Building permits, zoning and land rules in Goshen County, Wyoming

Unincorporated Goshen County, Wyoming does not require a county residential building permit or county building inspection^1,6. Covered electrical work needs a wiring permit before installation, with a statutory fee maximum of $50³. A qualifying owner may install wiring on property owned or leased and not intended for immediate resale, but must still meet wiring-permit and electrical-code requirements³. Wyoming adopted the 2024 International Building, Fire, Fuel & Gas, Mechanical and Existing Building Codes for projects within state plan-review jurisdiction; the 2026 National Electrical Code took effect July 1, 2026¹³. Covered projects include public-access buildings over 5,000 square feet, assembly uses, alternative-energy installations and RV-park site plans; plans need approval before work starts, and review fees must be paid before the state issues a Permit to Construct¹³. Those state standards apply because Goshen County has not taken over enforcement; Wyoming allows a county to apply for local enforcement authority, and nothing we found shows Goshen County has done so¹⁴. After covered work is finished, the state fire marshal inspects the building³. Covered new buildings need that inspection and a certificate of occupancy before use; covered remodeled buildings receive a letter of compliance³. The state certificate rule does not establish a requirement for an ordinary private house outside the covered categories³.

Goshen County has no county building official for ordinary residential permits or inspections^1,6. Goshen County Planning & GIS is the practical first call for zoning status, subdivision questions and the Planning Commission¹. Goshen County administers septic permitting; the small-wastewater application carries a $100 fee and follows the county's published application and inspection process^5,9. Goshen County Road & Bridge handles rural addressing and public-works permits within county-road rights-of-way¹⁵. New construction or maintenance by others within a Goshen County road right-of-way requires a Public Works construction permit; the source does not establish that every driveway wholly outside the right-of-way needs one¹⁶. The county right-of-way permit lists a $125 base fee, with other listed charges potentially applicable¹⁶. Water-well permits come from the Wyoming State Engineer before drilling begins⁴.

No. Unincorporated Goshen County has no county zoning regulations or county zoning districts^2,6. Zoning in Goshen County therefore varies by location: Torrington and Lingle set their own zoning inside their limits^7,8,17. Goshen County remains the septic-permitting authority for addresses in those towns as well as unincorporated land⁵. The absence of county zoning means there is no county zoning-based minimum dwelling size, minimum lot size, setback, lot-coverage limit or building-height limit on unincorporated land². Septic, subdivision, floodplain and road-right-of-way requirements remain separate from zoning⁶. A covered subdivision still requires county approval before sale, platting or construction^10,11. Wyoming exempts qualifying agricultural-purpose divisions from subdivision regulation, subject to county documentation requirements; this is not a general exemption from septic, building, tax or other rules¹⁰. Parcels of at least 35 acres are generally exempt separately, but need binding, recordable access and utility easements at least 40 feet wide to a public road unless properly waived¹⁰.

Every new conventional septic system, replacement tank, replacement leachfield or complete replacement system in Goshen County needs a county application before construction⁵. Submit a complete application and $100 fee with photos of an 8-foot exploration pit and at least 3 percolation tests in the proposed leachfield area; review generally takes 1–2 business days^5,9. Construction authorization follows approval, and the system must remain visible for final inspection after at least 48 hours' notice⁵. The conventional-system path covers domestic flows below 2,000 gallons per day and requires at least 4 feet between the leachfield bottom and seasonal high groundwater, bedrock or impervious clay; a project outside those criteria may need a non-conventional design and contact with the district engineer⁹. In Goshen County, 50.3% of soils are rated not limited for a conventional drain field, so evaluate the specific parcel before relying on a standard system¹². A septic tank in the floodplain needs watertight lids and a backflow preventer at each end⁹.

County zoning does not restrict RV or tiny-home occupancy on private land in unincorporated Goshen County². Unincorporated Goshen County also has no county zoning rule for manufactured-home occupancy, accessory dwellings or temporary camping⁶. Those answers are limited to county zoning: municipal rules may differ, and septic, electrical, subdivision, floodplain and road requirements still apply². Wyoming provides that short-term rental of detached one-family and two-family dwellings and townhomes is not treated as commercial use for fire, building and electrical standards, but we could not confirm whether Goshen County regulates short-term rentals under other authority¹⁸. Covered electrical work still needs the state wiring permit; a qualifying owner-builder may perform the installation without a licensed electrician but must meet the other electrical requirements³. Any conventional septic system serving an off-grid home still follows the county permit and inspection process^5,9.

1. Confirm the tract is legal and whether a land division needs county subdivision approval; qualifying agricultural divisions and parcels of at least 35 acres may be exempt, subject to the stated conditions¹⁰.
2. Ask Goshen County Road & Bridge about rural addressing; obtain the Public Works permit if driveway construction enters a county-road right-of-way^15,16.
3. File the U.W. 5 application and receive the Wyoming State Engineer's permit before drilling a well; the domestic filing fee is $50⁴.
4. Submit the county septic application, $100 fee, exploration-pit photos and percolation-test results before construction⁵.
5. Obtain the state electrical wiring permit for covered work, with a statutory fee maximum of $50; a qualifying owner-builder may do the installation but is not excused from the permit or code requirements³.
6. Give at least 48 hours' notice and leave the septic components visible for final inspection⁵. An ordinary home in unincorporated Goshen County has no county building inspection, while a newly constructed project covered by state fire-marshal plan review needs a state inspection and certificate before occupancy^3,6.

Water is the headline concern here: Goshen County averages only 14.7 inches of precipitation a year, and 22.8% of years bring severe drought, so a well's depth and reliability deserve real scrutiny, and remember drilling needs a state permit before you can even start^4,12. For conventional septic drain fields, 50.3% of county soils are rated not limited, but confirm your specific parcel with a site evaluation before you buy¹². Across Goshen County, 85.2% of land has a slope of 15% or less and 0.9% is wooded; those countywide figures do not establish grading conditions on a particular tract¹². If the tract you're buying was recently split from a larger parcel, confirm the seller obtained any required county subdivision permit, since selling, platting or building on land subject to subdivision regulation without one carries real risk¹⁰. Typical property tax runs low, about 0.6% effectively, with a median bill near $1,395 a year, against a typical home value around $253,669¹².