The Rio Grande County Building Department, in Room 208 of the courthouse at 925 6th Street in Del Norte, issues building permits for unincorporated Rio Grande County and for the Town of Del Norte. You hand in the application with 2 sets of plans, and the County asks you to allow up to 10 working days for the permit. Fees follow a valuation table, re-roofs and decks are a flat $75, and the State issues all electrical, plumbing and gas permits. Monte Vista, South Fork and Center handle their own building permits.
What requires a building permit in Rio Grande County?
The back page of the County’s Residential Building Packet says a permit is required for all construction and for all mobile homes. The same packet lists the work that is exempt.
Permit needed
- New homes, additions, alterations and repairs
- Moving or demolishing a dwelling
- Detached accessory structures over 200 sq ft
- Manufactured homes, HUD or modular
- Re-roofing
- Decks, patio covers and carports outside the exemption
- Agricultural buildings (zoning permit only)
- Fences over 7 ft and retaining walls over 4 ft
Exempt
- One-story detached accessory structures of 200 sq ft or less
- Fences not over 7 ft high
- Retaining walls not over 4 ft from the bottom of the footing, unless supporting a surcharge
- Water tanks on grade of up to 5,000 gallons
- Sidewalks and driveways not more than 30 inches above grade
- Painting, papering, tiling, carpeting, cabinets and countertops
- Prefabricated pools less than 24 inches deep
- Swings and playground equipment
- Window awnings projecting up to 54 inches
- Decks of up to 200 sq ft, no more than 30 inches above grade, not attached to the dwelling and not serving the required exit door
Starting or finishing construction without the required permit brings a fine of 200% of the original permit fee.
Who issues building permits in Rio Grande County?
The County’s Department of Building Safety lists a Building Inspector, Randy Kern, and an office assistant. Its packet describes its territory as all unincorporated areas, all subdivisions in the county and the Town of Del Norte. The packet, last revised in June 2023, also names Monte Vista, but the City has since taken its permits back.
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Get a free quote →| Place | Who issues building permits | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Unincorporated county and its subdivisions | Rio Grande County Building Department | 925 6th Street, Room 208, Del Norte; 719-657-9472 |
| Del Norte | Rio Grande County Building Department. The Town does not issue building permits, but it requires its own Zoning Verification Application for Building Permit first | County: 719-657-9472 |
| Monte Vista | City of Monte Vista Planning & Community Development Department. The City states that Rio Grande County no longer handles building permits for Monte Vista properties | 95 W. 1st Avenue; 719-852-8288; Monday to Thursday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm |
| South Fork | Town of South Fork, through its Land Use Administrator, with inspections by the Town’s contracted building inspector | Land Use Administrator 719-873-0152; building inspector 719-580-2838 |
| Center (the part in Rio Grande County) | Town of Center Building Department, part of its Public Works Department, which publishes its own building permit, demolition and contractor licence applications | Town Hall, 294 S. Worth Street; 719-754-3497; Monday to Thursday, 7:00 am to 6:00 pm, and Friday, 8:00 am to 1:00 pm |
Monte Vista asks for an approved site permit, City contractor licences for the contractor and every subcontractor, and 50% of the fee at application. It promises a written decision within 16 working days of a complete application. South Fork publishes a snow load of 58 lb for the town.
County application and forms
The County has no online portal and does not accept faxed plans. The Building Department page links the documents that make up an application.
- Building Permit Application: one form for site-built homes, manufactured homes and re-roofs. It asks for the parcel number, legal description, zoning, owner and contractor, square footage by floor, method of construction, sewage disposal and water supply, and whether Road & Bridge has approved county road access. The applicant also acknowledges receiving the County’s Right to Farm Policy.
- Residential Building Packet: the County’s instructions, from the exempt list to the Certificate of Occupancy.
- Residential Construction Plan Submittal Checklist and the IECC residential and commercial plan submittal checklists.
- Rio Grande County Design Criteria and the Building Valuation Table used to value the work.
- On-site wastewater regulations, since the same department issues septic permits.
An owner can act as contractor; the application simply asks whether the owner is the contractor. The names on the application have to match the owner named on the recorded warranty deed.
Rio Grande County permit fees
Fees are set out in Exhibit A, Table 1-A, posted on the Building Department page. The fee is non-refundable and payable to Rio Grande County.
