Frequently Asked Questions for Planning Department
Have a question or complaint
Codes and Code Enforcement vary throughout Mesa County. If you are in a municipal area, please refer to the applicable city or town codes. For residents in unincorporated Mesa County, please refer to the Mesa County Land Development Code. Please note that requirements may also be different for residential and commercial properties.
Questions
Yes. However, fences over 7 feet in height must meet setback requirements and require a Planning approval and a building permit. No fence, regardless of the height, can block sight distance on roads or driveways.
Yes, a second residence is allowed and is considered an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) within the zoning code. ADUs are allowed on single-family properties that are greater than 6,500 square feet in size. The size of the ADU is limited depending on the primary structure size. Please contact the Planning Department at 970-244-1636 with your address to discuss the limitations and process.
No, this is considered a subdivision of land and any division of land must follow a county process (except when both parcels are greater than 35 acres). Please refer to the "Can I subdivide my land" section (see next).
Maybe. Property may be subdivided if certain criteria in the Mesa County Land Development Code and other county regulations are met. Please contact the Planning Department at 970-244-1636 or apply for a pre-application meeting to find out if the parcel can be subdivided and receive details about the process.
The Planning Department requires a Planning Clearance for residential sheds greater than 200 square feet. The Building Department requires a building permit for residential sheds greater than 200 square feet, and for any structure that is connected to utilities, regardless of size.
Yes. Approval of a planning clearance and building permit are required before construction can begin. Agricultural buildings are those that are used for activities or storage of materials and equipment related to agricultural uses, and that are not connected to any utilities, i.e. electrical service. If a building will have utility connections, a different type of building permit will be required.
Some parcels are located in a municipality and some are in Mesa County. You can find your property's jurisdiction on the GIS Districts and City Limits Map or call the Planning Department at 970-244-1636 with the address or the parcel number.
Mesa County Code Compliance Services is complaint-driven. This means that a signed complaint must be filed with our department in order to begin the code compliance process. You may file a complaint by visiting the Mesa County Customer Portal.
Setbacks are the required distance between a structure and a property line. All structures must meet minimum setback, whether or not a building permit is required. Setbacks differ depending on the adjacent property line, zoning or the subdivision or community the parcel is located. To find out the required setbacks for a parcel, call the Planning Department at 970-244-1636 with the address or the parcel number. Refer to the Mesa County Land Development Code for setbacks (Ctrl F - works wonders as a search engine - search by setbacks)
Uses that are allowed within each zone can be found under Table 6-1, of the 2020 Mesa County Land Development Code specifies uses allowed in each zoning district and indicates what process is necessary for initiating those uses. Most uses require some type of Site Plan approval.
Each municipality has its own annexation policies. For example, in 1998 the City of Grand Junction and Mesa County signed the Persigo Agreement, establishing the Persigo 201 Boundary. This is the area that can be served by the Persigo Wastewater Treatment Plant. The agreement describes what kinds of development in specific areas will cause annexation into the City of Grand Junction. If your project meets those criteria, the City and County have agreed that the City will take land use jurisdiction upon application and proceed with annexation.
Property with two street frontages are subject to all street setback requirements of the zoning district in which the parcel is located.
Zoning is used to guide future growth by delineating districts and establishing regulations that govern the allowed uses and placement of structures on properties for specific purposes (residential, commercial, industrial, etc.). All parcels in Mesa County are zoned and regulated under a uniform set of regulations (2020 Mesa County Land Development Code). Development and construction must meet these criteria before being approved.
Zoning protects the public by requiring neighboring properties to conform to the regulations of the zone district. You may look up the zoning on any parcel located in Mesa County using the GIS Zoning Map or call the Planning Department at 970-244-1636 with the address or the parcel number.