Planning and Zoning Planning Frequently Asked Questions

The Department of Planning and Development is located at 229 West 12th Street, Pueblo, Colorado 81003 and the main phone number is 719-583-6100.  Office Hours are 8:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday with no closure for lunch.  Closed on holidays.

Please call the office at 719-583-6100 with any additional questions or you can submit your documents online at [email protected]

After hours you can send an email with your questions to [email protected].  Your question will be answered the following business day.

The Pueblo County website can be found at county.pueblo.org.

If you are looking for another department within Pueblo County, please contact the Pueblo County Information Operator located in the rotunda at the Pueblo County Courthouse at 719-583-6000

Assessor parcel numbers, also referred to as Schedule Numbers, are 10-digit numbers assigned by the Pueblo County Assessor for property tax purposes.  Assessor parcel numbers are used by many County departments to track records and projects. A parcel number may be obtained from a property tax bill, the Assessor’s Office by calling 719-583-6597, or by conducting a property search located under online services.

By using the assessor parcel number or address of the property, you can find out what the property is zoned using the online services zoning search using the Interactive Map. You may also call the Department of Planning and Development at 719-583-6100 and a planner on duty can assist you.

For permitted uses allowed in each zone district, refer to the Pueblo County Code, Title 17, Division I. Zoning.  All the zone districts in Pueblo County are listed and you will find permitted uses-by-right (upon issuance of a zoning permit by the County Zoning Administrator) and also uses-by-review (upon issuance of a Special Use Permit by the Pueblo County Planning Commission).

The Pueblo County Department of Planning and Development can’t provide information regarding zoning or land use within the City of Pueblo.  You will need to contact the City of Pueblo’s Department of Planning & Community Development at 719-553-2259.

You will need to contact the Pueblo Regional Building Department to obtain a routing sheet.  This routing sheet will have a list of agencies you will need to visit and obtain sign-off.  Planning and Development will be listed and you will need to visit this department for zoning authorization.   A Building Permit Checklist of what is needed can be found online, under online services, download applications and forms.  This checklist will detail what is required on your plot plan drawn to an Engineer’s Scale (1 in. = 10’, 20’, 30’, etc.).  No aerial maps will be accepted.  There will be additional paperwork that will need to be filled out at the counter.

A setback is the distance between a structure and the property line and are generally described as front, rear, and side yard setbacks.  The setback requirement varies depending on your zone district and road adjacency (corner lot or through parcel).  The setbacks specific to your zoning can be found at Pueblo County Code, Title 17, Division I. Zoning.

Subdivisions must be consistent with the minimum parcel size of the zone district.  A licensed surveyor must survey the property and prepare a subdivision plat.  The first application for a subdivision is a Preliminary Plan and the second application is a Final Plat.  These applications can’t be submitted concurrently.  Each application is presented to the County Planning Commission for its review and recommendation.  The Board of County Commissioners takes final action (approval or denial) on all subdivisions.  Subdivision application requirements include submittal of detailed information regarding access, drainage, soils and geology, topography, and physical features.  Proof of an adequate water supply for each lot is also a key requirement.  Notification of the proposed subdivision is given to adjacent property owners and the application is referred to various State and local agencies for comment.

Contact the Department of Planning and Development to go over each application in detail with you regarding your proposed subdivision.

Some types of businesses can be run out of the home.  Pueblo County Code, Title 17, Chapter 17.120 SUPPLEMENTARY REGULATIONS, Section 17.120.030 Home occupations outlines requirements that must be met in order for a business to be classified as a home occupation.  If your business qualifies, you will need to fill out and submit a home occupation disclosure form, found online under download applications and forms, with the appropriate fee.  The current Land Use Application Fee Schedule can be found online under the web page for the Department of Planning and Development.

You will need to fill out and submit a complaint form found online under download applications and forms.  The Land Use Inspector will review the complaint and conduct an inspection of the site to determine if there is a violation of the Pueblo County Code.

Outside of recreational vehicle parks, RVs may not be stored or used as a residence on a vacant parcel of land.  Upon a principal residence being established on the property, an RV can be stored on the property but not used as a residence.

This is a civil matter between both property owners.  The Department of Planning and Development does not go out and verify boundary line or fence locations.

You can look up the zoning of the property using the Pueblo County Assessor’s online property search, additionally you may find more information under the Interactive Map link also under online services.  Upon obtaining the zoning of the property, you can review the allowable uses for that zone district.  You can then contact the Department of Planning and Development to review the history of the parcel and discuss any issues there might be with the property.

There are many important considerations for buying a property.  The legal status of the parcel, unpermitted structures, and existence of easements are a few examples of issues that can make property transactions complex.  Rigorous due diligence is advised before purchasing any property.

Pueblo County does not enforce or interpret covenants.  Sometimes covenants are more restrictive than the County’s land use regulations.  Even though the land use regulations may allow a certain use, private covenants that are in place may not allow that use.  Property owners who have questions about what their covenants allow are advised to contact their homeowner’s association or Committee of Architecture in their covenant community.

Interior lot lines within a recorded plat may be vacated subject to approval of the County Zoning Administrator under the following guidelines:

a.    Involves five (5) lots or less;

b.    Interior lot lines only, no exterior boundary lines of a subdivision;

c.     Lots within a recorded subdivision; the year of recordation is not a factor;

d.    No easements or right-of-way will be vacated, nor publicly owned land will be adversely affected.

e.    Submittal requirements.  An application with a checklist of requirements for a Lot Line Vacation can be found online under download applications and forms.

A lot line vacation plat must be prepared by a Professional Land Surveyor registered in the State of Colorado.  The property does not need to be surveyed, the plat is prepared using information shown on the recorded plat.  Department staff reserves ten (10) working days to review a complete application.  Revisions to be made, if any, are returned to the surveyor who prepared the plat.  After revisions are made, the surveyor returns a signed, sealed, notarized mylar plat to staff for recordation.  There is an application fee; the current Land Use Application Fee Schedule can be found online under the web page for the Department of Planning and Development.

Please Note:  This process is not reversible.  Lot Lines may only be reestablished through the subdivision process.

Minor rearrangement of lot lines or alterations may be made to a recorded plat subject to approval of the County Zoning Administrator provided such minor rearrangement or alteration will not:

a.    Involve more than five (5) lots;

b.    Result in any lot parcel or portion of the subdivision becoming insufficient in size, area, or location to meet the minimum     requirements of the zone district within which the property is located;

c.     Alter any dedicated easement or area reserved for public use;

d.    Alter any street or right-of-way alignment or reduce their dimensions;

e.    Necessitate new, or the modification of, public improvements; or

f.      Adversely affect the character of the recorded plat.

g.     Submittal Requirements. An application with a checklist of requirements for a Lot Line Rearrangement can be found online under                 download applications and forms.

A lot line rearrangement must be prepared by a Professional Land Surveyor registered in the State of Colorado.  The properties will need to be surveyed and tied to Global Positioning System (GPS).  Department staff reserves fifteen (15) working days to review a complete application.  Revisions to be made, if any, are returned to the surveyor who prepared the plat.  After revisions are made, the surveyor returns a signed, sealed, notarized mylar plat to staff for recordation.  There is an application fee; the current Land Use Application Fee Schedule can be found online under the web page for the Department of Planning and Development.

Second dwellings are not allowed on a property.  There is a provision for a Guest House but it must meet certain requirements.

The following definitions are from Section 17.04.040 Definitions of the Pueblo County Code and apply specifically to structures identified as “guest houses”:

House, Guest.  Living quarters within a semi-attached or detached accessory building located on the same premises with the principal building for use by temporary guests of the occupants of the premises, and not rented or otherwise used as separate dwelling unit.  (NOTE:  For emphasis, underlining and italics were added.)

Temporary.  Use of land and/or structure or portion thereof which continues for a period of less than 30 consecutive days.

Permanent Occupancy.  The use of land and/or structures or portions thereof for a period of 30 consecutive days or longer.

There is a Property Owner Acknowledgement form that will need to be signed and notarized by the property owner, who acknowledges that they have read and understand the above definitions related to the occupancy of limitations of a guest house.

You can obtain a copy of your recorded deed or subdivision plat from the Pueblo County Clerk and Recorder’s Office located in the Pueblo County Courthouse at 215 West 10th Street, Pueblo, Colorado 81003.  There will be a fee associated with obtaining copies of recorded documents.

If you have the case number from your notice, you can view all documents (notices, application, staff reviews, etc.) for that case by using planning case search.  Under online services, you will find the heading, Zoning and Planning Case Search, and under that click on planning case search.  After clicking on planning case search it will bring up three (3) boxes regarding the planning case type, planning case year, and planning case number.  You will need to enter that information in each box, for example, if you have case number SUP 2017-001, you would enter, “SUP” as the case type, “2017” as the year, and “001” as the case number.  After you enter all your information, click on the box that says search for Planning Cases and then click on Case Documents.  There is now a listing of all documents that have been received and sent out by the Department of Planning and Development.  This database is updated daily as items are received and sent out; therefore, it is advised you check it on a regular basis if you would like to be up-to-date on the case.

The Pueblo County Code doesn’t have square footage requirements but does have minimum width and depth requirements in order to be considered a “Residence”.  Section 17.04.040 Definitions of the Pueblo County Code more specifically “Residence” states the width of any projected view of any exterior wall elevation of a residence shall not be less than twenty (20) feet.  The residence will also need to be installed on an engineered permanent foundation.