La Plata County, CO Ordinances (2026)
Local rules and regulations for La Plata County, Colorado. Population: 56,000.
Verified from official government sources
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🏡 Home & Property
🌿 Yard & Garden
🏠 Renting & Housing
🔊 Noise & Neighbors
🐾 Animals & Farming
🔥 Fire & Safety
🚗 Parking & Streets
💼 Business & Licensing
📋 Permits, Signs & Events
🌎 Environment & Utilities
🛡️ Privacy & Civic
🗑️ Trash & Recycling
Illegal Dumping
Significant RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, it is unlawful for any person to allow, cause or permit the dumping of rubbish or dead animals on private or public land, except as Chapter…
Collection Schedule
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, every owner or occupant of a residential, agricultural, commercial, institutional or industrial property must secure an approved method of…
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, no owner or occupant of a residential or commercial establishment can let rubbish or dead animals accumulate on any premises for more than…
Bulk Item Disposal
Light RestrictionsAt the Marvel and Bayfield Solid Waste Convenience Centers in La Plata County, Colorado, § 46-91 sets tipping fees by item: mattresses and box springs $30 per item, furniture from $20…
🔥 Fire Regulations
Wildfire Zones
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, the Wildfire Resiliency Code applies only outside the boundaries of a fire protection district and never on federally or tribally owned…
Outdoor Burning
Significant RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, the Board of County Commissioners, the sheriff or the sheriff's designee can declare fire restrictions by resolution, and a National…
Fireworks
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, sky lanterns are prohibited outright, and the Board of County Commissioners or the sheriff can add a ban on the use and sale of fireworks…
Smoke Detectors
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, the county's amendment to Section R310.3 of the 2024 International Residential Code requires smoke alarms on the exterior of the sleeping…
🚷 Public Conduct
Public Alcohol Use
Significant RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, Sec. 38-5(I)(A) of the County Code makes it unlawful to openly display, consume, possess or sell alcohol on county property unless a…
Public Marijuana Use
Heavy RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, Sec. 38-5(I)(B) of the County Code bans growing, producing, possessing, displaying, transferring, distributing, selling, transporting and…
Outdoor Smoking Restrictions
Significant RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, Sec. 38-5(I)(D) and (E) bar smoking in any county building and within thirty (30) feet of its entrance, and bar smoking on any county-owned…
🌿 Landscaping Rules
Weed Ordinances
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, the Board of County Commissioners enforces weed control through the Weed Office under Chapter 58 of the County Code. A written notice gives…
Native Plants
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, Section 70-17 of the Land Use Code requires native, low-water, drought tolerant, or adaptive plants for all landscaping the code requires…
Artificial Turf
Significant RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, Section 70-17.III.A prohibits installing nonfunctional turf or nonfunctional artificial turf as part of any new development or…
Tree Removal & Heritage Trees
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, Land Use Code § 70-8.X prohibits development, expressly including tree removal, clearing and grading, on steep slope areas of thirty…
🎪 Special Events & Permits
Parade Permits
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, any bicycle race, ride, foot race, walk or other event that uses a highway or county road and may change normal traffic use needs a special…
Park Event Permits
Some RestrictionsIn La Plata County, Colorado, events and meetings on county property run under Code § 38-2, adopted by the Board of County Commissioners in Ordinance 2025-01. Official government…
Street Fair Rules
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, a fair or festival expected to draw fifty (50) vehicles or 100 people needs an administrative land use permit under section 73-20. Activity…
🔧 Building Safety
Green Building Code
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, the Board of County Commissioners adopts the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code without appendices, then rewrites parts of it…
Building Permits
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, La Plata County Code § 18-35 (105.1) requires an owner or agent to apply to the building official and obtain all required permits before…
Building Inspections
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, construction under a building permit stays subject to inspection by the building official until approved. Section 18-35(110) requires…
Fire Sprinkler Requirements
Light RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, Section R309.1 of the county's residential code amendments states that automatic fire sprinkler systems in one and two-family dwellings and…
Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, the county's replacement Section R311.3 of the 2024 International Residential Code requires carbon monoxide alarms on the exterior of the…
Plumbing Permits
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, Section 18-40 adopts the 2024 International Plumbing Code, and Chapter 1 administration comes from the county's own Section 18-35. Where…
Electrical Permits
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, Section 18-42 adds a local electrical rule on top of the Colorado State Electric Board's requirements: electrical service to buildings and…
Childcare Center Rules
Significant RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, a day care facility serving five (5) to fifteen (15) individuals needs a minor land use permit under section 66-6, and one serving sixteen…
🌍 Environmental Rules
Defensible Space
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, applicants for subdivisions, PUDs and utility scale battery storage in high or greater wildfire burn probability areas must submit a…
Flood Zones
Significant RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, anyone building or developing inside a FEMA special flood hazard area needs a floodplain development permit before work begins. Chapter 78…
Flood Elevation Requirements
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, new and substantially improved homes in a special flood hazard area must have the lowest floor, including the basement and all mechanical…
Erosion Control
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, an applicant under Land Use Code § 70-9 must submit an erosion control plan showing construction measures, their schedule, revegetation…
Stormwater Management
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, development needing a land use permit must show it will not adversely affect surface waters by meeting the Chapter 70 Technical Appendix…
🔊 Noise Ordinances
Decibel Limits
Some RestrictionsUnder La Plata County Code § 70-21, development in unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, is held to decibel limits at the property boundary, set by land use type for two time…
Barking Dogs
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, La Plata County Code § 10-30(V) prohibits nuisance barking. Barking, howling, yelping or whining that lasts a continuous twenty minutes is…
Vehicle Noise
