County now requires construction permit

Property owners in the unincorporated areas of Hot Springs County are advised of several newly-adopted County requirements that affect new construction. These went into effect with adoption of the County’s 2020 Land Use Plan in November of last year.

Prior to starting new construction in the unincorporated areas of Hot Springs County, landowners are now required to obtain a Construction Permit. This is a simple, one-page application that is available online at http://www.hscounty.com/departments/planning, or can be picked up at the County Planning Office on the Fourth Floor of the Courthouse. The Planning Office will also mail or e-mail this form to applicants, if desired. There is no fee associated with this permit.

According to County Planner Bo Bowman, “It is important to understand that this is not a “building permit,” as might be found elsewhere around Wyoming,”

Hot Springs County does not have a building inspection program, and is not interested in starting one. The purpose of the Construction Permit is to notify the county before any construction begins, allowing time to determine whether or not certain items need to first be addressed. These include floodplain status, addressing, access, water and sewer service, and height restrictions near the County Airport.

Two of these requirements are new. First, the county is required to enforce FAA-mandated height restrictions within 2.7 miles of the airport runway that establish an obstruction-free zone for aircraft. The height of this airspace can range from 40 ft. to 400 ft. above ground level, depending upon topography, hence virtually all residential and agricultural construction can easily be accommodated.

Secondly, the county now requires that any new wells accessing geothermal groundwater must use heat exchangers (or a similar technology) to prevent the extraction and dumping of geothermal groundwater.

Anyone with questions about any of these county requirements should contact the Hot Springs County Planning Office at 864-2961, or via e-mail at hscplanner@hscounty.com.