The Montrose County Building Division, part of Planning & Development on LaSalle Road, reviews plans and issues building permits for the unincorporated county, and also approves septic systems. Applications, fee payments and inspection requests all run through the Citizen Permit Portal. The County adds a plan review fee of 65% of the permit fee, charges $236.25 for a septic permit in 2026, and leaves electrical and plumbing permits to the State of Colorado. Montrose, Olathe, Nucla and Naturita each issue their own building permits.
What requires a permit in Montrose County?
County Resolution 28-2023 applies the 2018 International Building and Residential Codes to construction, enlargement, alteration, repair, moving, demolition and change of occupancy everywhere in unincorporated Montrose County. A new house usually means 4 or 5 linked permits, applied for together: building, engineered septic, access/driveway, new address and, where it applies, floodplain.
Permit needed
- Houses, additions, garages, pole barns and other Group U buildings
- Commercial buildings
- Manufactured, modular and factory-built homes
- Moved houses and buildings
- Membrane or metal-covered metal frame storage structures over 200 sq ft
- Fencing taller than 7 feet
- Stucco-only and foundation-only work
- Greenhouses and shipping containers over 200 sq ft
Exempt under Resolution 28-2023
- One-story detached tool or storage sheds, playhouses and chicken coops of up to 200 sq ft, with overhangs of no more than 24 inches and a height of no more than 12 feet
- Metal frame storage sheds of 12 by 24 feet or smaller
- Qualifying agricultural buildings on land zoned General Agricultural and taxed as agricultural land
- Repair and maintenance that the Building Official finds is not a structural change or a change of use
An agricultural exempt structure still gets an inspection, with a fee, to confirm zoning setbacks and agricultural use, and it may not hold living space, a bathroom, vehicles, boats or other non-farm items. Exempt sheds must still stay out of the street-side front and side setbacks.
Who issues building permits in Montrose County?
The Building Division carries out plan review, inspections and code enforcement outside town limits, and reviews and approves onsite wastewater treatment systems. Jack Northrup is the County Building Official (970-252-4547). The County’s building code does not reach inside the 4 incorporated municipalities:
Short on time to read all of this?
Get a free quote →| Place | Building permits from |
|---|---|
| Unincorporated Montrose County | Montrose County Building Division, 970-249-6688 |
| City of Montrose | City of Montrose Building Services at City Hall, 400 E. Main Street, 970-252-4707. Inside the city, Building Services also issues plumbing and gas permits and licenses plumbing contractors; electrical permits stay with the State |
| Town of Nucla | Nucla Town Hall, 320 Main Street, 970-864-7351; the Town hands out a building packet with its permit application |
| Town of Naturita | Naturita Town Hall, 222 East Main Street, 970-865-2286; building permit application packet with a $35 application fee |
| Town of Olathe | Town of Olathe Building Department, 419 S. Horton Avenue, 970-323-5601; the Town issues permits, checks plans and inspects under the 2018 International Building Code |
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Office | Montrose County Planning & Development, Building Division |
| Address | 63160 LaSalle Road, Montrose, CO 81401 |
| Phone | 970-249-6688 |
| planning_building@montrosecounty.net | |
| Hours | Monday to Thursday, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; closed Friday |
Permit types and the Citizen Permit Portal
The Citizen Permit Portal takes building permits and planning applications and shows public building permit reports. Register with an email address, then start the application; if you already have a permit on file, the office can give you an access code that links it to your account.
Before a building permit for a house can be issued, the County requires preliminary approval of the driveway/access permit and an approved address permit, and an engineered septic design must be approved before construction starts. The County suggests filing the building, septic, address and access applications at the same time.
Manufactured homes: outside an established manufactured home park, a manufactured home has to sit on a permanent foundation designed by a Colorado professional engineer, with a backfilled perimeter enclosure. Units built before June 15, 1976 that are not HUD, IBC or UBC approved are not allowed. A Certificate of Use is issued after the final inspection, and the home cannot be used before then.
Moved buildings: a Colorado engineer or architect must certify in writing that a moved structure has no obvious structural or life-safety problems, and building and plan check fees are charged at 25% of the new-construction amount.
Permit costs, fees and separate approvals
Building permit fees are set in Resolution 28-2023, in force since June 27, 2023. Planning, floodplain, sign and septic fees are in Resolution 55-2025, effective January 1, 2026.
Houses and accessory buildings. The County, not the applicant, sets the valuation, using the square-foot figures in Table 1 of the resolution: $70 per sq ft of living area, $27 for an attached garage, $20 for unfinished basements and attics, $22 for semi-finished (framing only) space, $25 for detached garages and other Type U buildings, and $20 for open carports, decks and patio covers. Those are valuation rates, not the fee itself. The fee worked out from the valuation is due in full when the portal shows the permit as Ready to Issue.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →| Total valuation | Fee |
|---|---|
| $1 to $2,000 | $35.50 for the first $500, plus $3.25 per additional $100 or fraction |
| $2,001 to $25,000 | $84.25 for the first $2,000, plus $14 per additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $25,001 to $50,000 | $406.25 for the first $25,000, plus $11.10 per additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $50,001 to $100,000 | $683.75 for the first $50,000, plus $7.50 per additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $100,001 to $500,000 | $1,058.75 for the first $100,000, plus $6 per additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $500,001 to $1,000,000 | $3,458.75 for the first $500,000, plus $5 per additional $1,000 or fraction |
| Over $1,000,000 | $5,958.75 for the first $1,000,000, plus $3.50 per additional $1,000 or fraction |
Plan review is a separate charge of 65% of the building permit fee, paid before the permit is issued. A commercial project valued at $200,000, for example, has a permit fee of $1,658.75 and a plan review fee of $1,078.19.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Manufactured home, single wide, temporary foundation | $150 |
| Manufactured home, double wide on a temporary foundation, or single wide on a permanent one | $250 |
| Manufactured home, double wide, permanent foundation | $450 |
| Modular home under 2,000 sq ft / all others | $550 / $850 |
| Metal frame storage structure, 200 to 500 sq ft | $150 |
| Metal frame storage structure, 501 to 768 sq ft | $250 |
| Metal frame storage structure, 769 sq ft and up | $350 plus $10 per 100 sq ft or part |
| Fencing taller than 7 feet | $150 |
| Stucco only / greenhouse / shipping container over 200 sq ft | $100 each |
| Foundation only | $350 |
| Re-inspection | $50 |
| After-hours inspection | $50 per hour, 2-hour minimum |
| Permit renewal, up to 1 year after the permit was voided | $100 |
| Septic (OWTS) permit, with 1 field inspection (2026) | $236.25 |
| Additional septic field inspection (2026) | $67.50 |
| Floodplain permit (2026) | $50 |
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →Work started before the permit is issued costs an additional fee equal to the building permit fee. If no work has been done, the Building Official may refund up to 80% of the permit fee on a written request made within 180 days of payment.
Electrical, plumbing, mechanical and septic
Electrical and plumbing: the County does not issue these permits. Resolution 28-2023 leaves electrical and plumbing permits and codes to the State of Colorado, and the County’s page sends applicants to the state permit system (303-894-7800). The County’s building handout adds that gas permits also come from the state offices. Proof of the approved final state inspections has to be uploaded to the county building permit before a Certificate of Occupancy or Use is issued.
Fire code: the International Fire Code is enforced by the local fire protection district for the property, not by the Building Division.
Septic: the County Sanitarian, within Planning & Development, issues onsite wastewater treatment system (OWTS) permits under the County’s OWTS regulations. No building permit is issued for a building where people will live, work or gather until a sewer tap is available or the OWTS permit has been approved, and no certificate is issued until the connection is documented.
Documents and plan review
Plans are uploaded as legible PDFs. The County’s 2026 building handout lists the minimum for plan check:
- Landowner and building owner names, and the job address or parcel number
- Building plans: floor plan, elevations and framing (4 elevations for a new structure, 2 for an addition)
- A fully dimensioned plot plan showing the building against property lines, roads, easements and other buildings
- An engineered foundation, and the septic design where one is needed
- Engineered truss certifications
Rather not deal with the Montrose County building department?
Get a free quote →Soils and foundations. Because of expansive, collapsing and weak soils and high groundwater across the county, every new, altered or replaced permanent foundation needs a site-specific geotechnical investigation and a foundation designed by a Colorado professional engineer, confirmed in a stamped letter. Small utility buildings with light column loads are the exception. The engineer’s written foundation completion statement is due before the framing inspection. All commercial plans must be stamped by the engineer and architect of record.
Design values. Roof snow load rises with elevation: 23 psf below 6,000 feet, 30 psf below 6,500 feet, 38 psf below 7,000 feet, 47 psf below 7,500 feet and 58 psf below 8,000 feet, up to 152 psf above 11,000 feet. The wind load is 90 mph, and frost depth is 26 inches for a footer and stem wall or 18 inches for a monolithic slab under a detached accessory building. A dwelling unit must be at least 300 sq ft.