Some RestrictionsUnder Sec. 54-30, a registered vehicle with an engine compression brake operated on a highway in La Plata County, Colorado must have a muffler on the brake, keep it in constant…
Aircraft Noise
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, buildings inside the airport safety overlay must be built so airport noise inside stays at or below 50 db(A) for residential space and 55…
🐔 Animal Ordinances
Cat Rules
Light RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, La Plata County Code § 10-20 requires every cat four months of age or older to be vaccinated against rabies by a Colorado-licensed…
Dog Leash Laws
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, La Plata County Code § 10-30(IV) makes it unlawful for a dog owner to permit a dog to run or be at large. Animal control officers or any…
Breed Restrictions
Significant RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, La Plata County Code § 10-30(VII) makes it unlawful to own or harbor a vicious or dangerous animal except as the county regulations allow…
Chickens & Livestock
Some RestrictionsIn the Hermosa Creek Neighborhood Zoning District of unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, section 65-4 allows livestock if the animal can be kept without undue detriment to…
🌱 Cannabis Regulations
Buffer Zones
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, a marijuana facility or personal marijuana cultivation site must stay 1,000 feet from the property lines of any preschool through high…
Dispensary Zoning
Significant RestrictionsLa Plata County, Colorado, has not opted out: chapter 7 of the County Code licenses marijuana businesses, with the Board of County Commissioners as local licensing authority. In the…
🚗 Parking Rules
Loading Zones
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, once official signs are up, only commercial vehicles loading or unloading passengers or freight can stand in a bus, taxi, limousine or…
Street Parking Limits
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, no one can park on a sidewalk, in an intersection, on a crosswalk or within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, or leave a vehicle where it…
Snow Removal Parking Rules
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, the Board of County Commissioners, the county director of emergency preparedness or the county manager can declare a snow emergency in all…
EV Charging
Light RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, Section 70-18.IX caps EV charging spaces at ten percent of required parking in multi-family and nonresidential developments unless signs…
Commercial & Oversized Vehicles
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, Section 73-2 caps the business vehicles regularly parked on a lot that carries an accessory use: one two-axle vehicle with no permit, two…
🧱 Fence Regulations
Height Limits
Light RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, La Plata County Code § 70-17 caps fences and walls used for buffering at eight feet high, measured from the top of the fence to the…
Fence Permit Requirements
Light RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, La Plata County Code § 66-3 lists fences among developments that need no land use permit. Building permits can still apply, and § 18-35…
Material Restrictions
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, fences used as buffers under Section 70-17.VI must use traditional fencing materials, be opaque and non-reflective, and stay at or under…
Retaining Walls
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, Section 70-17.VI.E requires a professional engineer to design any retaining wall over four feet in total height, whether built in a single…
🛏️ Homelessness & Encampment Rules
🚶 Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules
Obstruction Rules
Significant RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, development and obstructions inside a county right-of-way or easement are prohibited under Land Use Code § 70-6.I.D. The property owner…
Encroachment Permits
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, no one can construct or improve a road, drainage, utility or other facility inside a county right-of-way without a permit from the Public…
🚜 Right to Farm
Agricultural Zoning Protection
Light RestrictionsSection 70-13 of the La Plata County Code sets the county's right to farm and ranch policy for development in unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado. The Board of County…
Farm Nuisance Protection
Light RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, Land Use Code § 70-13 states county policy that no inconvenience is a nuisance when it occurs as part of non-negligent and legal…
💼 Home Business
Home Daycare
Light RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, section 66-3 of the Land Use Code lists a day care home among developments that need no land use permit. The exemption still carries…
Customer Traffic Restrictions
Significant RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, a home-based accessory use under Section 73-2 cannot host on-site sales, classes, demonstrations, or other public visits unless it holds a…
Zoning & Home Occupation Permits
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, Section 73-2 lets a resident run an accessory use from the dwelling unit or attached garage without a land use permit if it stays within…
Signage Rules
Significant RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, a home-based accessory use under Section 73-2 cannot display any exterior sign, or any interior sign visible from outside, that identifies…
📋 Code Violation Reporting
Common Violations
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, section 80-3 of the Land Use Code defines seven violations: work without a required permit, activity that contravenes the code, activity…
Response Times
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, a notice to correct violation gives the owner thirty days to fix a Land Use Code violation, or less if the director finds an immediate risk…
🏗️ Accessory Structures
Tiny Homes
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, section 73-15 of the Land Use Code places tiny homes in manufactured home parks and manufactured home subdivisions. A tiny home on wheels…
Shed & Carport Rules
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, a detached one-story tool or storage shed needs no building permit if it stays within 200 square feet of floor area, 12 feet to the roof…
ADU Rules
Significant RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, Section 73-3 of the County Code allows additional dwelling units with a principal single family home. A second unit needs no land use…
🏪 Business Licensing & Operations
📐 Building Setbacks & Zoning
Setback Rules
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, any structure or improvement that needs a building permit must meet Land Use Code § 70-6. On agricultural and residential lots over 10,000…
Structure Height Limits
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, Land Use Code § 70-6.II caps structures at 30 feet within 25 feet of a lot line next to a dwelling or vacant lot. In the Animas Valley plan…
💡 Outdoor Lighting
Dark Sky Rules
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, new development that needs a building permit must use full cut-off fixtures for any outdoor light over 2,000 lumens. Under Land Use Code §…
Light Trespass & Shielding
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, Section 70-7 of the County Code says all lighting must be downward directed and must not spill across property lines. It applies to new…
Data Sources
Ordinance data for La Plata County is sourced from the following official government references. Click any topic above for detailed citations.