Community Development Department

Helpful Links

Quartz Creek

Photo courtesy of Bev Alexander

Click on any of the following for information about resources related to land use, building, and environmental health.

Other Local Governments in Gunnison County

• City of Gunnison Planning and Community Development and Planning
• City of Gunnison Building Department
• Town of Crested Butte Department of Planning and Community Development
• Town of Crested Butte Building Department
• Town of Marble, permitting requirements
• Town of Pitkin, officials, ordinances and resolutions.
• Town of Mt. Crested Butte Community Development Department

State of Colorado Agencies

• State of Colorado Home Page: Offiicial site of the State of Colorado, with links to municipalities, counties, all state agencies.
• Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, regulations that address water quality, air quality, hazardous waste containment, public facilities, consumer protection and other public health-related issues.
• Colorado Department of Transportation. Information about procedures, standards and permits for building access (driveways) from private property to state highways.
• Colorado Examining Board of Plumbers: Information about obtaining plumbing permits online, and plumbing standards); how to contact the Plumbing Inspector who serves the Gunnison/Crested Butte area.
• Colorado State Electrical Board: Information about obtaining electrical permits online, installation standards and how to contact the Electrical Inspector who serves the Gunnison/Crested Butte area.
• Colorado Division of Minerals and Geology. This division is responsible for mineral and energy development, policy, regulation and planning and is comprised of the Office of Mined Land Reclamation and the Office of Active and Inactive Mines.
• Colorado Division of Water Resources, also known as the Office of the State Engineer, administers water rights, issues water well permits, represents Colorado in interstate water compact proceedings, monitors streamflow and water use, approves construction and repair of dams and performs dam safety inspections, issues licenses for well drillers and assures the safe and proper construction of water wells, and maintains numerous databases of Colorado water information.
• Colorado State Forest Service, Gunnison Office. Colorado State Forest Service offers technical assistance and information to private landowners who want to be good stewards of their land. The agency does not manage campgrounds, have jurisdiction over public lands, or sell recreational licenses.
• Colorado Division of Wildlife

Federal Agencies

• Environmental Protection Agency Ground Water and Surface Water programs. The federal program that, along with EPA's ten regional drinking water programs, oversees implementation of the Safe Drinking Water Act, which is the national law safeguarding tap water in America.
• FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency): For floodplain map information for individual parcels.  Once connected to the link, click on "Map Search" on the menu at the top of the page and input an address to access floodplain information for an individual parcel.
• U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Forest Service Grand Mesa Uncompahgre Gunnison National Forest. Regional Office: 2250 Highway 50, Delta, Colorado 81416
• Natural Resources Conservation Service. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides technical and financial assistance to help agricultural producers and others care for the land.
• U.S. National Park Service
• U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Gunnison Field Office.
• U.S. Census Bureau
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Colorado Service Office. Information about the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permitting requirements.  More specific information and assistance about development in wetlands areas, and about securing permits in the Gunnison Basin can be obtained from the Colorado/Gunnison Basin Regulatory Office, 400 Rood Ave., Room 142, Grand Junction, CO 81501-2563, Phone (970) 243-1199.

General Water Information

• Well-Permitting Guide. How to get a well permit.  Subdivision and well permits. Purchasing property with a well or water rights. Springs. How long a well permit is valid.
• The Beginner's Guide to Augmentation Plans.
• Guideline for Subdivision Water Supply Plans.
• Gunnison River Basin Water Court contacts and information.
• Current streamflow conditions in Gunnison County.
• Clean Water Act  (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency site). The federal regulation that governs wetlands.
• Wetlands: (U. S. Environmental Protection Agency site).  Explanation of what wetlands are, federal permitting requirements, watershed planning and financial assistance to protect wetlands.
• Colorado River Water Conservation District, a public water policy agency comprised of 15 West Slope counties chartered by the Colorado General Assembly in 1937 to be "the appropriate agency for the conservation, use and development of the water resources of the Colorado River and its principal tributaries in Colorado."
• Colorado State University Colorado Water Facts: Colorado water knowledge, including "cool water facts."
• Floodplain Information Report: Crystal River. Click HERE for the Technical Appendix.

Planning Organizations

• American Planning Association. The national association of planners, and up-to-date news about land use planning throughout the U.S. APA, a nonprofit public interest and research organization, and its professional institute, the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), committed to urban, suburban, regional, and rural planning.
• Colorado Chapter of the American Planning Association
• Planning Commissioners' Journal: The nation's principal publication designed for citizen planners, including (but certainly not limited to) members of local planning commissions and zoning boards.

Miscellaneous Resources

• Office for Resource Efficiency - 2009 Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Incentives
• Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Association
• Colorado Real Estate Commission. Subdivision development information.
• Rocky Mountain Biological Lab at Gothic: RMBL was founded in 1928 to facilitate research and education in the biological sciences. The  non-profit organization provides facilities for scientists and offers college-level courses for students. Approximately 150 students and scientists from around the world meet in Gothic for a summer of study and research.
• Southwest Data Center: Gunnison County Interactive Mapping Site hosted by the Southwest Data Center, a nonprofit, policy neutral organization which provides public access to GIS (geographic information systems) data and economic development tools via the Internet.
• Abandoned mines in Colorado: Best management practices for mines that are no longer being mined.
• Smart Growth Network: In 1996, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency joined with several non-profit and government organizations to form the Smart Growth Network (SGN).  The Network was formed in response to increasing community concerns about the need for new ways to grow that boost the economy, protect the environment, and enhance community vitality.  The Network's partners include environmental groups, historic preservation organizations, professional organizations, developers, real estate interests; local and state government entities.
• Click HERE for a copy of the Renter's Rights Handbook, courtesy of the City of Gunnison.
• "Landowning, Colorado Style," Colorado State Forest Service guidelines for developing and living in the unique vegetation of Colorado.
• “Fencing with Wildlife in Mind”: Good fences make good neighbors, whether you have a ranch with livestock or a residence with a garden, Colorado’s Division of Wildlife offers some key guidelines to keeping wildlife and livestock safe, and people happier living with both.
• Estimated Probabilities, Volumes, and Inundation Area Depths of Potential Postwildfire Debris Flows from Carbonate, Slate, Raspberry, and Milton Creeks, near Marble, Gunnison County, Colorado
• Marble Wright Water Study
• Marble Wright Water Study Maps: 
  Marble plat map
  Marble Slope Map
  Marble Slope Stability Evaluation Map
  Marble Slope Permeablity Map
  Marble Soils Limitations to Leach Fields
  Marble Specific Hazards Map
  Marble Togographic Map
  Marble Development Limitations Map

Office Staff