Prowers County, Colorado Building Permit Guide

Prowers County does not issue building permits for unincorporated land. Its Land Use Department issues a zoning permit, required before any building or structure is built, moved, converted, enlarged or structurally altered, and the County states plainly that a zoning permit is not a building permit. The application costs $50 and is filed at 1001 South Main in Lamar. Inside Lamar and Holly, the city or town issues building permits of its own.

What needs a permit in Prowers County?

Since February 16, 2006 the County has required a zoning permit, secured from the Land Use Department before the construction, movement, conversion, extension, enlargement or structural alteration of buildings or other structures in every zoning district. The permit confirms that the use is allowed in the zone and checks setbacks, density, floodplain and performance standards. It does not review how the building is built.

The County’s Permitting & Development Guide lists the other approvals a rural project can need:

• Septic permit from Prowers County Public Health & Environment.
• Driveway review by Road and Bridge, and Colorado Department of Transportation approval for any new access to a state highway.
• Mobile home moving permit and tax authentication from the Assessor and Treasurer before the home is moved.
• New address from the Land Use office.
• Subdivision application to divide off a parcel of less than 35 acres.
• Special use permit or rezoning for commercial and industrial ventures in what is mainly an agriculturally zoned county.
• Floodplain development permit for work in a flood hazard area.

Who issues building permits in Prowers County?

It depends on which side of a town line the site sits. The County handles zoning only, from the Annex Building in Lamar. Two municipalities publish building permit programmes.

The 3-mile rule matters on the edge of Lamar: a rural lot that takes City water or sewer falls under the City’s building codes even though it is outside the limits, and the County’s zoning permit form separately asks whether the land is in the Prowers County–Lamar Joint Planning Area.

Zoning permit applications by district

There is no online portal. The County publishes one zoning permit application for each zone district, so the first step is to find the parcel on the Prowers County Zoning Map and download the matching form.

Staff will help identify the district or complete the form by phone, and the County advises checking with the Land Use Department before any construction in the unincorporated area.

Prowers County fees

Every zoning permit application carries a $50 fee. The other figures below come from the County’s Land Use Fees schedule dated July 8, 2010, the schedule posted on the Land Use page. They are application fees only and do not include recording fees.

Because the County charges no building permit fee, the remaining construction costs are other agencies’ fees: the septic permit, State electrical permits, and the county Consumer Use Tax on building materials bought outside the county and delivered to a site inside it, including sites in Granada, Holly, Lamar and Wiley. The Clerk’s office (719-336-8011) handles the use tax form and can ask for receipts.

Electrical, plumbing and septic permits

Electrical: Prowers County is not one of the State’s local electrical inspection areas, so electrical permits and inspections come from the State of Colorado (303-894-7800). The City of Lamar says the same for work inside the city.

Plumbing: the official sources differ by place. Inside Lamar, the City says interior plumbing and gas line inspections are done by the State. Holly issues a plumbing permit on its own application. The State’s permit page lists Prowers among the counties with a local plumbing inspection programme, where it does not sell State plumbing permits, yet the County itself publishes no plumbing programme.

Septic: Prowers County Public Health & Environment (719-336-8721), also in the Annex Building at 1001 S. Main, regulates sewage disposal. Building, repairing or modifying a structure, or repairing, modifying or replacing a septic system, may need its approval, and the zoning permit application asks for the method of wastewater disposal.

What the zoning permit application asks for

The R-1 form, typical of the set, is a single page for the applicant and a staff checklist beside it.

Each district’s form carries its own minimums, so the figures above apply to R-1 only. The County says checklists of required information come with all its forms.

How to apply: 5 steps in Prowers County

Inspections

The County’s zoning permit reviews use, setbacks, density and floodplain, not construction, and the County publishes no building inspection process. The inspections a rural project does get are the State electrical inspector’s, the health department’s for the septic system, and Road and Bridge’s for a driveway, which must be suitable for emergency vehicles.

Inside Lamar the City Building Department inspects under its 2018 codes. A Lamar building permit expires if work has not begun within 90 days of issue, or has not been substantially completed within 2 years.

Local Prowers County details that matter

Mobile homes: a mobile home moved into the unincorporated county must be certified under the National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974, and it needs a moving permit and tax authentication from the Assessor (719-336-8000) and Treasurer before it travels.

State highways in Lamar: properties on US 287 (Main Street) or US 50 need a State access permit from CDOT for new construction or a change of use.

Irrigated land: the County’s 1041 regulations apply to parcels of more than 5 acres in the historically irrigated area when irrigation ends permanently, water rights are leased away for more than 3 consecutive years, or the land is developed for a use other than irrigated agriculture.

Splitting land: dividing off less than 35 acres needs a subdivision application through the Land Use Department.

Holly’s fees: the Town of Holly prints its building permit fee table on the application, starting at $33 for work valued up to $500 and $108 for the first $2,000 plus $20 per additional $1,000 up to $25,000.

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 Prowers County resources

• Prowers County zoning regulations, zoning map and zoning permit applications
• Prowers County Permitting & Development Guide (PDF)
• Prowers County Land Use Fees (PDF)
• Prowers County Land Use Department
• City of Lamar Building Department
• Town of Holly forms, including the building permit application and fees
• Colorado Department of State: Town of Hartman abandonment determination
• State electrical and plumbing permit page, with the local inspection area lists

Prowers County permit FAQs

Does Prowers County issue building permits?

No. For unincorporated land the County issues a zoning permit, and its website says zoning permits are not building permits. Lamar and Holly issue building permits inside their limits.

How much is a zoning permit in Prowers County?

$50, paid with the application to the Land Use Department at 1001 South Main, 2nd floor, Lamar.

Do I need a permit to build a shed or barn outside town?

You need the zoning permit before constructing, moving or enlarging any building or structure in any zoning district, so the County can check use and setbacks.

Who issues building permits in Lamar?

The City of Lamar Building Department, 405/407 E. Olive, 719-336-2085. Its codes also reach properties on City water or wastewater within 3 miles of the city limits.

Where do I get an electrical permit?

From the State of Colorado, which inspects electrical work throughout Prowers County, including Lamar.

Who permits septic systems?

Prowers County Public Health & Environment, 719-336-8721.

What happened to permitting in Hartman?

The Colorado Department of State determined on July 28, 2026 that the Town of Hartman had been abandoned, so there is no town office. The County Land Use Department is the place to ask about building there.

Simplify Prowers County permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Colorado. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Prowers County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.