Building permits, zoning and land rules in Cheyenne County, Colorado

Yes, for covered work in unincorporated Cheyenne County. A property owner or authorized representative must obtain a building permit before erecting, constructing, reconstructing or altering a structure, or changing its use, when the work changes the property's assessed value¹. Remodeling entirely within an existing building does not require that county permit¹. Building-permit fees are set by the Planning and Zoning Board and approved each year by the Board of County Commissioners, but the current amount was not confirmed in the opened county materials⁶. The ordinance authorizes inspections when there is reasonable cause to suspect a zoning violation, but Cheyenne County has not confirmed a routine construction-inspection schedule¹. Ask Zoning & Planning/Land Use which building-code edition, plan review and closeout requirements apply to the project because a general code edition and certificate-of-occupancy requirement could not be confirmed⁶.

Cheyenne County Zoning & Planning/Land Use is the permit office for construction on unincorporated land; its official page lists building permits, conditional-use permits, subdivision exemptions, zoning amendments and variances⁶. The county publishes those application forms and directs applicants to the Land Use Administrator⁶. The building-permit form asks for the site, intended use, building size, approximate value, setbacks, special conditions and sewage-disposal permit information⁷. Reach the office at (719)-767-5872 or landuse@co.cheyenne.co.us, or write to P.O. Box 567, Cheyenne Wells, CO 80810⁶. Incorporated Cheyenne Wells and Kit Carson are outside the county zoning resolution's stated unincorporated jurisdiction, so projects inside those town limits need the applicable town's answer instead¹. The Town of Cheyenne Wells posts a 2026 building permit form on its Resources page; ask the town what it requires before you build inside town limits⁸. Septic review is separate and does not move to the towns or to the county planning office: Kit Carson County Public Health and Environment administers the multi-county OWTS process serving Cheyenne County².

Yes. Zoning applies to all land and buildings in unincorporated Cheyenne County, while the towns of Cheyenne Wells and Kit Carson are not affected inside their corporate limits¹. The ordinance divides the county into Agricultural, Other Agricultural Lands, Residential, Commercial and Industrial districts, and the county publishes the zoning maps, so look up the parcel's district before planning anything¹. Like the counties around it in Colorado, Cheyenne County has county zoning¹.

In the Residential district, a lot without public water and sewer needs at least 1 acre, 200 feet of width and 140 feet of depth; with public water only the minimum is 16,800 square feet, and with both services it is 7,000 square feet¹. Residential setbacks are 35 feet or 75 feet from the road centerline for the front yard, whichever is greater, 10 feet at the side and 20 feet at the rear, plus 25 feet from existing power lines unless the power company approves less¹. The agricultural-district provision instead sets 20-foot side and rear yards, and its minimum lot is 1 acre, so confirm the parcel's district before siting a structure¹. A variance may change the result, and Cheyenne County has not confirmed a general minimum dwelling size, numeric height limit or lot-coverage limit⁶.

An OWTS permit is required to construct or repair a septic system in Cheyenne County, and Kit Carson County Public Health and Environment administers the regional process². The listed fees are $223 for a new system, $175 for a repair and $100 for a privy; a percolation test and initial site analysis performed by the agency costs $175². A registered engineer may instead complete the test and initial analysis for agency review, and a system where seasonal groundwater sits less than four feet below the surface, or one serving commercial, institutional, industrial or multifamily use, needs a Colorado professional engineer's design². A representative of Kit Carson County Public Health and Environment must inspect the system before it is backfilled². Contact the agency at 719-346-7158 Ext 420 or 719-349-2126². About 58.9% of county soils are rated without severe limits for a conventional drain field, so parcel-level evaluation still matters⁹.

Cheyenne County has not confirmed a general rule allowing residential or long-term RV occupancy on private land, and the zoning ordinance's campground provision, which covers camping and RV parking for no more than 30 days, does not answer that question for an individual homesite¹. Ask Zoning & Planning/Land Use whether an RV may be occupied on the parcel and whether temporary use during construction needs approval⁶. Colorado-regulated tiny homes may be approved for long-term living, but plans must go to the Colorado Division of Housing before construction, the unit must meet applicable state standards and local zoning, and certification is tied to the installation site³. Cheyenne County has not confirmed a separate tiny-home occupancy rule or a minimum dwelling size¹. A HUD-code manufactured home can be installed only where local zoning allows it and remains subject to state installation requirements³. Any occupied off-grid structure must have adequate sanitary sewage disposal facilities¹⁰.

1. Ask Cheyenne County Zoning & Planning/Land Use to confirm the zoning district, allowed residential use, lot dimensions, setbacks and required county applications^1,6.
2. Submit the county building-permit application before covered construction that changes assessed value¹.
3. Confirm the current building-permit fee with Land Use because the amount is approved yearly⁶.
4. Confirm water early; every new groundwater well in Colorado requires a state well permit, subject to statutory and basin-specific exceptions⁵.
5. Apply to Kit Carson County Public Health and Environment for the OWTS permit and arrange the site evaluation before septic construction².
6. Confirm legal access; direct residential access to a Colorado state highway requires a separate state access permit¹¹.
7. Keep the septic system uncovered until the required final inspection is complete, then ask Land Use what final county documentation is required^2,6.

Cheyenne County is sparsely settled, at about one person per square mile, and the nearest city of 100,000 or more is about 116 miles from the county center⁹. Average annual precipitation is about 15.9 inches, and severe drought occurs in about 26.9% of years, so verify a lawful and dependable water source before closing⁹. Nearly 99% of the land has a slope of 15% or less, but a specific homesite still needs septic and drainage review^2,9. Confirm the zoning district, setbacks, legal access, flood exposure, well feasibility and septic suitability for the parcel. Selling an unincorporated parcel smaller than 35 acres generally triggers county subdivision procedures, although the county commissioners may grant an exemption¹. USDA census farmland value averages about $1,281 per acre, while the median property-tax bill is about $863 per year at an effective rate near 0.5%⁹.