• Castle Valley Building Permits Agent (Fay Roth - Phone: (435) 259-9828 or 259-4743)
• Grand County Building Inspector (Phone: (435) 259-1343)
• Legal Property Owner and, if relevant, Building Contractor

• Only one single family dwelling unit is allowed per lot. As part of the Building Permit Process, applicants must sign an Acknowledgment of this requirement.

• Guest Houses are not permitted, and temporary second dwellings are closely restricted (see below for information on Temporary Dwellings).

• The plat of the Castle Valley River Ranchos Subdivision was approved by Grand County before the Town of Castle Valley was incorporated. During the platting process, there was no geologic evaluation of hazards associated with rock falls, flooding, soil problems, suitability, subsidence or similar geologic hazards. Building permit applicants are strongly advised to independently evaluate geologic hazards on the individual lot on which they propose to build. See Geologic Hazard Maps for initial guidance. The Building Permit process requires the signing of a Release Form that disclaims any Town liability for geologic hazards on any lot.

• Setbacks: The Zoning Ordinance specifies the following:
  

• For all buildings, water wells and septic systems, fifty (50) feet from the platted public road easement lines

• For all buildings, thirty (30) feet from the property lines between contiguous lots. For water wells and septic systems fifty (50) feet from the property lines between contiguous lots

• Building Height and Size
  Please Note: The zoning provisions described below are designed in a way that as the total combined square footage for all buildings on your lot increases, the height of each successive building may need to be lower. Think about the overall plan that you have for all future buildings on your lot and consider these things carefully when deciding what to build first and how tall you would like each building to be.
  
  
  • No new building or new addition to an existing building shall create a total of 7,001 square feet or more of combined square footage on a lot.
  
  
  • No new building or new addition to an existing building shall be more than 25 feet tall.
  
  
  • Any new building or new addition to an existing building which, upon its completion creates a total of up to 4,000 square feet of combined square footage on a lot shall not be more than 25 feet tall.
    
    
  • Any new building or new addition to an existing building which, upon its completion, creates a total of between 4,001 and 5,000 square feet in combined square footage on a lot shall not be more than 23 feet tall
    
    
  • Any new building or new addition to an existing building which, upon its completion, creates a total of 5,001 and 6,000 square feet in combined square footage on a lot shall not be more than 19 feet tall
    
    
  • Any new building or new addition to an existing building which, upon its completion, creates a total of 6,001 and 7,000 square feet in combined square footage on a lot shall not be more than 15 feet tall
    
    
  • "Combined square footage" for each building is determined by adding together the floor area of each story of the building plus the area which is directly below exterior roofs as measured from the exterior wall of a building to the roof's edge (see Illustration B). A basement's floor area should also be added when determining the combined square footage of any building if the ceiling area of 50% or more of the entire basement is three feet or more above finished grade (see Illustrations A1 and A2)
    
    
  • "Building height" is measured as the vertical distance between a horizontal line extending from the highest point of any roof, wall, or parapet (not including chimneys or vents) and the lower of either 1) the lowest point where the foundation or wall of the building intersects a point two feet above the natural grade that existed before any earth was moved in the construction or landscaping of the building or 2) the lowest point in the finished grade. A window well that is entirely within five feet of an exterior wall of the structure or the stair to a basement that is entirely within eight feet of an exterior wall of the structure shall not be considered in determining the finished grade (see Illustrations C1 and C2).
    
    
  • Up to two accessory buildings on a lot may be excluded from the calculation of the total combined square footage on a lot if the excluded building or buildings are each no more than 120 square feet in area and no more than twelve (12) feet in building height, when measured from finished grade.
    
    
  • Buildings used for agricultural purposes that are not for human habitation and do not contain plumbing or wiring are exempt from having to receive a building permit as stated in state statutes. However, such buildings must obtain a certificate of land use compliance from the Town of Castle Valley Building Permit Agent before they can be constructed or moved into the Town.
    
    
  • Applicants who wish to build an addition to a non-complying building that was constructed or received final approval for construction prior to May 13, 2008, and is taller than 25 feet may make one addition to that building at a height that is more than 25 feet tall but not more than 30 feet tall. Such an addition shall not exceed 500 square feet. No such addition, however, shall be allowed which would increase the combined square footage of the building affected by the addition to more than 4000 square feet.
    
    

• No changes shall be made to any wash, drainage or waterway that affects the exist point of surface water from your property; nor shall the concentration of discharge at that point be changed. A Drainage Review by the Road Supervisor is required as part of the Building permit.
  
  
• Driveway culverts must be sized by the Road Supervisor (or in the case of Castle Valley Drive, referred to the County Roads Department)

• The Town has Ordinances regarding outdoor lighting and fencing.

Fire Prevention

Fire is a very serious hazard in Castle Valley, even more so in recent years with the spread of cheat grass across the Valley. In the summer/ fall of 2007, we had four separate fires; and, in one case, a house under construction was totally destroyed.

Thanks to the good work of the Castle Valley Fire District, Castle Valley is a Firewise Community, committed to operating in ways which reduce the potential for fire and improve the ability of our volunteer fire force to fight fires when they occur.

In planning construction, we ask property owners to consider the following critical issues which could make the crucial difference between saving your home and losing it:

• Roofs and outside walls should ideally be constructed of fire-resistant materials
• Mark the address of your house clearly on the road and have a driveway that fire equipment can easily use
• Create a defensible space around your house for at least 30 feet on all sides, providing a low fuel environment in the case of a spreading wildfire.
  
• If appropriate, have an irrigation system near the house
• Use low-growing, low flammability plants that are widely spaced.
  
• Think about your driveway and any paths or walkways for their potential as firebreaks
• During construction, be certain to have fire suppression equipment
• If there is cheat grass on your property, plow it under in the spring and/or mow it down!

• Nurseries, botanical gardens
• Home occupations (within the actual residence - no more than 25%)
• Premise occupations (separate building - no more than 1200 square feet)
• Public building (i.e. the Town lot)
• Raising and selling of livestock
• Day care nurseries, family day care center and foster care homes
• Existing irrigation ditches, spring-fed ponds, water pipelines, flood control structures, above ground culinary water storage tanks and windmills
• Schools, churches, cemeteries, parks, playgrounds and arboretums
• Exclusionary fencing for commercial agricultural uses around the entire property