⛰️ Buying land in Hinsdale County, Colorado

1. Zoning and minimum lot size

1. The Building Department handles building, zoning and development for the county. Land inside the Town of Lake City goes to the town for building permits.
2. The county Zoning and Development Regulations (Zoning Resolution of 1979, amended through 2021) set five districts: RAD 1, RAD 2, Urban 1, Urban 2 and Upper Piedra.
3. All of the county is RAD 1 except the Cathedral area (no zoning), the Upper Piedra district (all land south of the southernmost Continental Divide crossing), some listed subdivisions, and the Lake San Cristobal and Henson Creek areas, which are RAD 2. Check the zoning map for your parcel.
4. RAD 1: 1 acre minimum, 15 ft setbacks on all lines, 30 ft max height, 50% max lot coverage. Agriculture, single and two-family homes, home occupations, guest ranches and tourist cabins are allowed by right.
5. RAD 2: 1 acre minimum and 15 ft setbacks. Single-family homes are allowed by right. Agriculture is a special use that needs a permit.
6. Urban 1 and Urban 2: 6,250 sq ft per single or two-family dwelling. In Wade's Addition it takes at least 2 joined lots to get a building permit.
7. Upper Piedra: 35 acres by right without subdivision, or 25 acres in a cluster development. Setbacks are 25 ft, lot width 150 ft, max height 28 ft (35 ft for barns). One ADU is allowed. The County Administrator must approve a site plan for all development.
8. No mobile home or RV may be parked on a public road for more than 24 hours. A mobile home goes in a platted subdivision only if the recorded covenants allow it, and it must meet a 65 psf roof snow load. More than two rental mobile homes makes it a mobile home park.
9. Sierra did not find county rules for camping or living in an RV on your own land. Ask the Building Department before you plan on it.

Sources: Hinsdale County home page, Building Department, Zoning and Development Regulations (Word file), Zoning district map (PDF), Planning Commission

2. Water rights and wells

1. Colorado law (C.R.S. 37-92-602) exempts small wells up to 15 gallons per minute for household use, fire protection, livestock and up to 1 acre of lawn and garden, under the conditions in the statute.
2. The state Division of Water Resources (DWR) handles well permits. Its divisions follow river basins: Division 4 (Montrose) covers the Gunnison basin, Division 3 (Alamosa) the upper Rio Grande, and Division 7 (Durango) the San Juan basin. Hinsdale touches more than one basin. Sierra did not confirm which office handles a given parcel, so ask DWR.
3. A DWR well permit file shows the allowed uses of the well. DWR says review of a complete new permit application can take up to 49 days. Look up any existing permit before you buy.
4. To get a county building permit you need proof of potable water, unless you are in a water and sanitation district. The county OWTS checklist asks you to attach the well permit.
5. The county hazard plan says rural areas use wells and septic, and the Lake City water and sanitation district reaches past town limits. Ask if your parcel is in or near it.
6. In the Upper Piedra, cluster developments get one well permit per lot. An augmentation plan is needed if use goes over 1 acre-foot per 35 acres. New subdivisions with added wells in over-appropriated areas need a court-approved augmentation plan.
7. Subdivision surveys must say that approval does not mean water or electricity is available.
8. Silver Thread Public Health says private well water quality is not regulated, so testing is up to the owner.

Sources: C.R.S. 37-92-602, DWR well permitting, DWR well permit search, DWR Division 4, DWR Division 3, DWR Division 7, Building permit guidelines (PDF), 2025 Hazard Mitigation Plan (PDF), Silver Thread well water, CDPHE homeowner water testing

3. Septic (OWTS) and perc

1. You apply for a septic (OWTS) permit through the Building Department. State Regulation 43 governs septic systems.
2. The county checklist lists $500 for a new system and $250 for a repair. The guidelines add a mileage charge past 10 miles from the courthouse.
3. Every permit gets a site inspection and soil analysis. A perc test may be done, with a 24 hour pre-soak. An engineered system may be required.
4. No building permit is issued until the septic design is approved, and the system must be installed and approved before a Certificate of Occupancy.
5. The system must be inspected before it is covered.
6. The checklist asks for the floodplain zone of the site. Sierra did not find a county rule on septic inspection at sale.

Sources: OWTS permit guidelines (PDF), OWTS permit checklist (PDF), Silver Thread septic page, State Regulation 43 (PDF)

4. Building and snow loads

1. Submit building plans at least 30 days ahead. The county guidelines say plans must be stamped by a licensed design professional. Review can take up to 30 days, and permits are good for 2 years.
2. The Building Department page says the county uses the 2015 ICC codes. The 2017 permit guidelines cite 2012 codes, and the 2025 hazard plan lists 2018 IBC. Sierra could not confirm which edition applies today, so ask.
3. County design criteria: ground snow load 70 psf below 10,000 ft and 90 psf above; frost depth 36 inches below 10,000 ft and 48 inches above; winter design temperature minus 15 F; wind 90 mph.
4. Electrical and plumbing permits come from the State of Colorado. Use tax is paid to the county.
5. The county planning guidelines ask you to check for geologic hazards, avalanche zones and steep slopes before you build.

Sources: Building Department, Building permit guidelines (PDF), Construction planning guidelines (PDF), County design criteria (PDF), State electrical program

5. Power and off-grid

1. The county hazard plan says electricity in Hinsdale County comes from Gunnison County Electric Association (GCEA), a member-owned co-op.
2. The plan says propane is common and there is no commercial natural gas.
3. Sierra could not confirm from a utility page that GCEA serves every parcel, including the Upper Piedra, or what a line extension costs. Call GCEA with the parcel's legal description.
4. The plan also says cell coverage is sparse outside Lake City.
5. Sierra did not find county rules written just for off-grid homes or solar. Ask the Building Department.

Sources: 2025 Hazard Mitigation Plan (PDF), Gunnison County Electric Association, State electrical program

6. Roads, access and winter snow

1. Road and Bridge says it maintains 248 miles of road and 10 bridges and clears passes in spring. The hazard plan says 252 miles. Both are county numbers.
2. The 2026 State of the County says that in 2025 the county maintained 247 miles of county roads and plowed 110 of those miles. So many county roads are not plowed. Ask Road and Bridge about your road.
3. In 2025 the county also approved a Hold Harmless and Release of Liability agreement for private owners for winter road access.
4. If a lot is on a road the county does not maintain in winter, subdivision surveys must say the county is not agreeing to winter or private road maintenance.
5. A driveway permit to connect to a county road is $150. A road cut is $150, with bonds starting at $150 plus $5 per foot on gravel, or $500 plus $6 per foot on paved road.
6. The county wildfire plan includes road and driveway specs for emergency access: a total width of 14 ft with a 10 ft all-weather travel surface for one home, grades generally under 7%, and a turnaround if longer than 150 ft.
7. Highway 149 is the only access to the Lake Fork valley, and avalanches can close it near Slumgullion Pass. Check COtrip for state highway conditions.

Sources: Road and Bridge, 2026 State of the County (PDF), Driveway and road cut fees (Word file), Road and driveway specs (PDF), Zoning and Development Regulations, 2025 Hazard Mitigation Plan (PDF), COtrip

