Zoning, building permits and septic rules in the Town of Pagosa Springs, Colorado

At a glance

Zoning

Yes, set by the town's Land Use and Development Code¹

Building code

2015 International Building Code with local amendments²

Septic permits

Archuleta County Water Quality Department, unless public sewer serves the lot³⁵

Manufactured homes

Allowed only in some districts, on permanent foundations in most of town⁶

Accessory dwellings

Allowed in residential and mixed-use districts with size limits⁷

Vacation rentals

Conditional or permitted depending on district⁸

Flood hazard areas

Town floodplain regulations apply⁹

New wells

State well permit required¹⁰

Who to call

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 16, 2026.

Does Pagosa Springs have zoning, and what does it mean for homes and RVs?

Yes. The Town of Pagosa Springs zones all land inside town limits under its Land Use and Development Code¹. The residential districts are R-A, R-T, R-6, R-12 and R-22, alongside mixed-use, commercial, light industrial, open space and planned-development districts, and annexed land defaults to R-A unless Town Council designates otherwise¹¹.

Manufactured and mobile homes are allowed only in some districts, and conditional in others; they need a permanent foundation except in certain townsite blocks listed in the code⁶. Accessory dwelling units are allowed in R-A, R-T, R-6, R-12, R-22 and the mixed-use districts, capped at 75 percent of the main home's floor area or 800 square feet, whichever is smaller⁷.

We could not confirm whether parking an RV or living in a tiny home on a private lot is allowed in town, or the minimum lot sizes and setbacks for each district. Ask the Town of Pagosa Springs planning staff at Town Hall before you buy. The county's zone districts do not apply inside town¹².

Do you need a building permit in Pagosa Springs, and who issues it?

The town has adopted the 2015 International Building Code with local amendments, and where adopted technical codes conflict the most restrictive provision applies². We could not confirm the town's inspection and certificate-of-occupancy steps or its permit fee schedule, so call Town Hall's building staff for the current permit checklist before you design anything.

Do not take the county's counter as your answer. Archuleta County's building permit, fee and inspection rules are written for unincorporated Archuleta County¹³, and the county's land use regulations do not apply inside incorporated municipalities¹². If your parcel lies just outside town limits, the Archuleta County page covers that case.

How do septic permits work inside Pagosa Springs?

Archuleta County, not the town, runs septic regulation. The county commissioners, acting as the Board of Health, adopted on-site wastewater treatment system (OWTS) regulations and designated the Archuleta County Water Quality Department to implement them¹⁴. Those regulations apply to unincorporated land and to municipalities inside the county³.

A septic permit is not issued where a municipality or special district provides public sewer service, unless sewer is not feasible for the property or the provider authorizes the permit⁵. So the first question for a town lot is whether public sewer reaches it. Ask the town or the sewer district about connection rules; we could not confirm the town's own water and sewer connection requirements. If sewer is not available, the county's Water Quality Department¹⁵ reviews the design and inspects the installation. Colorado requires an OWTS permit statewide for buildings not served by a sewage treatment works¹⁶.

Can you build or place a tiny home in Pagosa Springs?

Colorado allows Division of Housing-regulated tiny homes intended for residential occupancy¹⁷, but the state source does not say where a town's zoning permits one. We could not find a tiny-home provision in the Pagosa Springs code, so confirm with town planning staff whether a tiny home fits your district.

The clearest paths we can confirm are the town's rules for manufactured homes⁶ and accessory dwelling units⁷. Colorado law also allows one accessory dwelling unit alongside a single-unit detached dwelling where those homes are allowed¹⁸.

Building a home in Pagosa Springs: the steps, in order

1. Confirm your lot's zoning district with town planning staff, since lot size, setbacks and allowed uses vary by district¹¹.
2. Ask the town whether public sewer serves the lot; if it does not, apply for an OWTS permit with the county Water Quality Department⁵¹⁵.
3. If you plan a well, obtain the state well permit; every new groundwater well needs one¹⁰.
4. Check whether the lot touches a flood hazard area, where the town's floodplain regulations apply⁹.
5. Design to the town's adopted 2015 International Building Code and its local amendments², then apply to the town for a building permit.
6. If the driveway will join a state highway, a state access permit is required¹⁹.

What stays with Archuleta County, and what to check before you buy

Septic permits for town addresses come from the county Water Quality Department³. Wells need a state permit¹⁰. For land outside town limits, see the Archuleta County page.

Countywide figures: Archuleta County's effective property tax rate is 0.3%²⁰, and its median property tax bill is $1541 a year²¹. About 49.6% of the county is federal land²². USDA rates only 0.1% of the county's soils as not limited for a conventional septic drain field, so expect a site evaluation or an engineered system on lots without sewer²³.

Watch-outs

• The town sets its own zoning and building code¹, but we could not confirm its building permit fees, inspection steps, minimum lot sizes, setbacks or rules on RVs and tiny homes on private lots; ask Town Hall planning and building staff before you buy.
• Archuleta County's building permit and zoning rules apply to unincorporated land only, so the county counter is the wrong office for a lot inside town limits¹².
• Vacation rentals are conditional or permitted depending on the district, so check your lot's district before you plan on short-term rental income⁸.
• Septic permits are not issued where public sewer service is available and feasible⁵.

Sources

1. Pagosa Springs Land Use Code Art. 3 Zoning Districts (Town of Pagosa Springs), quoted and re-checked
2. Pagosa Springs Land Use Code 6.13 International Building Codes (Town of Pagosa Springs), quoted and re-checked
3. Archuleta County On-site Wastewater Treatment System Regulations 2024, quoted and re-checked
4. Development Services- Planning (4341), quoted and re-checked
5. archuletacounty.gov, quoted and re-checked
6. Pagosa Springs Land Use Code Art. 4 Use Regulations (Town of Pagosa Springs), quoted and re-checked
7. Pagosa Springs Land Use Code Art. 4 Use Regulations (Town of Pagosa Springs), quoted and re-checked
8. Pagosa Springs Land Use Code Art. 4 Use Regulations (Town of Pagosa Springs), quoted and re-checked
9. Pagosa Springs Land Use Code 6.2 Flood Damage Prevention Regulations (Town of Pagosa Springs), quoted and re-checked
10. Colorado Division of Water Resources — Water Administration, quoted and re-checked
11. Pagosa Springs Land Use Code Art. 3 Zoning Districts (Town of Pagosa Springs), quoted and re-checked
12. Development Services- Planning (4341), quoted and re-checked
13. Building Department – Archuleta County, quoted and re-checked
14. Archuleta County On-site Wastewater Treatment System Regulations 2024, quoted and re-checked
15. Archuleta County Water Quality Department (archuletacounty.gov)
16. Title 25 - Public Health and Environment - Colorado Revised Statutes 2024 (Colorado statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
17. Consumers of Manufactured Homes and Tiny Homes - HUD (Colorado statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
18. HB24-1152 Accessory Dwelling Units (Colorado statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
19. Access Permits | Frequently Asked Questions (Colorado statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
20. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
21. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data
22. Federal land share: Bolthole Index county data
23. Share of soils USDA rates "not limited" for a conventional septic drain field (SSURGO). A strict rating: the median county is about 6% and a tenth of counties are 0%, so a low figure means most lots need a site evaluation or an engineered system, not that septic is impossible. Cite it only with that caveat: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 16, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.