compliance may separately be required from the WY State Fire Marshal (see fire-sprinkler-alarm-permit). If your project isn't listed, confirm with Sweetwater County Land Use Department (Planning & Zoning) at (307) 872-3914 before starting work.

In Unincorporated Sweetwater County, the published Establishment or Change of Use (No Construction) is: $100.00. Additional published fees: Late Application Fee (if use is changed/established before permit approval) — Residential / Non-Residential — $500.00 / $1,000.00. These are the jurisdiction's own published figures — see the fee schedule table and source citations on this page.

Plan review for a change of use / establishment permit (zoning — no construction) in Unincorporated Sweetwater County typically runs 5–20 business days. This is an estimate, not a published figure — confirm current review times with Sweetwater County Land Use Department (Planning & Zoning) at (307) 872-3914.

You'll need: Use - Change or Establish Application. See the required-documents checklist on this page for details on each.

Apply through Sweetwater County Land Use Department (Planning & Zoning) at 80 W. Flaming Gorge Way, Suite 23, Green River, WY 82935. Phone: (307) 872-3914, email: binghame@sweetwatercountywy.gov. Office hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm. Official information: https://www.sweetwatercountywy.gov/departments/land_use/index.php.

Unincorporated Sweetwater County, Wyoming has adopted: No countywide building code and no county building permit for private construction. Sweetwater County has not taken delegated building-code enforcement authority under Wyoming Statute 35-9-121; the Wyoming Dept. of Fire Prevention & Electrical Safety's "Local and State Jurisdictions" chart lists Sweetwater County BLDG INSP/PR as state (S/S), meaning the State Fire Marshal, not the county, holds building-code jurisdiction (https://wsfm.wyo.gov/electrical-safety, chart updated 7/7/2026, re-verified 2026-07-16 — Sweetwater County row still reads Fire Insp L / Fire PR S / Bldg Insp S / Bldg PR S / Elec Insp S / Elec PR S; Rock Springs (L across the board) and Green River (Bldg Insp L, all else S) are separate incorporated-city rows and do not apply to this unincorporated-county file).; Confirmed independently on the county's own site: the Land Use Department's page states construction in unincorporated Sweetwater County requires an approved ZONING permit (not an IBC/IRC building-code permit) — 'All residential, commercial, industrial and mineral construction and use in the unincorporated areas of Sweetwater County requires an approved zoning permit' (https://www.sweetwatercountywy.gov/departments/land_use/index.php).; The county's own Development Codes page lists only land-use/zoning instruments — the 2015 Zoning Resolution, Growth Management Plan, Subdivision Regulations, Comprehensive Plan, and Federal Lands and Resources Plan — with no adopted IBC/IRC/NEC building-code edition (https://www.sweetwatercountywy.gov/departments/land_use/development_codes.php)..

Not as a distinct county document. The county has no adopted building code or CO-issuance program (see zoning-construction-permit). To change or establish a use of land or a structure without construction, apply for the county's 'Use - Change or Establish' zoning permit ($100 no-construction fee line). Separately, Wyoming law (W.S. 35-9-108(n)) has the State Fire Marshal issue a Certificate of Occupancy for certain public/commercial buildings that underwent state fire/electrical plan review — that is a state process tied to new construction/remodeling of specific building types, not a routine county product for use changes.

File the county's 'Use - Change or Establish' application with the $100 Establishment or Change of Use (No Construction) fee under the 2015 Zoning Resolution's Non-Residential Permits fee schedule (Section H.L.4). Apply before the new use begins to avoid the county's Late Application Fee.