CHAFFEE COUNTY PLANNING AND ZONING
P.O. Box 699, Salida, CO 81201
Phone 719-530-5565 Fax 719-530-9208
104 Crestone Avenue, Room 125
STAFF:
Don Reimer, P.E., County Development Director
Kim Antonucci, Planner
Patty Turner, Administrative Assistant
CHAFFEE COUNTY LAND USE STATISTICS:
The County's land area is approximately 649,508 acres, which is equal to approximately 1014 square miles. Of this area, a large majority is managed by various federal, state and local government entities, including the US Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the State Land Board, and the state Divisions of Wildlife and Corrections. Excluding the incorporated municipalities of Salida, Buena Vista and Poncha Springs, there are approximately 120,000 acres of privately owned land in Chaffee County.
DEPARTMENT INFORMATION:
The Planning and Zoning 
Department is part of the County Development Services
Department. Planning Staff work closely with other county
departments, including Road and Bridge, Building Safety, and Environmental Health, to assist landowners in using
their property, and to enforce the adopted Land Use
Regulations to protect surrounding property owners from
incompatible land uses. The Planning Department staff is responsible for advising the Board of Commissioners, the Planning Commission and the public on land use and development issues. The planning staff accepts and reviews all land planning applications according to the County Land Use Code and County Master plans. The staff also prepares updates and revisions to the County's Land Use Codes for review by the Board of Commissioners to keep up with the changing values of the County's citizens.
PLANNING COMMISSION AND PENDING LAND USE APPLICATIONS:
The Planning Commission reviews land use applications for compliance with County regulations and makes recommendations on those applications to the Board of Commissioners.
For information on current land use applications and Planning Commission agendas for upcoming meetings please click here.
LAND USE CODE & APPLICATION FORMS:
The Chaffee County Land Use Code includes regulations on zoning, subdivision, roads, uses of private property and areas and activities of state interest (1041 regulations). For additional information, the Land Use Code and land use application forms click here.
LAND USE CODE UPDATES:
Over the past few years, the County has been working on updating the County Land Use Code. This process has evolved to include facilitated sessions to develop a shared vision, a citizen’s roundtable to identify desired outcomes, and now hopefully the last step – incorporating the vision and goals into workable regulations. Additional information on the update process is available here.
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN:
In March of 2000, The Board of Commissioners and Planning Commission completed adoption of a Comprehensive Plan for Chaffee County. Click here to view the Chaffee County Comprehensive Plan.
TRAILS MASTER PLAN:
The County, in cooperation with local citizen advocacy groups and the municipalities of Salida, Buena Vista, and Poncha Springs, adopted a Trails Master Plan in 2003. The plan can be viewed here.
INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENTS & LAND USE REVIEW COOPERATION:
The Planning Department is working with each of the municipalities to develop land use and infrastructure plans for the areas immediately surrounding the municipal limits, as recommended in the Comprehensive Plan. The adopted Comprehensive Plans for the County and the municipalities of Salida, Buena Vista and Poncha Springs encourage higher density and commercial development in or near the municipalities, and infrastructure requirements are often the limiting factor in the density of residential development and type of commercial development that can be established.
Chaffee County and Salida have adopted an IGA and planning map and began working together to develop a Regional Transportation Plan. More information can be found using the following links to the City of Salida website:
IGA: Resolution 2010-23
Regional Transportation Planning: www.cityofsalida.com
GIS/MAPPING:
GIS capability in Chaffee County is continually growing. Planning and Zoning coordinates with the County Assessor’s office to develop and administer the database. Standard zoning and road maps are available for purchase at the County offices, or specialized maps can be prepared for purchase through the Planning and Zoning Department. Contact staff for additional information and costs.
COOPERATIVE PLANNING:
Chaffee County works with several other agencies, non-profit groups and advisory boards in developing studies and plans for the region. Among these studies are:
Colorado Natural Heritage Program - Survey of Critical Biological and Riparian Areas in Chaffee County (2009)
Chaffee County Heritage Area Adivisory Board – Heritage Area Management Plan (2008)
Chaffee County Housing Needs Assessment (2007)
Community Wildfire Protection Plans
USEFUL LINKS:
State Demographer Home Page
County Population & Forecasts
GARNA & the Chaffee County Heritage Area Plan
Chaffee Housing Trust
Salida Planning & Zoning
Buena Vista Planning & Zoning
Poncha Springs Planning & Zoning
Chaffee County Building Department
Chaffee County Environmental Health
Chaffee County Road & Bridge
Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area
Pike-San Isabel National Forest
Bureau of Land Mangement - Royal Gorge Field Office
Right to Ranch and the Code of the West:
On March 4, 2008 the Chaffee County Commissioners adopted Ordinance 2008-02 “Right to Ranch”. The policy contains important information for all land-owners in rural Chaffee County regarding rights, responsibilities and obligations relating to agricultural activities and owning land in Chaffee County. It contains information about the importance of the County's agricultural operations and activities and provides a forum for dispute resolution.
You can find additional information on living in a rural area in the " Code of the West" Chaffee County initially published its Code of the West in the mid-1990's. Most of the original wording was created by John Clark, a Commissioner from Larimer County, Colorado.