Outside the two towns, the county makes the rules in Custer County

Custer County has two incorporated towns, Westcliffe and Silver Cliff, sitting side by side. Almost everything else in the county is unincorporated. That word matters when it comes to who you deal with.

Inside town limits, a town government handles local rules. Out on a ranch parcel or a lot in the hills, there is no town hall. The county is the local government. Its planning and building offices are the ones that handle building permits, land use applications, and questions about what you can do on a parcel.

Unincorporated does not mean anything goes. The county still has land use rules, and a new home, addition, or outbuilding generally needs permits. There may also be rules tied to a subdivision, a homeowners group, or access roads. The point is that the answers come from the county, not a town, when the property is outside the two towns.

Why a buyer should care: it is easy to assume a Westcliffe mailing address means town services and town rules. A parcel just outside the towns can be a different world for permits, roads, and utilities.

To find out who regulates a specific parcel, start with Custer County’s planning office and the state’s local-government resources.