Not sure this scope needs a permit?
Get a free quote →| Total valuation | Fee |
|---|---|
| $1 to $500 | $24 |
| $501 to $2,000 | $24 for the first $500, plus $3 for each additional $100 or fraction |
| $2,001 to $40,000 | $69 for the first $2,000, plus $11 for each additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $40,001 to $100,000 | $487 for the first $40,000, plus $9 for each additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $100,001 to $500,000 | $1,027 for the first $100,000, plus $7 for each additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $500,001 to $1,000,000 | $3,827 for the first $500,000, plus $5 for each additional $1,000 or fraction |
| $1,000,001 to $5,000,000 | $6,327 for the first $1,000,000, plus $3 for each additional $1,000 or fraction |
| Over $5,000,000 | $18,327 for the first $5,000,000, plus $1 for each additional $1,000 or fraction |
For example, work valued at $250,000 pays $1,027 plus 150 × $7, which is $2,077.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Re-roofing | $75 |
| Decks, patio covers and carports open on at least 2 sides | $75 |
| Manufactured home, HUD or modular | $250 |
| Agricultural building up to 500 sq ft (zoning permit only) | $100 |
| Agricultural building over 500 sq ft (zoning permit only) | $400 |
| Re-inspection | $75 |
| Additional plan review after changes to approved plans | $75 per hour, 1-hour minimum |
| Permit extension for 1 more year | 25% of the original permit fee |
| Building or roofing without a permit | 200% of the permit fee |
| Occupancy without a Certificate of Occupancy | 200% of the original permit fee |
Outside consultants used for plan review or inspection are charged at actual cost.
Electrical, plumbing, gas and septic permits
The County’s notice is unambiguous: all plumbing, gas and electrical permits and inspections in Rio Grande County are performed by the State of Colorado. State permits are bought through the Division of Professions and Occupations (303-894-7800).
Rather talk it over?
Call 1-855-478-4290 →The State inspections are built into the County’s sequence. Rough electrical and plumbing must pass the State inspectors before you ask the County for the rough framing inspection, and the final electrical and plumbing must be signed off by the State before the County’s final.
Septic is the exception to the State rule. An individual septic system needs an on-site wastewater treatment system permit from the County Building Department itself, on 719-657-9472, and the building inspector inspects the system as the County’s sewage inspector.
What goes in a complete application
Paperwork
- Completed application form
- Copy of the recorded warranty deed as proof of ownership
- Plot plan or proposed ILC showing driveway, septic and well, easements, ditches, waterways, slopes and distances to property lines and other structures
- Driveway or road cut permit approved by Road and Bridge where access is from a county-maintained road
- Septic permit application, where the lot needs an individual system
- Proof that the site is outside a floodway or floodplain, or an Elevation Certificate or engineer’s or surveyor’s letter for a site inside a flood hazard area
- In Del Norte, the Town’s approved zoning verification
2 sets of plans and specifications
- Foundation plan
- Floor plan
- Roof plan, or a note specifying manufactured trusses
- Typical building section or sections
- Building elevations, at least 2 and preferably 4
- Written specifications of methods and materials, unless the drawings carry enough detail
- Sheets no smaller than 11 by 17 inches, with the legal description and the preparer’s name and address in the lower right corner
The preferred scale is 1/4 inch to 1 foot. One set stays with the department and the other goes back to the applicant to be kept with the permit in a weatherproof packet on site. The County may ask for engineering details and calculations at its discretion.
Allow up to 10 working days from a complete application to the permit. If the plans lack the requested information, review stops and the owner is told to collect them; resubmitted plans rejoin the queue in the order received. The department does not make plan review appointments.
Rather not deal with the Rio Grande County building department?
Get a free quote →How to apply: 6 steps in Rio Grande County
The County covers unincorporated land and Del Norte. Monte Vista, South Fork and Center are separate.
Only for sites in Del Norte: file the Town’s Zoning Verification Application for Building Permit before going to the County.
Road and Bridge for the driveway, the Building Department for the septic permit, and the Land Use Office (719-657-4003) for flood study areas.
Bring the form, deed, plot plan and 2 sets of plans to Room 208 of the courthouse in Del Norte.
