Building permits, zoning and septic in the Town of San Luis, Colorado

At a glance

Home building permit

Required after plot-plan approval¹

Zoning

Town zoning governs uses and structures inside San Luis²

Septic permits

Colorado requires local public health agency approval for an OWTS; confirm which office serves the town parcel⁴

RV living

We could not confirm residential RV occupancy; ask the Town Office⁵

Tiny homes

State-regulated residential tiny homes need Division of Housing approval and must meet local zoning⁶

Private wells

Colorado generally requires a Division of Water Resources permit, subject to exemptions and basin rules⁷

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 10, 2026.

Do you need a building permit in the Town of San Luis, CO?

The Town of San Luis requires a building permit for construction of single-family homes and multi-family dwellings.¹ A plot plan is needed to apply, and San Luis can issue the building permit only after approving that plot plan.¹ That sequence makes the proposed site layout an early approval question, rather than something to settle after construction begins.¹

San Luis refers to an adopted building code, but we could not confirm the current edition, amendments or construction-inspection schedule; ask the Town Office for those requirements and the current building-permit fee before budgeting the project.⁸⁵

Who handles building-permit questions in the Town of San Luis?

Start with the Town of San Luis Town Office at 719-672-3321 for the correct municipal building-permit application contact.⁵ Ask the Town Office who accepts plot plans, who issues home building permits, how to arrange inspections and where to obtain the current fee schedule.⁵

San Luis municipal zoning governs uses and structures within the town boundary.² For a parcel outside that boundary, use the Costilla County guide for the county building-permit and zoning answers: Colorado county building-code and zoning authority described here applies to unincorporated territory.⁹¹⁰ Ask separately about wastewater service or OWTS approval, because Colorado assigns the unsewered-building approval process to the applicable local public health agency.³

Does the Town of San Luis have zoning, and can you live in an RV or tiny home?

San Luis has municipal zoning: uses and structures must conform to the regulations for the zone containing the parcel.² Before choosing a home design, ask the Town Office for the parcel’s zoning district, allowed residential uses and the applicable dimensional schedule.²⁵ We could not confirm San Luis district-specific minimum lot sizes, minimum dwelling sizes or setbacks, or whether the town allows residential RV occupancy or temporary camping; ask for written answers covering the proposed use.⁵

Colorado Division of Housing-regulated tiny homes intended for long-term residential occupancy need state plan approval before unit construction and must satisfy local zoning.⁶ State certification therefore does not settle whether a particular San Luis parcel can host the tiny home; the local zoning requirement remains part of the approval.⁶

How do septic permits work inside the Town of San Luis?

For a San Luis building without sewage-treatment service, Colorado requires an OWTS permit from the applicable local public health agency before construction or remodeling approval, followed by final inspection and agency approval before occupancy.³¹¹ An OWTS is an on-site wastewater treatment system; installing, altering or repairing a system requires local public health agency permitting.¹²

We could not confirm the named OWTS permitting office for addresses inside San Luis or a town-specific public-sewer connection requirement.⁵¹³ Ask the Town Office about sewer service for the parcel, and ask Costilla County Planning and Zoning’s soil-evaluation contact to identify the serving OWTS agency before commissioning a design.⁵¹³ Colorado OWTS applications require property, site-and-soil and system-design information, so resolve the wastewater route alongside the plot plan.¹²¹

Building a home in the Town of San Luis: what are the steps?

1. Ask the Town Office to confirm the parcel’s San Luis zoning district and the proposed home’s permitted use before finalizing the layout.²⁵
2. Resolve sewer service or the applicable local public health agency’s OWTS permit before seeking construction approval for an unsewered home.³
3. Submit the plot plan for approval, then apply for the home building permit; San Luis conditions issuance on an approved plot plan.¹
4. Obtain the town’s inspection schedule and build in accordance with the approved plot plan and building permit.⁵¹⁴
5. Complete the required OWTS final inspection before use, if applicable; San Luis’s plot-plan provision allows a certificate of occupancy after compliant construction and site development.¹¹¹⁴

What should you check before buying land in the Town of San Luis?

For a San Luis parcel needing a private well, Colorado generally requires a Division of Water Resources permit before construction of a new well, subject to statutory exemptions and basin-specific rules; ask that division about the proposed use and any augmentation requirement.⁷ If the property needs direct residential access to a Colorado state highway, an access permit is required; include CDOT access approval in the purchase and building plan.¹⁵

If the purchase depends on dividing land, San Luis regulates subdivisions within its municipal boundaries, with express exemptions or other provisions potentially applicable, and plat review by the Board of Trustees.¹⁶ Ask the Town Office to identify the applicable subdivision process and floodplain review for the parcel before relying on a proposed split or building location.⁵¹⁶

Watch-outs

• We could not confirm a San Luis owner-builder exemption for new homes; ask the Town Office before treating owner construction as exempt from home building permits.⁵¹
• Colorado’s own-property electrical licensing exception generally requires inspection of work beyond maintenance or repair; rental, resale and public-use properties have additional licensing and inspection conditions.¹⁷
• We could not confirm San Luis residential RV occupancy, temporary camping or off-grid sanitation rules; ask the Town Office about the exact use before buying for that purpose.⁵

Sources

1. San Luis Municipal Code 21.15.060—Plot Plan (Town of San Luis), quoted and re-checked
2. San Luis Municipal Code 21.07.010—General Provisions (Town of San Luis), quoted and re-checked
3. Title 25 - Public Health and Environment - Colorado Revised Statutes 2024 (Colorado statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
4. Title 25 - Public Health and Environment - Colorado Revised Statutes 2024 (Colorado statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
5. Town of San Luis Town Office (townofsanluisco.org)
6. Consumers of Manufactured Homes and Tiny Homes - HUD (Colorado statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
7. Water Administration (Colorado statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
8. San Luis Municipal Code 11.15.010—Dangerous Buildings; General Provisions (Town of San Luis), quoted and re-checked
9. Colorado Revised Statutes 2025 Title 30 Government - County (Colorado statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
10. Colorado Revised Statutes 2025 Title 30 Government - County (Colorado statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
11. Title 25 - Public Health and Environment - Colorado Revised Statutes 2024 (Colorado statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
12. Code of Colorado Regulation 5 CCR 1002-43, quoted and re-checked
13. Costilla County Planning and Zoning Department (costillacounty.gov)
14. San Luis Municipal Code 21.15.060—Plot Plan (Town of San Luis), quoted and re-checked
15. Access Permits | Frequently Asked Questions (Colorado statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
16. San Luis Municipal Code 21.15.010—Subdivision Regulations; General Provisions (Town of San Luis), quoted and re-checked
17. Colorado Revised Statutes 2026, Title 12, § 12-115-116 (Colorado statewide rule), quoted and re-checked

Written October 10, 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.