Outside the city and town limits, building permits in Logan County come from the County’s Planning, Zoning & Building Department in the courthouse at 315 Main Street, Sterling. You file the 10-page county application with one set of plans and your cost figures; the fee comes from a valuation chart ($643.75 at $50,000, $993.75 at $100,000), plus a $16 plan review fee and 1% county use tax on materials. Electrical and plumbing permits are issued by the State of Colorado, and structures of 120 sq ft or less need no permit.
When does construction need county approval?
A Logan County building permit is required for any construction, reconstruction, alteration, remodeling or change of use of dwellings, buildings, utilities, towers, oil and gas operations and other structures in the unincorporated county.
Permit needed
- New houses, additions and remodels
- Garages and storage buildings over 120 sq ft
- Commercial buildings
- Modular, mobile and manufactured homes
- Replacement roofing of more than 100 sq ft (a re-roofing permit)
- Towers and utility structures
- Any building in the 100-year floodplain (with a floodplain development permit)
Exempt or lighter process
- Structures of 10 by 12 feet (120 sq ft) or smaller: no permit
- Agricultural storage buildings and animal barns on parcels of 35 acres or more: may qualify for a $50 Agriculture Permit in place of a building permit
- A new roof on a new building: covered by that building’s permit
Applying means agreeing to meet the county zoning resolution as well: setbacks, easements, rights-of-way and minimum floor areas.
Who administers the permit?
The Planning, Zoning & Building Department takes applications, and the County Building Inspector reviews plans and inspects the work. The County’s permit covers unincorporated land only. Sterling and the 5 towns are separate jurisdictions:
| Place | Building permits from |
|---|---|
| Unincorporated Logan County | Logan County Planning, Zoning & Building Department, 970-522-7879 |
| City of Sterling | City of Sterling Public Works Department, City Hall, 421 N. 4th Street; inspections 970-522-9700 |
| Town of Fleming | The Town’s Zoning Administrator issues building permits and certificates of occupancy; Town Hall, 114 N. Logan Avenue, 970-265-2692 |
| Town of Peetz | The Town’s Permit Committee approves building permit applications; Town Hall, 621 Main Street, 970-334-2473 |
| Town of Iliff | The Town: under Ordinance 2021-2 its Board of Trustees and permit committee approve building permits before work starts. Flat fees: $50 new home or primary structure, $30 addition or garage, $15 deck, patio, shed or fence, $20 demolition. Town Hall in the Iliff Community Center, 405 W. 2nd Avenue, 970-522-2283; open Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Town of Merino | The Town’s published pages do not say; ask Town Hall, 206 Colorado Avenue, 970-522-1036 |
| Town of Crook | Not stated in published official sources; ask the town hall before building |
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Office | Logan County Planning, Zoning & Building Department |
| Address | Logan County Courthouse, 315 Main Street, Sterling, CO 80751 |
| Phone and inspection requests | 970-522-7879 |
| Building Inspector | 970-522-7879 ext. 257 |
| Planning and zoning questions | 970-522-7879 ext. 226 |
| Septic permits | Northeast Colorado Health Department, 700 Columbine Street, Sterling, 877-795-0646 |
Permit types and local intake
There is no online portal. The Building Permit Application, revised in September 2026, is a 10-page PDF that doubles as the County’s rule sheet: the applicant signs the requirements page, the inspections page and, for a roof, the roofing page, and returns all of them with the application.
- Building permit for new work, additions and remodels, residential or commercial.
- Re-roofing permit for replacing more than 100 sq ft of roofing.
- Agriculture Permit for qualifying farm storage buildings and barns.
- Manufactured home permits, with separate fees for HUD-code and UBC modular units and a state DOH sticker inspection.
- Floodplain Development Permit, approved before any building in the floodplain.
- Right of Way Permit for bores, trenches and driveway access onto county roads.
- Demolition Notification Application Form and the Zoning Use Permit Application, both on the County’s applications page.
Keep electrical and plumbing out of the county application altogether, including their costs: those permits are applied for through the State.
