⛰️ Buying land in Lake County, Colorado

1. Zoning and minimum lot size

1. Community Planning and Development (CPD) handles zoning, subdivision and building for unincorporated Lake County. A pre-application meeting is required for most applications. Land inside the City of Leadville goes to the city instead.
2. Zones under the 2025 Land Development Code include Rural (RUR), Agricultural and Forestry (AF), Agricultural Residential (AR), Urban Residential (UR), Urban Multi-Family (RM), Business (B), Commercial Industrial (CI), Industrial and Mining (IM), Recreational (RC), Resort (R), PUD and Backcountry (BC).
3. Table 4.1 minimum lot sizes: RUR 35 acres, BC 35 acres, AF 5 acres, AR 3 acres, RC 3 acres (can drop to 1 acre with central water and sewer), UR 7,500 sq ft.
4. Street setbacks are 50 ft in RUR, AF and AR. Side and rear setbacks are 25 ft in AF and 20 ft in AR. Max height is 35 ft in most zones.
5. Highways get a bigger setback: 100 ft from the right-of-way, or 200 ft in the Scenic Conservation Overlay, which covers parts of Hwy 91, US 24 and Hwy 82. Lots platted before Jan 4, 1988 use 50 ft (100 ft in the overlay).
6. The minimum occupied structure is 600 sq ft in AF, AR, RC, UR and RM. The county FAQ says most tiny homes do not meet this.
7. Backcountry (BC) land is for remote, part-time use. A backcountry structure is max 600 sq ft, needs a zoning permit, and can be occupied no more than 180 days a year. A home there is max 1,100 sq ft. No short-term rentals. The code warns winter access may be impossible and emergency services may not be available.
8. One ADU is allowed by right on a legal lot over 1 acre that meets the zone minimum. It needs a DWR well permit that allows the extra unit (or a water tap) and its own septic sizing.
9. The county adopted the 2024 ICC building codes (Resolution 2026-20), effective June 30, 2026. Electrical permits come from the state.
10. A 2026 moratorium on new applications for RV parks, campgrounds, group camps, lodges, resorts, guest ranches and event sites took effect Feb 17, 2026. The county says it was extended "until October" because of the Willow Fire. Sierra could not confirm whether it has ended.
11. Use Table 5.1 to see which uses each zone allows. Sierra did not try to read the table zone by zone, so check it for your parcel.

Sources: County Land Use, Land Development Code, LDC Chapter 4 (zones, Table 4.1), LDC Chapter 5 (uses), Table 5.1 (PDF), County FAQ, Building, 2026 moratorium, State electrical program

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 Division 2 office in Pueblo runs the Arkansas River Basin. Sierra could not confirm on a current DWR page which division office handles Lake County wells, so ask DWR.
3. At an Aug 26, 2024 Planning Commission meeting, county water staff said parcels that existed before June 1, 1972 can get a single in-house-use well, and some southern probate parcels created after 1972 can too. Creating new lots or adding an ADU needs an augmentation plan.
4. The Parkville Water District provides treated municipal water to Leadville and nearby areas. The county's augmentation plan (case 98CW173) is meant for parcels outside Parkville's boundaries.
5. The Lake County Water Projects Enterprise is set up to let some owners add new wells for household, livestock or business use by covering their depletions with county water. The county page said it was expected for the 2025 building season. Sierra could not confirm whether contracts are being sold today, or which areas qualify.
6. Single-family homes need a well. Backcountry structures do not, so owners haul water.
7. Private wells are not covered by the Safe Drinking Water Act. The county points well owners to CDPHE's lab for water testing.
8. Look up any existing well permit before you buy, and ask DWR whether it covers the use you want.

Sources: C.R.S. 37-92-602, DWR Division 2, DWR well permitting, DWR well permit search, Planning Commission minutes, Aug 26, 2024, County Water Resources, Well water testing, CDPHE homeowner water testing

3. Septic (OWTS) and perc

1. CPD manages septic (OWTS) permits. New Lake County OWTS rules took effect June 15, 2026. An engineer designs the system, and a licensed Lake County OWTS contractor installs it.
2. The rules require a site and soil evaluation under state Regulation 43 before any system is built, plus inspections before the tank and the soil treatment area are backfilled (48 business hours notice).
3. The FAQ says there is no minimum lot size for a septic system, as long as the site meets the setbacks. Easements and zoning can still limit you.
4. The permitting page lists $800 for new construction, $600 for a major repair, $324 for a small repair and $35 for a minor repair, each plus a $10 processing fee. The FAQ lists $300 and $25 for small and minor repairs, so confirm the fee with CPD.
5. Septic permits are good for 1 year. Renewal is $250.
6. Selling a property with a septic system requires a Transfer of Title inspection and permit.
7. Backcountry structures need a Board of Health approved alternative instead of a full OWTS. A pit or vault privy needs an OWTS permit, engineered design and a Board of Health variance. New rules for alternative systems on rural non-residential uses take effect Nov 10, 2026.

Sources: County Septic, Septic permitting, Transfer of Title, OWTS regulation adoption, 2026 Lake County OWTS rules (PDF), County FAQ

4. Camping and RVs

1. On 5 acres or more, where the zone allows it, you can camp as the main use, but only temporarily: 15 days in a row and 30 days in any 6 months.
2. Under 5 acres, no camping until a main use like a home exists. During construction you can apply for a Temporary Use Permit after you submit a building permit.
3. One camping unit per parcel. Two or more makes it a campground, which has stricter rules.
4. Storing RVs, trailers or OHVs is an accessory use, so a main use has to exist first.

