Adams County, CO
Subdividing Land in Adams County, Colorado
Splitting off a parcel smaller than 35 acres in unincorporated Adams County means going through the county's Subdivision Exemption process under its Development Standards & Regulations -- not a simple deed split. Here's the actual application: what documents you need, where it's submitted, and who signs off.
This page covers what's specific to Adams County. For the general explanation, see the national guide.
Why a small division needs county approval before a deed will do the job
Colorado's Senate Bill 35 has, since 1972, required a county's approval before any division of land creates a parcel smaller than 35 acres -- otherwise the resulting parcel isn't considered legally created, which can surface later as a title or building-permit problem. In Adams County, that approval takes the form of a Subdivision Exemption reviewed against the county's own Development Standards & Regulations. The applicant carries the burden of showing the proposed exemption fully complies with those standards; this isn't a rubber-stamp process, and county staff can and do request additional information before a plat is approved.
Subdivision plats resulting from an approved exemption may only be recorded after the Board of County Commissioners has signed off -- so a seller advertising a smaller parcel carved out of a larger holding should be able to show you that approval and a recorded plat, not just a survey or a verbal description of where the new line falls.
The application: an all-electronic process through the county's permit portal
Adams County takes Subdivision Exemption applications electronically: everything gets submitted to epermitcenter@adcogov.org as a single combined PDF, or as an unlocked OneDrive link if the file is too large to email, or on a flash drive delivered to the One-Stop Customer Service Center in person. Once staff confirms the application is complete, fees are invoiced and payable online through the county's citizen-access portal (permits.adcogov.org/CitizenAccess) rather than collected up front with the initial submission.
Supporting documentation typically required includes proof of an existing or obtainable well permit for the new parcel, and a written statement from the relevant service provider on wastewater: either confirmation from a sanitation district that it will serve the property, a current utility bill showing existing service, or -- for a parcel that will rely on a septic system -- a written statement on OWTS (onsite wastewater) viability. Older application templates reference Tri-County Health Department for that septic-viability statement; since Adams County stood up its own Adams County Health Department in January 2023, confirm with current county staff which office's sign-off actually satisfies this requirement now before assembling your packet.
What this means for evaluating a listing that describes a recent or pending split
If a listing describes a parcel as newly created from a larger tract, or advertises a planned future split, ask directly whether a Subdivision Exemption has actually been approved and recorded, or whether the seller is marketing land that still needs to clear this process. A pending or informal split carries real risk: until the Board of County Commissioners approves the exemption and a plat is recorded, the smaller parcel isn't a legally recognized lot under the 1972 rule, regardless of what a survey or purchase contract says.
For a parcel that's part of an established, already-platted subdivision, this process doesn't apply -- Subdivision Exemption is specifically for creating a new small parcel outside an existing plat. Confirm which situation you're actually in with the Community and Economic Development Department's Planning & Development Division before assuming either path applies.
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- Subdivision Exemption application — Adams County, Colorado Government (accessed 2026-09)
- Subdivision Design, Improvements, and Dedication (Chapter 5) — Adams County, Colorado Government (accessed 2026-09)
- Colorado Senate Bill 35 Regulates Subdivisions of Land Resulting in One or More Parcels Less Than 35 Acres In Size — Cherry Creek Title (accessed 2026-09)
- White Paper: 35-Acre Subdivisions — Colorado Counties, Inc. (accessed 2026-09)
- Development Standards & Regulations — Adams County, Colorado Government (accessed 2026-09)
Last reviewed 2026-09