Local permit fees and cost basis
The Board of County Commissioners adopted Resolution 2026-7 on February 17, 2026. It revised the planning and zoning fees and kept the building permit fee chart first adopted in Resolution 2013-26 unchanged. The chart lists a fee for every $1,000 step up to $100,000; the table below shows sample points.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →| Valuation or permit | Fee |
|---|---|
| $1 to $500 | $23.50 |
| $1,901 to $2,000 | $69.25 |
| $9,001 to $10,000 | $181.25 |
| $24,001 to $25,000 | $391.25 |
| $49,001 to $50,000 | $643.75 |
| $74,001 to $75,000 | $818.75 |
| $99,001 to $100,000 | $993.75 |
| $100,000 to $500,000 | $993.75 for the first $100,000, plus $5.60 per additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $500,001 to $1,000,000 | $3,233.75 for the first $500,000, plus $4.75 per additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $1,000,000 and up | $5,608.75 for the first $1,000,000, plus $3.15 per additional $1,000 or fraction |
| Plan review fee, every building permit | $16 |
| County use tax | 1% of all materials used |
| Re-roofing permit | $100 |
| Agricultural building permit | $50, materials subject to use tax |
| Manufactured home permit (HUD) | $316, materials subject to use tax |
| Manufactured home permit (UBC modular) | $511.25 |
| DOH sticker | $40 |
| FHA and VA building inspections | $198 (3 additional inspections at $66 each) |
| Additional inspection | $75 |
| Driveway access (right-of-way permit) | $50 |
The adopted chart prints the $100,000 to $500,000 increment as “45.60”. $5.60 is the figure that brings the fee to the chart’s own $3,233.75 at $500,000, so confirm the amount with the office on a project in that range.
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →For example, a detached garage with a total cost of $60,000, of which $35,000 is materials, has a $713.75 permit fee, the $16 plan review fee and $350 of county use tax.
Attach invoices or estimates covering all labor, materials, design and shipping or moving costs, and bring receipts for materials already bought before the permit is issued. Payment is due before any construction: an application is void if the fee is unpaid after 180 days or no construction has taken place, and a permit is valid for 1 year. Refunds of up to 80% of the permit fee can be requested in writing within 365 days if work has not started; plan review fees and use tax are not refunded. Work without a permit draws an investigation fee of up to double the permit fee.
Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and onsite wastewater
Electrical and plumbing: Logan County issues neither. Both permits come from the State of Colorado, and state inspectors do the inspections. The applicant schedules them on 1-800-955-5770 no later than 4 p.m. the day before, and plumbing inspections are done on Tuesdays and Thursdays only.
Mechanical and gas: the County enforces the 2006 International Mechanical Code and the 2006 International Fuel Gas Code as part of its building permit review.
Septic: onsite wastewater treatment system (OWTS) permits for Logan County are issued by the Northeast Colorado Health Department, which has its main office in Sterling. Show the well and septic system locations on the site map submitted to the County.
Application package and supporting plans
- The completed and signed application, with the parcel number and a description of the work
- 1 set of building plans: all floor plans, a roof plan and a foundation plan
- 1 scaled plot plan showing all buildings, wells, septic systems and access points
- A REScheck energy compliance report for a residential permit, or a COMcheck report for a commercial one
- Invoices or cost estimates, entered as materials only and as total cost
- The Logan County Use Tax Agreement listing material and labor costs
- For commercial projects, plans stamped by a Colorado engineer
- For a modular home, the manufacturer’s sales invoice or contract, or an itemized bill of sale for a private sale
A flood plain check is required for every application. In the 100-year floodplain the County requires new construction to be 1 foot above the base flood elevation, with an elevation certificate sealed by a registered surveyor or engineer, and basements are not allowed in flood zones.
Rather not deal with the Logan County building department?
Get a free quote →How to apply: 6 Logan County steps
Inside Sterling, Fleming, Iliff or Peetz, apply to that municipality instead; in Merino or Crook, ask the town hall first.
Look up the district’s setbacks, lot size and minimum floor area in the application’s zoning table, and run the FEMA flood plain check.
Apply to the Northeast Colorado Health Department for the OWTS permit and to the State for electrical and plumbing.
Sign the requirements and inspections pages and attach the plans, plot plan, energy report, cost invoices and Use Tax Agreement.
Pay the chart fee, the $16 plan review fee and the 1% use tax; checks are made out to Logan County.
Call 970-522-7879 at least 24 hours ahead for each county inspection.
