La Plata County, CO HOA Rules: Board Governance (2026)

La Plata County Code § 67-15 sets the standards for subdivisions approved by the Board of County Commissioners in unincorporated La Plata County. Paragraph I.C requires that a homeowners' association or other legal entity or mechanism be created so that all improvements are maintained without expense to the county. The code lists roads, water and sewer systems, streetlights and signs, fences and weed control methods, and says the list is not limited to those items.

The maintenance agreements are private. They must be recorded in the official records of the county clerk and recorder, and the plat notices must reference the reception number of the recorded document. Anyone buying into a La Plata County subdivision can therefore trace the association's duties from the plat back to a recorded instrument.

The Community Development director controls two submittal items under subsection VII. Under paragraph F, the director can require a copy of the proposed declarations, conditions, covenants and restrictions for the subdivision. Under paragraph G, the director can require an improvements maintenance plan naming the mechanism for maintaining roads, water and sewer systems, streetlights, signs, fences, open space, landscaping, buffers and weed control methods. The code adds that subdivision declarations or condominium declarations can serve as that plan when they specify the mechanism.

Condominium subdivisions carry a further requirement in paragraph H. If the director determines it, the applicant provides condominium declarations covering the character, duration, rights, obligations and limitations of ownership, the method of assessing the proportionate valuation of common elements to individual units, and any limits on time sharing. The condominium plat or map must include the plat notes and statements required by the Colorado Common Ownership Interest Act.

The association requirement works alongside the improvement guarantees in paragraph I.B. Before the final plat is recorded, the applicant certifies that all improvements are complete and inspected, or signs a development improvements agreement and posts a performance guarantee under section 66-30. Section 67-15 was last amended by Res. No. 2026-15, effective 5/19/2026.