Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Las Animas, Colorado

At a glance

Zoning

Yes, the city zones its own land (permitted and special review uses in each district)¹

Building code

International Residential Code, 2003 edition, adopted by the city²

Septic

No permit for subsurface absorption on lots under one acre; Bent County Public Health enforces septic rules³⁴

RV living

Only inside a licensed travel trailer park within zoned areas⁵

Minimum lot

1 acre in R-1; 7,000 sq ft for a single-family home in R-3⁶⁷

Mobile homes

R-3 only, south of Ambassador Thompson Boulevard and east of Bent Avenue, at least 720 sq ft⁸

Sewer hookup

Connect within 60 days once public sewer becomes available⁹

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 16, 2026.

Does Las Animas have zoning, and what does it mean for RVs, mobile homes, lot size and setbacks?

Yes. The City of Las Animas adopts its own zoning, and each district allows permitted uses and special review uses; special review means Planning Commission review with notice to adjacent owners¹. The residential districts we could confirm are R-1 Rural Residential, R-2 and R-3 Urban Residential¹⁰.

Lot size and setbacks depend on the district. In R-1 the minimum site area is one acre⁶, with a front yard of at least 50 feet and side yards of at least 15 feet¹¹. In R-3 a single-family home needs at least 7,000 square feet⁷, with a front yard of at least 25 feet and side yards of at least 7.5 feet¹².

Living in an RV, motor home, camper or travel trailer inside the zoned areas of Las Animas is allowed only within a licensed travel trailer park, except for a use established before the code took effect on July 25, 1965⁵. Parking one on any street is limited to seven days⁵.

Mobile homes are permitted in R-3 only south of Ambassador Thompson Boulevard and east of Bent Avenue, with at least 720 square feet, an engineered foundation, lot ownership, city utilities and a building permit; manufactured homes are also a permitted R-3 use⁸.

Do you need a building permit in Las Animas, and who issues it?

Las Animas has adopted the International Residential Code, 2003 edition, for construction inside the city, and its code also lists the National Electrical Code, 1996 edition². These are old editions, so a contractor or designer used to current codes should ask what the city actually applies. The city's code ties at least one building permit to a specific use: a mobile home in R-3 must obtain a building permit⁸.

We could not confirm which city office takes building permit applications, what the fees are, or how inspections and certificates of occupancy work inside the city. Call Las Animas City Hall before you buy or design anything.

Bent County's own zoning and building permit process, run by the county's Zoning Enforcement Officer, covers unincorporated land only¹³. Inside city limits, the county planning counter is not the right office for building permits or zoning approval.

How do septic permits work inside Las Animas?

Septic is the tightest rule in the city code. Las Animas generally makes it unlawful to build or keep a privy, septic tank, cesspool or similar wastewater facility except as the code provides¹⁴. A private system with a subsurface absorption field cannot be permitted on a lot under one acre, which is 43,560 square feet³.

When public sewer becomes available to a property, the owner must connect within 60 days, and old septic tanks and cesspools must be cleaned and filled⁹.

The city does not run septic enforcement itself. Bent County Public Health contracts with Prowers County Public Health for environmental-health services, including enforcement of on-site wastewater treatment system rules⁴¹⁵. Colorado law requires a permit from the local public health agency before an on-site system is built or altered¹⁶. Call¹⁵ at 1(719) 336-8721 before you plan any septic system.

Building a home in Las Animas: the steps, in order

1. Confirm the zoning district of the lot with the City of Las Animas, and check the minimum site area, setbacks and special review requirements for that district¹.
2. Ask whether public sewer reaches the lot. Septic is restricted inside the city, and a private absorption system cannot be permitted on a lot under one acre³.
3. If septic is possible, contact Prowers County Public Health, which handles septic enforcement for Bent County⁴¹⁵.
4. Ask City Hall which office issues the building permit and which code edition applies; the city has adopted the 2003 International Residential Code².
5. If you plan a new private well, Colorado requires a well permit from the Division of Water Resources for every new well that diverts groundwater¹⁷. We could not confirm a separate city rule on wells.

What stays with Bent County, and what to check before you buy

Septic enforcement for addresses inside Las Animas stays with Bent County Public Health and its contracted provider, Prowers County Public Health⁴. Colorado wells go through the state Division of Water Resources rather than the city¹⁷.

For land outside city limits, use the Bent County page: the county's zoning resolution and its Zoning Enforcement Officer apply to unincorporated land¹³. Do not assume a county rule applies inside the city, or a city rule outside it.

County-level figures help with budgeting. Bent County's effective property tax rate is 0.4%¹⁸, its average annual precipitation is 14.3 inches¹⁹, and the share of years in severe drought is 43%²⁰.

Watch-outs

• We could not confirm which Las Animas city office issues building permits or what inspections apply, so call City Hall before you pay for plans².
• Septic is generally unlawful inside the city except as the code provides, and no permit is issued for an absorption system on a lot under one acre¹⁴³.
• Living in an RV inside the zoned areas of Las Animas is allowed only in a licensed travel trailer park, and street parking is limited to seven days⁵.
• We could not confirm how Las Animas treats tiny homes or accessory dwellings; Colorado approves Division of Housing tiny homes for long-term living but they must meet local zoning²¹.

Sources

1. Las Animas Code Sec. 22-61 Zoning districts generally (Las Animas), quoted and re-checked
2. Las Animas Code Sec. 8-264 International Residential Code adopted (Las Animas), quoted and re-checked
3. Las Animas Code Sec. 20-160 Compliance with State recommendations required (Las Animas), quoted and re-checked
4. Public Health Services – Bent County Public Health, quoted and re-checked
5. Las Animas Code Sec. 12-78 Use of Travel Trailer etc. in other than licensed park (Las Animas), quoted and re-checked
6. Las Animas Code Sec. 22-121 R-1 Minimum site area (Las Animas), quoted and re-checked
7. Las Animas Code Sec. 22-190 R-3 Minimum site area (Las Animas), quoted and re-checked
8. Las Animas Code Sec. 22-188 R-3 Permitted Uses (Las Animas), quoted and re-checked
9. Las Animas Code Sec. 20-161 Connection to Public Sewer required when (Las Animas), quoted and re-checked
10. Las Animas Code Sec. 22-188 R-3 Permitted Uses (Las Animas), quoted and re-checked
11. Las Animas Code Sec. 22-122 R-1 Minimum front yard (Las Animas), quoted and re-checked
12. Las Animas Code Sec. 22-191 R-3 Minimum front yard (Las Animas), quoted and re-checked
13. Bent County Planning and Zoning Manual, quoted and re-checked
14. Las Animas Code Sec. 20-128 Septic tanks and cesspools prohibited (Las Animas), quoted and re-checked
15. Prowers County Public Health (environmental health services for Bent County) (bentcph.org)
16. Title 25 - Public Health and Environment - Colorado Revised Statutes 2024 (Colorado statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
17. Water Administration (Colorado statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
18. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
19. Annual precipitation: Bolthole Index county data
20. Share of years in severe drought: Bolthole Index county data
21. Consumers of Manufactured Homes and Tiny Homes - HUD (Colorado statewide rule), quoted and re-checked

Written October 16, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.