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Undeveloped Land
Undeveloped land is vacant and has no constructed utilities, structures or driveways existing on it. In Clear Creek County there are still many parcels and areas of the county that are considered undeveloped land.
Undeveloped land may be the site of your future dream home or commercial business. It is important to know what you might be purchasing or selling - from easements to zoning restrictions to utility challenges, vacant land can be more than meets the eye.
Permit Research
Undeveloped or vacant land will likely not have an finalized or approved permits, however it may be a good idea to check if permits were once obtained in the past but work was never completed. In some cases, there are a few parcels left in the county where there may have been a permitted driveway that was constructed, or a septic system installed, but no structures. There are times property is sold as "vacant land" but may have permitted access and some utilities.
There are several ways to conduct your own property research in Clear Creek County.
- E-Trakit
- Open Records Request
- Contact the Clear Creek County Permit Coordinator
E-Trakit
E-Trakit is a web-based version of the Clear Creek County permit database. This feature allows citizens, and the public, to search for permit information associated with a parcel number or address in unincorporated Clear Creek County. E-Trakit currently will show the type of permits issued, issue date and the status of the permit. Copies of plans, applications and permits are not currently available through E-Trakit and must be requested directly through an Open Records Request.
To access permit records through E-Trakit please visit the E-Trakit web page and navigate to the "Search Permit" tab. You will need to set up an account in E-Trakit to access permit records.
Open Records Request
If you are looking to obtain copies of specific documents you may submit an Open Records Request Form. Request for review and copies of records must be in conformance with the Clear Creek County Public Records Policy (R-19-38). Fees may be charged for research, retrieval of public records, copies of records, computer output, manipulating data and generating reports.
Contact the Clear Creek County Permit Coordinator
If you need information that is not available through E-Trakit, simply have a questions about conducting record research, or have an inquiry about a specific property, please reach out to the Clear Creek County Permit Coordinator at permits@co.clear-creek.co.us or (303) 679-2333.
Research through ClearMap
The Clear Creek County Mapping & Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Department provides online digital maps to the public. This service is a great resource to utilize during your property research.
When researching undeveloped land on ClearMap it is most beneficial to search by parcel number, parcel name or owner number. Undeveloped land will not receive an assigned address until a permitted residence or business is constructed. You can turn on different map layers that are helpful in understanding what conditions might exist on the property, such as contour layers, road maintenance layers, the FEMA Flood Hazard layer, and building design criteria.
You can print and generate your own maps from ClearMap. Please note that ClearMap is not survey accurate and while it provides a good idea of the general land and surrounding area, it should not be used to determine property boundaries.
To access ClearMap for your research, you can access our parcel map or zoning map. If you are researching a specific area for snow loads and wind speeds we have those too! Finally, if you looking to get from point A to point B, have a look at our road maintenance map.
Contact the Clear Creek County Mapping and GIS Department
If you need help navigating and using ClearMap or other interactive map services, please reach out to the Clear Creek County Mapping and GIS Department at mapping@clearcreekcounty.us or (303) 679-2436.
Property Zoning
Zoning determines both how a property may be developed as well as the uses permitted on the property. This guide will help you identify how your property of interest is zoned by locating it on our map.
Structure Setbacks
Zoning also determines the intensity of development. This is just a fancy way of defining how tall a structure is or how close a building can be constructed to a property’s boundaries and its distance from the road or right-of-way. If you already know your zoning, or are searching for a property, this index may be very helpful.
Zoning Matrix with Links to Regulations
Zoning Map
If you’re interested in going directly to our zoning map you can perform interactive search on it here. Just click the blue "I want to..." box on the map to locate your property.
The roadway system in unincorporated Clear Creek County consists of private roads, county owned roads (maintained and unmaintained), United States Forest Service (USFS) maintained county roads and the highway system. The County Road System is established through a recorded resolution adopted by the Board of County Commissioners, known as the Clear Creek County Road System List. The most recent update to this list was adopted in 2019.
It is important to know what classification of road your driveway may connect to so you are aware of what type of maintenance your roadway might receive and what type of access permits or easements may exist.
County Road Maintenance
The classification of a roadway per the Clear Creek County Road System List will dictate what level of maintenance the road will receive by the Clear Creek County Public Works (Road & Bridge) Division.
Primary County Maintained Roads
Roads classified as "Primary County Maintained Roads" carry heavy traffic flow into and out of subdivisions and residential or commercial centers (including municipalities) in various sectors of the County. Primary roads can have either asphalt surface and/or gravel surface, and are graded and drained. Roads in this category may carry school bus traffic, and main routes. They receive first day snow removal service by the Public Works (Road & Bridge) Division.