Corrections after the first plan check are resubmitted through the portal, and extra plan review can be billed at $50 per hour.
How to apply: 6 steps in Montrose County
Inside Montrose, Olathe, Nucla or Naturita, apply to that municipality instead of the County.
The structure’s location has to meet county zoning before a permit can be issued; turn on the Wildfire Resiliency Code layer on the County zoning map.
Order the geotechnical investigation and stamped foundation design, and the engineered septic design if there is no sewer.
File the building, septic, address and access/driveway applications together and upload the PDF plans.
All fees, plan review included, must be paid in full before the permit is officially issued.
Pull electrical and plumbing permits from the State, then request county inspections from your portal account.
County inspections and closeout
Inspections are requested in the Citizen Permit Portal: under My Inspections, choose the application and the inspection type, then pick a date and a time slot. The request goes to the Planning & Development office for approval.
A framing inspection cannot be scheduled until the engineer’s foundation approval letter and the State’s electrical and plumbing rough inspection approvals have been submitted. Lath and gypsum board are inspected once they are in place and before any plastering or taping.
The Certificate of Occupancy or Use is issued only after every required permit has been approved by its agency and the approval letters are uploaded, and a building may not legally be occupied or used without it. A $50 re-inspection fee applies.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Local Montrose County filing details
Wildfire Resiliency Code: the County adopted the code on April 1, 2026 and it has applied since July 1, 2026 to properties on the Colorado Wildfire Hazard Map, which appears as a layer on the County zoning map. The County publishes a compliance checklist and a self-attestation affidavit form for structure hardening and defensible space.
Covenants: Montrose County does not enforce private covenants or deed restrictions, so check them with the homeowners association before designing.
Floodplain: development in a flood hazard area needs the County floodplain permit under its Flood Damage Prevention Resolution.
Building guides: the Building Division links 2018 IRC guides for detached garages, pole barns, basement finishes, patio covers and carports, decks, re-roofing and one-story additions, plus its own handouts for frame construction and manufactured homes.
Access from a state highway: the Planning & Development page links to the CDOT access permit for driveways onto state roads.
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 Montrose County resources
County resolutions, handouts and pages used above, with the town pages for Olathe, Nucla and Naturita.
- Colorado Division of Professions and Occupations (state electrical and plumbing permits)
- Montrose County Citizen Permit Portal Tutorial
- Montrose County Planning & Development
- Montrose County Citizen Permit Portal
- Resolution 28-2023: Montrose County building codes and permit fees
- Resolution 55-2025: Planning & Development fee schedule (2026)
- General Requirements for Building in Montrose County (2026 handout)
- Montrose County: Electrical and Plumbing Permits
- Montrose County Wildfire Resiliency Code
- Town of Nucla Licensing & Permits
- Town of Naturita Forms & Agreements
- Town of Olathe Building Department
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Montrose County permit FAQs
Do I need a building permit in unincorporated Montrose County?
Yes, for houses, additions, garages, barns that are not agricultural exempt, commercial buildings and manufactured homes. One-story sheds of up to 200 sq ft and no more than 12 feet high are exempt.
How much does a Montrose County building permit cost?
The fee comes from the project valuation. For houses the County sets the valuation at $70 per sq ft of living area and lower rates for garages and basements, then adds a plan review fee of 65% of the permit fee. A $200,000 commercial project is $1,658.75 plus $1,078.19 for plan review.
Who issues electrical and plumbing permits in Montrose County?
The State of Colorado. The County does not issue them and asks for proof of the state final inspections before it issues a certificate.
Who issues septic permits in Montrose County?
The County itself, through the County Sanitarian in Planning & Development. The 2026 OWTS permit fee is $236.25 with 1 field inspection.
Are agricultural buildings exempt from permits?
Only buildings used exclusively for farming or ranching, on land zoned General Agricultural and taxed as agricultural. They still need an inspection for setbacks and use, and must meet zoning.
When is the Planning & Development office open?
Monday to Thursday, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. It is closed on Fridays.
Does the County permit building inside Olathe, Nucla or Naturita?
No. Each town takes its own building permit applications: Olathe’s Building Department on 970-323-5601, Nucla Town Hall on 970-864-7351 and Naturita Town Hall on 970-865-2286.
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More Colorado permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Montrose County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.