Bolthole Index

Bolthole Index county-legal census · checked 2026-10-05

Colorado Counties With No Zoning

3 of Colorado's 64 counties — 5% — have no county-wide zoning. That is the 36th-largest count of any state. The strongest of them on the Bolthole Index is Gunnison County (63/100). Every entry below cites the county’s own official source.

Rules change, and cities inside these counties set their own — treat this as a verified starting point, not legal advice. All 1042 counties nationwide → Colorado: no building codes → Colorado: no codes, no zoning → Colorado: owner-builder → Colorado: tiny homes → Colorado: no minimum home size → Full Colorado profile →

From the Colorado guide

Which Colorado counties have no zoning?

Gunnison County, Saguache County and Baca County are the 3 counties listed without countywide zoning; 61 Colorado counties have zoning.59 Baca County is the only county listed with both no residential building-permit requirement and no countywide zoning.10 Compare the no-zoning list with the no-building-codes-and-no-zoning list.510

Colorado county zoning authority concerns unincorporated territory and can regulate building size, lot coverage, lot size and land uses.18 Minimum lot sizes must therefore be obtained from the applicable county zoning resolution and district map.19 A lack of countywide zoning does not remove Colorado’s septic permitting requirements or applicable floodplain development standards.620 For a small dwelling, start with the no-minimum-home-size list and ask the county planning office for the parcel’s applicable building-size rules.18

Read the full Colorado guide →

Sources

  1. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 64 Colorado counties, as of October 10, 2026: Colorado counties with no county-wide zoning
  2. Colorado: Title 25 - Public Health and Environment - Colorado Revised Statutes 2024, quoted and re-checked
  3. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 64 Colorado counties, as of October 10, 2026: Colorado counties with county zoning
  4. Bolthole Index county rulebook, 64 Colorado counties, as of October 10, 2026: Colorado counties with neither a residential building permit nor county-wide zoning
  5. Colorado: Colorado Revised Statutes 2025 Title 30 Government - County, quoted and re-checked
  6. Colorado: Land Use Planning and Regulation in Colorado, quoted and re-checked
  7. Colorado: SB24-179 Floodplain Management Program, quoted and re-checked

From the Colorado guide, written from the cited official sources and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: confirm with the office before you buy or build.

3 of 64 Colorado counties · sorted by Index score

Keep exploring

Every county here has a full profile — water, land prices, hazard safety, seclusion, and the rest of its building rules. See the Colorado state page for all 64 counties ranked, or go back to the national list.

Off-grid gear

Building on land in one of these Colorado counties? The kit we'd start with:

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General guidance, not legal advice. Off-grid, building, and land-use rules are often set at the county level and change often. Verify with your county and state before acting. Data reviewed 2026-06-26.