Secondary County Maintained Roads
Roads classified as "Secondary County Maintained Roads" may not meet vertical or horizontal alignment standards, and may not allow for the safe passage of two vehicles. Roads with this classification which are maintained on a year round basis may expect snow removal on the second or third day, and may not receive snow removal with each snowfall; existing conditions may curtail secondary service in order to focus operations on Primary Roads. Some roads in this classification may have seasonal maintenance classification with no winter maintenance.
Secondary County Non-Maintained Roads
Roads classified as "Secondary County Non-Maintained Roads" have a variety of road surfaces and provide ingress/egress for the traveling public. This classification includes roads which are on the County Highway System, but are not maintained. Most of these roads are traversable by four wheel drive vehicles only. While these roads receive no snow removal, they may be periodically maintained or repaired by the Public Works (Road & Bridge) Division.
Schedule A Public Roads
Roads classified as "Schedule A Public Roads" are County roads and USFS roads maintained pursuant to an agreement between the County and USFS.
Interstate and US Highways
Interstates and US Highways are maintained and receive snow removal from the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). For information please visit the CDOT website.
Connections to a Road
Any connection to a County owned roadway or Interstate/US Highway must be permitted through a Driveway Permit issued by the Site Development Department. There may be additional required permits or easements to obtain legal access. For more information please visit the Site Development web page.
Explore the County Road System through ClearMap
The Clear Creek County Mapping & Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Department provides online digital maps to the public. This service is a great resource to utilize during your property research. When researching developed land on ClearMap it is most beneficial to search by site address, parcel number, parcel name or owner name.
ClearMap has map layers that can assist in researching what classification of roadway your driveway is connected to. To utilize ClearMap to review the County Road System you can navigate to the County Road Maintenance Theme Map.
You can print and generate your own maps from ClearMap. Please note that ClearMap is not survey accurate and while it provides a good idea of the general land and surrounding area, it should not be used to determine property boundaries.
Contact the Clear Creek County Mapping and GIS Department
If you need help navigating and using ClearMap or other interactive map services, please reach out to the Clear Creek County Mapping and GIS Department at mapping@clearcreekcounty.us or (303) 679-2436.
Development Permits
Undeveloped or vacant land will need to obtain permits in order to construct buildings on the property or do excavation. There are some exemptions to this rule, but you should always confirm that your project does not require permits PRIOR to doing any work. Depending on where your property is located and what utilities are available at a specific lot, permits may include, but are not limited to:
- Building Permits
- Driveway & Excavation Permits
- Onsite Wastewater Treatment System Permits
- Wildfire Hazard and Defensible Space Permits
- Right of Way Permits
- Well Permits or other State Permits
The process of obtaining a permit can be found in our comprehensive overview packets. If you are interested in constructing a new single family residence we recommend reviewing the Single Family Residence Overview Packet. If you are interested in constructing a commercial or multifamily structure we recommend reviewing the Commercial Overview Packet.
Evaluation and assessment of all taxable real and personal property in Clear Creek County is handled through the Assessor's Office. These activities provide the basis of deriving fair and equalized property values in order to distribute the county's tax burden in a fair and equitable manner.
Depending on if the land is considered vacant or not will impact the value that the property owner is taxed. To determine how a property is being taxed and the assessment history of the property you can visit the Property Research tool online. To research an undeveloped parcel you will need to know the parcel number, tax account number or last name of the current owner.
It is important to know that taxes follow a property. If there is an outstanding balance of unpaid taxes they balance will follow the land. For more information on taxes and how they follow the property or for information on tax leins please contact the Clear Creek County Treasurers Office at clee@clearcreekcounty.us or (303) 679-2353.
View or Pay Property Taxes Online
If you are interested in viewing property taxes for a specific parcel, or would like to pay your property taxes. You may do so by going to the Treasure Records page and navigating to the parcel in question.
Explore Property Taxes through ClearMap
The Clear Creek County Mapping & Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Department provides online digital maps to the public. This service is a great resource to utilize during your property research. When researching undeveloped land on ClearMap it is most beneficial to search by parcel number, parcel name or owner number. Undeveloped land will not receive an assigned address until a permitted residence or business is constructed.
ClearMap has map layers that can assist in research related to property taxes. You can utilize ClearMap to evaluate what tax district a specific parcel is in. During the part of the year when Tax Leins are released to the public, ClearMapwill have a layer for affected properties that year.
You can print and generate your own maps from ClearMap. Please note that ClearMap is not survey accurate and while it provides a good idea of the general land and surrounding area, it should not be used to determine property boundaries.
To access ClearMap for your tax related research [MATT TAYLOR ADDITIONS HERE]...
Contact the Clear Creek County Mapping and GIS Department
If you need help navigating and using ClearMap or other interactive map services, please reach out to the Clear Creek County Mapping and GIS Department at mapping@clearcreekcounty.us or (303) 679-2436.