Sources: Camping rules and FAQ, County FAQ

5. Power and off-grid

1. Xcel Energy lists Leadville, Leadville North and Twin Lakes (Lake County) as communities where it provides electricity and gas.
2. Sierra could not confirm from a utility page whether any other electric provider serves parts of the county, or what a line extension costs. Call the utility with the parcel's legal description.
3. Ground solar can be up to 25 ft tall and must sit outside setbacks and easements. Systems are capped at 120% of the site's needs. CPD issues solar permits.
4. Backcountry land encourages small renewable energy. Generators there are only for temporary use, must be in an enclosure, and have a 70 dB limit.

Sources: Xcel Colorado communities served (PDF), LDC Chapter 5 (solar, backcountry), Permits information

6. Roads, access and winter snow

1. Road and Bridge maintains about 360 lane miles and plows about 250. Higher priority roads like school bus routes are plowed first. On extreme snow days, second and third priority roads may get no attention.
2. The county does not clear private driveways. Plow berms across driveways are the owner's problem, and pushing snow onto a county road is illegal.
3. Check the county Snow Plow Map to see if your road is plowed at all.
4. A $50 county permit is needed to connect a driveway to a public road. The form says driveway inspections cannot be done October to May, and you get no Certificate of Occupancy until the driveway passes.
5. Driveway rules: max 8% grade, a turnaround if longer than 300 ft, turnouts every 400 ft if longer than 400 ft, and culverts at least 24 inches.
6. Digging in a county road needs an excavation permit ($250 plus a $1,000 bond), only May 1 to Oct 1 except emergencies.
7. Roof snow loads on the county chart run from 65 psf at 9,000 ft to 145 psf at 12,000 ft. The chart is dated 2005, so confirm current loads with Building.
8. In Backcountry, the county says you should not assume access over Forest Service or private land. Checking legal access is the owner's job.

Sources: Road and Bridge, Winter roads and ordinances, Snow Plow Map, Driveway permit (PDF), LDC Chapter 10 (roads), Excavation permits, Snow load chart (PDF)

7. Flood and wildfire

1. The county floodplain rules adopt FEMA's Flood Insurance Rate Maps dated March 1, 1998 and any revisions. Building in a mapped flood hazard area needs a Floodplain Development Permit. Search your parcel on FEMA's map center.
2. The county adopted the Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code on March 30, 2026. Starting July 1, 2026 it applies to new homes and big additions in the wildland-urban interface, based on the state fire map.
3. The county has a 2022 Community Wildfire Protection Plan and a 2026 wildfire treatment planning map.
4. The county runs a Willow Fire recovery page with help for landowners, wells and septic, and warns about flooding after fire.
5. Burn permits come from Leadville/Lake County Fire Rescue. Small contained recreation and cooking fires do not need one.
6. When Sierra checked on Nov 3, 2026, the county fire page showed moderate fire danger, no city or county restrictions, and BLM Stage 1 restrictions. This changes often.
7. Check a parcel's wildfire risk on the Colorado Forest Atlas.

Sources: LDC Chapter 11 (floodplain), FEMA flood maps, County wildfire code page, State wildfire code, CWPP, 2026 wildfire treatment map, Willow Fire recovery, Burn permits, Fire danger and restrictions, Colorado Forest Atlas

8. Livestock

1. Large animal ownership needs 1/2 acre per large animal. A large animal means anything bigger than the largest dog breed, like horses and cows.
2. Pens, barns and similar buildings must meet the zone's setbacks.
3. Table 5.1 shows where large animal ownership is allowed. Sierra could not confirm the list zone by zone, so check the table or ask CPD.
4. State law lets qualifying exempt wells water livestock. An in-house-only well is for use inside the home, so ask DWR what your well permit allows before you bring animals.

Sources: LDC Chapter 5 (section 5.2.11), Table 5.1 (PDF), C.R.S. 37-92-602

9. Property tax basics

1. Taxes are paid one year behind. For 2025 taxes paid in 2026, the halves were due March 2 and June 15, 2026, or the full amount by April 30. The normal dates are Feb 28, June 15 and April 30.
2. The Assessor revalues all property every odd-numbered year. 2026 is an intervening year, so only changed properties got a new value notice.
3. Unpaid taxes go to a tax lien sale held late October or early November. A lien buyer does not get the land.
4. The county points to state guides for how the math works. Sierra did not confirm current rates or mill levies for any parcel.
5. Look up a parcel on the county Assessor map and the Treasurer portal.

Sources: Treasurer, Tax dates, Assessor, Calculating property taxes, Assessor map, Treasurer portal

10. Who to call

1. Community Planning and Development, Land Use (zoning, camping, ADUs): (719) 839-9146, landuse@lakecountyco.gov. Website.
2. Building (permits, snow loads, solar): 719-486-2875, Mon to Fri 8 to 4:30. Website.
3. Septic (OWTS): Environmental Health Specialist, (719) 839-2820. Website.
4. Mapping (zoning layers, parcel maps): (719) 427-0733. Website.
5. Water Resources (augmentation): (719) 293-1249. Website.
6. Road and Bridge (plowing, driveways, excavation): 429 E 12th St, Leadville, (719) 486-0259. Website.
7. Assessor: 505 Harrison Ave, Leadville. Website.
8. Treasurer: 505 Harrison Ave, Leadville, 719-486-4117. Website.
9. Clerk and Recorder (deeds): 505 Harrison Ave, Leadville, (719) 486-1410. Website.
10. Leadville/Lake County Fire Rescue (burn permits): 816 Harrison Ave, Leadville, (719) 486-2990. Website.
11. Emergency Management (alerts, fire recovery): oem@lakecountyco.gov. Website.
12. City of Leadville (land inside city limits): Website.
13. Wells: Colorado DWR, Denver, (303) 866-3581, or the Division 2 office in Pueblo, (719) 542-3368. Website.
14. Power: Xcel Energy. Communities served.