7. Flood and wildfire

1. The county and Lake City have been in the National Flood Insurance Program since 1987. The hazard plan says they adopted updated FEMA flood maps in 2024. The older county design criteria still cite the 1987 maps, so confirm the current map.
2. Building in a mapped floodplain needs a county floodplain permit ($250). The building official is the floodplain administrator. Search your parcel on FEMA's map center.
3. The hazard plan says floods peak in May and June with snowmelt. The county declared an Upper Piedra flood disaster after the October 2025 rains, and posted a new Upper Piedra flood emergency declaration dated Oct 26, 2026.
4. The hazard plan calls the area one of the most avalanche prone in the lower 48, with landslides and rockfall too.
5. Wildfire: the plan found 1,067 buildings in wildland urban interface risk areas. The 2025 county wildfire plan (CWPP) says many of these areas are not in any fire protection district, and owners may be billed for a structure fire response.
6. The CWPP says the Sheriff's Office regulates open fires through burn permits and burn bans. Sierra did not find a current county fire restrictions page.
7. The 2025 CWPP lists the state Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code as "in adoption process." Sierra could not confirm whether the county has adopted it.
8. Check a parcel's wildfire risk on the Colorado Forest Atlas, and sign up for county alerts.

Sources: 2025 Hazard Mitigation Plan (PDF), Floodplain checklist (PDF), County design criteria (PDF), FEMA flood maps, Upper Piedra declaration (PDF), Boil water advisory, Community wildfire protection, 2025 CWPP (PDF), Wildfire Action Guide 2026 (PDF), State wildfire code, Colorado Forest Atlas, County alerts

8. Livestock

1. Agriculture is allowed by right in RAD 1. In RAD 2 it is a special use that needs a permit.
2. In the Upper Piedra, livestock is allowed in line with historic ranching patterns, but not commercial feedlots. Barns, stables and coops must sit 100 ft from other homes and from natural waterways. The district has a right-to-farm policy.
3. Sierra did not find per-acre animal limits in the county rules. Ask the Building Department.
4. State law lets qualifying exempt wells water livestock. Ask DWR what your well permit allows before you bring animals.
5. The county has a noxious weed resolution and a weed control officer.

Sources: Zoning and Development Regulations, C.R.S. 37-92-602, Weed control

9. Property tax basics

1. Taxes are paid one year behind. Pay in full by April 30, or in halves by Feb 28 and June 15. Delinquent notices go out the first week of July.
2. Unpaid taxes go to a yearly tax lien sale. The Treasurer posts the sale rules.
3. The Assessor revalues the county every other year.
4. The county's 2026 rate sheet lists vacant land at 26.0%, agricultural land at 25.0%, and homes at 7.05% for school taxes and 6.8% for other local taxes, with an actual value adjustment it lists as "minus 10% of first $700k."
5. The county's tax guide shows a sample area with 55.405 total mills. Your parcel's levy depends on its tax districts, so check the mill levy sheet. Sierra did not confirm a tax bill for any parcel.
6. Look up a parcel on the Assessor map and the Treasurer portal before you buy.

Sources: Treasurer, Tax lien sale rules (PDF), Assessor, 2026 assessment rates (PDF), 2025 mill levies (PDF), How taxes are calculated (PDF), Assessor map, Treasurer portal

10. Who to call

1. Building Department (zoning, building, septic, floodplain): Building Official, 311 Henson St, Lake City, 970-944-2225 ext 104, building@hinsdalecountycolorado.us, Mon to Fri 8 to 5. Website.
2. County Administration (site plans in the Upper Piedra, general questions): 970-944-2225, PO Box 277, Lake City. Website.
3. Road and Bridge (plowing, driveways, road cuts): 1775 N Hwy 149, Lake City, 970-944-2400. Website.
4. Assessor: 317 Henson St, Lake City, 970-944-2225. Website.
5. Treasurer: 317 Henson St, Lake City, 970-944-2225 ext 130. Website.
6. Clerk (deeds and recording): 317 N Henson St, Lake City, 970-944-2225 ext 120. Website.
7. Sheriff (burn permits and bans): 311 N Henson St, Lake City, 970-944-2291. Website.
8. Emergency Management (alerts, flood and fire plans): em@hinsdalecountycolorado.us. Website.
9. Silver Thread Public Health (well water, boil advisories): Hinsdale office 304 Third St, Lake City, 970-944-0321. Website.
10. Wells: Colorado DWR, Denver, (303) 866-3581. Website.
11. Power: Gunnison County Electric Association. Website.