Applying for a Building Permit in Star Valley, Wyoming

Several months ago, I wrote a blog post titled, "The Process for Getting a Building Permit in Star Valley Ranch, Wyoming Isn't as Hard as you Think". It's by far the most read blog post I've written to date; it's also specific to a small part of Star Valley, Wyoming. If you're building a custom home outside of the Star Valley Ranch, Wyoming jurisdiction, you submit yourself to the mercy (well, maybe that's a bit dramatic) of Lincoln County. There's a few notable exceptions to how that process works with Lincoln County versus Star Valley Ranch, so let's start with the application process.

Before we start building, we need to get approval from Lincoln County. There are a few hoops to jump through, so we want to make sure we get it right!

The Lincoln County, Wyoming Building Permit Process

Much like Star Valley Ranch, Wyoming, we do still need to apply for a building permit. Instead of a town jurisdiction, we apply directly to the Lincoln County Planning and Zoning Commision (located in Afton, WY) for this building permit. Any home built outside the "city" limits of Star Valley Ranch, Wyoming or Alpine, Wyoming applies to Lincoln County for the purpose of obtaining a building permit. We'll start by filling out this permit. When you work with Unshakeable Custom Homes, we take care of this during our pre-construction and site prep process.

The Site Plan

First, we'll need to have the lot surveyed by a local surveyor, such as Fremont Surveying & Engineering or Surveyor Scherbel. They will start with establishing the lot corners and setbacks; once those are established, they will overlay the CAD files from your floor plan into their system and will be able to set your home wherever you'd like on the property.

If you take a look at the building permit application, they spell out exactly what they want to see on your site plan. Depending on thecomplexity of the lot, it also pays to have the surveyor set topographic waypoints to help establish the ideal home placement on the lot; this is usually for topographically complex lots, or small lots that need precise placement of your home.

The site plan includes utility placement, home placement, any auxiliary buildings, north markers, your septic system, well, and any driveways and turnarounds. Remember the deed you received when you bought the property? You'll probably have to dig it out of the mountain of paperwork you received from the title company, but we'll need that as well!

For a simple survey, which includes staking lot corners, marking setbacks, and setting the stakes for the home (up to 2 times), the price comes in between $1,700 and $2,300.

The Septic Permit

I won't go too in-depth about this section as I have another blog post I've written concerning this topic. But needless to say, this is very important. If you're coming from a larger population center, you're no doubt used to having community sewer. Here in Star Valley, Wyoming however, we'll need to install a small wastewater facility, or septic system. This is a separate application that you'll have to fill out and submit, as well as conducting a Perc Test and Soil Cut by a qualified excavation contractor.

Both the Soil Cut and Perc Test aid in designing your home's septic system. Depending on the results of your Perc Test and what the Soil Cut reveals, you may have to upgrade the type of system that will need to be installed.

We do have a somewhat high water table here in Star Valley, Wyoming. If the Soil Cut reveals mottling in the soil, or there's a presence of high ground water, your septic system will have to engineered to comply with state standards. This is all overseen by the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, or DEQ.

As a side note, soil mottling can be a very misunderstood and intimidating topic. A lot of the time, mottling can indicate the prescence of high ground water; many times, however, it can indicate a plot of land that was flood irrigated for agricultural purposes (which happens frequently in Star Valley Wyoming!!). Check out this small paper that was published which explains soil mottling and what to look for. Your excavation contractor or builder should know how to spot mottling in the soil and how to deal with that mottling so that your septic system functions properly.

As of August 2025, Lincoln County is requiring all septic systems to be engineered and Approved by Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality. This process can take anywhere between 1-3 months, so starting early before you break ground is key.

Engineering for a septic system usually costs around $3,050.

The grayish layer at the top of the photo is an example of soil mottling. But turning the contrast up on the picture, you can see the difference between that layer and the normal yellow/orange layer directly below.

The Fees

No permit would be complete without fees! Thankfully this is the most painless part of this process. To procees the Building permit, the fee is $250. The septic permit processing fee is $300.

Building Codes

Unlike Star Valley Ranch, Wyoming, Lincoln County only requires buildings to be engineered to International Residential Code (IRC) 2006. This is a much less strict standard than we at Unshakeable Custom Homes are used to designing homes to. The engineers we work with will design the structural load of your home to a minimum of IRC 2021.

This doesn't usually become a concern, just something worth mentioning. It's always good practice to ask and check-in when you talk to builders to figure out what their minimum standard is.

Remember too, that there are no county inspectors coming to check on your builder's work. We ALWAYS recommend that homeowners and clients work with a third-party inspection service just to make sure you're getting another set of eyes on your home. Hiring this service is well worth the investment!

It's Not as Hard as You Think!

It does sound complicated, and sometimes it can be. But as with many other permits, the hard part is knowing who to call and what red tape to cut through. If you have questions about the process or how we can help, let us know! Building with Unshakeable Custom Homes means white glove service, and a team behind you that will take care every step of the building process. We handle all the necessary paperwork and permits so you can move forward with the least amount of stress.