Inspections, milestones and closeout
Request county inspections by phone at least 24 hours in advance. The application’s roofing page adds that requests for inspection information sent by email or voicemail will not get a response, so phone 970-522-7879.
Site-built home
- Footer
- Foundation
- Framing
- Drywall
- Final, with Certificate of Occupancy
Factory-built home
- Footer
- Foundation
- Set-up
- DOH sticker inspection
- Final, with Certificate of Occupancy
Storage buildings and garages get footer, foundation, framing and final inspections. Agricultural buildings, oil and gas operations and some utilities are not inspected unless you ask. Roofing inspections are not required either; if you want one, notify the inspector at least 24 hours before starting the roof.
A structure cannot be occupied until the Certificate of Occupancy has been issued.
Local Logan County filing details
Older code edition: the County still enforces the 2006 editions of the International Building, Residential, Mechanical, Energy Conservation and Fuel Gas Codes. The application notes that copies of the 2006 code are available at the Sterling Public Library.
Roofing rules: only 1 layer of asphalt shingles is allowed, so a re-roof means a complete tear-off to the deck with no felt or underlayment left in place. Ice barrier is required. Design values are a 20 psf ground and roof snow load and a 90 mph wind load, exposure C.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Minimum house size: a single-family home must have at least 1,000 sq ft of floor area in the Residential Estate district, 700 sq ft in Residential Multiple Family and 300 sq ft in the other districts.
Agriculture district setbacks: 70 feet at the front, measured from the edge of the road, and 25 feet at the back and sides. New free-standing structures also need 10 feet of separation from existing structures.
Towers: in every zone a tower needs a free-fall area equal to its height, measured from any property line, structure or public right-of-way.
Manufactured and modular homes: both must go on a permanent engineered foundation.
Colorado building code
Colorado has no statewide building code for private buildings: each city and county decides whether a code applies and which edition, while the state sets electrical and plumbing rules, a minimum energy code on any update, and a wildfire code for the mapped wildland-urban interface. Building codes in Colorado
Official Logan County resources
Logan County forms and resolutions used above, with the health department and municipal pages.
- Logan County Links & Documents
- Logan County Building Permit Application (revised 9/2026)
- Logan County Planning and Zoning Applications
- Logan County Planning, Zoning & Building Department
- Resolution 2026-7: Logan County Planning and Zoning Fee Schedule
- Logan County Use Tax Agreement
- Logan County Flood Plain Development Permit Application
- Northeast Colorado Health Department: Onsite Wastewater Treatment System
- City of Sterling Permits and Licenses
- Town of Iliff permits: application, instructions and fees
- Town of Merino: Town Hall contact
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Logan County permit FAQs
Do I need a building permit in Logan County, Colorado?
Yes, for any construction, alteration, remodeling or change of use in the unincorporated county. Structures of 120 sq ft (10 by 12 feet) or smaller are exempt, and farm buildings on 35 acres or more may qualify for a $50 Agriculture Permit.
How much does a Logan County building permit cost?
The chart fee is $391.25 at $25,000 of total cost, $643.75 at $50,000 and $993.75 at $100,000. Every permit also pays a $16 plan review fee and 1% county use tax on materials.
Do I need a permit to re-roof in Logan County?
Yes, for more than 100 sq ft of replacement roofing. The re-roofing permit is $100, overlays are not allowed, and the County does not require a roof inspection.
Who issues electrical and plumbing permits?
The State of Colorado. Schedule state inspections on 1-800-955-5770 by 4 p.m. the day before; plumbing inspections run on Tuesdays and Thursdays only.
Which building code does Logan County use?
The 2006 International Building, Residential, Mechanical, Energy Conservation and Fuel Gas Codes.
Where do I get a septic permit in Logan County?
From the Northeast Colorado Health Department, 700 Columbine Street in Sterling, 877-795-0646.
Who issues building permits in Iliff?
The Town of Iliff. Its application cites Ordinance 2021-2, the Board of Trustees and permit committee approve it, and the fee is $50 for a new home, $30 for an addition or garage, $15 for a deck, patio, shed or fence and $20 for demolition. Town Hall is 970-522-2283.
Does the County permit building inside Sterling?
No. The City of Sterling’s Public Works Department issues building permits inside the city, from City Hall at 421 N. 4th Street.
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More Colorado permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Logan County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.