Pay the Table 1-A fee, then post the permit card in plain view, the address at the entrance to the property and the approved plans on site.
Buy State electrical and plumbing permits separately, since their rough and final approvals come before the County’s framing and final inspections.
Rio Grande County inspections and occupancy
Every inspection request needs 2 working days’ notice to the Building Department. The packet lists the minimum inspections:
- Footing: forms in place with tied steel, before concrete.
- Foundation: block in place with reinforcement, or wood foundation walls standing and waterproofed.
- Rough framing: roof, walls and shear, after the State’s rough electrical and plumbing inspections.
- Insulation: with water-resistive barriers, window and door flashings and air barriers, before interior and exterior coverings.
- Final: structure complete, site cleaned and graded, State finals passed, septic inspected and county road access signed off by Road and Bridge.
If the inspector arrives and the job or the required sign-offs are not ready, a $75 re-inspection fee is charged. Portable toilets are required on site during construction.
A Certificate of Occupancy is issued for single-family dwellings after the final inspection, and the home may not be occupied before it. None is issued for mobile homes, garages, storage units or fences.
A permit lapses if work does not start within 180 days or stops for 180 days. One recorded inspection in the first 180 days extends it automatically to a full year, and a permit without a final inspection after 18 months is invalid unless a 1-year extension is bought.
Local Rio Grande County details that matter
Snow load: roof designs follow the Colorado Design Snow Loads published by the Structural Engineers Association of Colorado in 2016, and the County accepts nothing below 30 psf. The Building Department will give the figure for a specific property by phone.
Want this handled start to finish?
Get a free quote →Foundations: the County’s minimum is 36 inches from the bottom of the footing to finished grade. A detached garage on a monolithic slab with turned-down footings may go to 12 inches.
Flood study areas: these are limited in the county, but an applicant has to prove the building site is outside a floodway or floodplain, and the application asks whether a flood elevation certificate has been issued.
Covenants: some subdivisions require an Architectural Control Committee to approve plans before construction.
Change orders: a change in methods, materials or design needs written approval from the department before it happens, and the owner collects the plans for any change.
Monte Vista changeover: the County packet still lists Monte Vista under County jurisdiction, while the City’s current page says City staff process building permits and the County no longer does. For a Monte Vista address, go to the City.
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 Rio Grande County resources
- Rio Grande County Building Department: contacts, adopted codes and forms
- Rio Grande County Building Permit Fees, Exhibit A, Table 1-A (PDF)
- Rio Grande County Residential Building Packet (PDF)
- Rio Grande County Building Permit Application
- Rio Grande County Land Use Department
- City of Monte Vista building permits
- Town of Del Norte permits and forms
- Town of South Fork land use and building permits
- Town of Center permits and applications
- State of Colorado electrical and plumbing permit purchase and inspections
Inspections are where schedules slip.
Get a free quote →Rio Grande County permit FAQs
Who issues building permits in Rio Grande County?
The Rio Grande County Building Department, 925 6th Street, Room 208, Del Norte, 719-657-9472, for unincorporated land and for Del Norte. Monte Vista, South Fork and Center issue their own.
How much is a building permit in Rio Grande County?
It follows the valuation table: $1,027 for the first $100,000 plus $7 per additional $1,000 up to $500,000, so $250,000 of work pays $2,077. Re-roofs and open decks, patio covers and carports are $75, and a manufactured home is $250.
How long does a Rio Grande County permit take?
The County says to allow up to 10 working days from the time a complete application is submitted.
Do I need a permit for a shed or fence?
Not for a one-story detached accessory structure of 200 sq ft or less, or for a fence up to 7 ft high. Larger sheds and taller fences need one.
Who handles electrical and plumbing permits in Rio Grande County?
From the State of Colorado. The County needs the State’s rough and final approvals before its own framing and final inspections.
Who issues septic permits in Rio Grande County?
The County Building Department, the same office that issues the building permit.
Does the County still permit work in Monte Vista?
No. The City of Monte Vista says its Planning & Community Development Department now processes building permits and the County no longer does.
How long is a building permit valid?
18 months from issue, provided work is not suspended or abandoned for 180 days. A one-time extension of 1 year costs 25% of the original fee.
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More Colorado permitting guides
This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Rio Grande County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.