When planning a construction project or purchasing a vacant parcel in San Juan County, navigating the initial process is key. The first step, in my opinion, is to hire one of the professional land use consultants as this endeavor is very challenging. Even if one works in the industry and is knowledgeable about the process, it can be character building. To be honest, I am in the industry, and I wouldn’t take on the building permit process without a consultant.

A design and permitting expert’s role is to determine whether a parcel contains any critical areas that could impact a project. It is also important to remember that not all parcels have the same rules; meaning not all parcels require the same amount of work to acquire a permit. Each parcel has a designated zoning type and that type then needs to be cross referenced to the County’s land use codes.

One of your first decisions will be how to proceed with the permit application. You have several options, but the most typical include processing a Residential Pre-Application (RPA), a Grading and Tree removal Permit or if your project is straight forward with no time restrictions, heading forward with the formal building permit application.

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