La Plata County, CO Home Business: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (2026)

In unincorporated La Plata County, Colorado, Section 73-2 of the County Code sets the tiered standards for accessory uses that operate from a dwelling unit or its garages. Every accessory use must directly serve the principal use and be reasonably incidental to it, sit on the same lot, be owned and operated by the same person or entity as the principal use, and be owned and operated by a resident of the dwelling unit. It also cannot produce unmitigated adverse impacts detectable at the property line, as set forth in paragraph 70-5.III.B.

No land use permit is needed when the use is limited to 400 square feet, is located only within the dwelling unit or attached garage, has no outside storage, and has no employees, agents, assistants, or other individuals related to its operations who are not residents of the dwelling unit. Customer visits, exterior signs, added traffic, and vehicles carry their own limits in the same tier.

The next tier is an administrative land use permit: up to 800 square feet in the dwelling unit, an attached garage, a detached garage, and/or a single out-building, up to 500 square feet of screened additional exterior storage, and no more than one non-resident employee, agent, or assistant. The top tier is a minor land use permit: use inside the dwelling unit stays under fifty percent of gross floor area, with up to 1,000 square feet of screened exterior storage and no more than two non-resident employees, agents, or assistants.

No accessory use, other than an additional dwelling unit under Section 73-3 or a shed or garage for personal use or for storage during construction of the primary residence, can be constructed or established before the principal use. Resolution No. 2022-01 amended Section 73-2, effective January 4, 2022.