Objectives: The Code Compliance Section of the Larimer County Planning and Building Services Division enforces all aspects of the Larimer County Land Use Code and Building Code. The purpose of these codes is to preserve and improve the health, safety and general welfare of Larimer County residents. Enforcement of these codes also helps to preserve the character and quality of rural and urban areas, protects lives and property from the hazards of unsafe construction and fosters harmonious relationships among land uses. It is the objective of the Code Compliance Section to work with property owners to bring properties into compliance with County regulations without creating undue hardship.
Geographic Area: Larimer County is bordered on the north by the Wyoming border, on the south by Boulder County, on the west by Grand and Jackson Counties, and on the east by Weld County, covering over 2,600 square miles. The Code Compliance Section responds to complaints and enforces County regulations within all unincorporated areas in Larimer County, meaning all areas not contained within specific city or town limits such as Wellington, Fort Collins, Loveland, Windsor, Johnstown, Berthoud, Timnath, Estes Park, and State and Federal lands.
Enforcement Discretion: All code violations may not meet a degree of significance to warrant continued staff time and the expenditure of further County funds. For instance, if a 6'1" fence exists where 6' is the standard, it is unlikely anyone would find the violation warrants the same degree of staff time as a family living in a residence without obtaining all required inspection approvals-anyone, that is, except the complaining citizen. In these instances, the Code Compliance Officer (CCO) has the ability to determine that although a technical violation exists, the violation does not meet a standard of significance to warrant further expenditure of staff time and County resources.
Substantial Compliance: The standard of "substantial compliance" is critical for managing scarce County resources. Substantial compliance allows the County to close those cases that fundamentally satisfy County requirements. For example, where a property owner brings the property into compliance by mitigating the most serious and significant violations, but still has an outstanding minor violation, like the example above of a fence one inch above height limitations, the CCO will bring this to the owner's attention with a notice listing those items that have been corrected and minor items which the owner should correct, but which staff will not actively pursue (unless, of course, the minor violations become more serious at a later date).
Code of Ethics: Larimer County Code Compliance staff have adopted the American Association of Code Enforcement's (AACE) Code of Ethics: