Byers is an unincorporated community of about 1,322 residents (2020 Census) roughly 45 miles east of Denver, at the junction of I-70 and US-36. It grew up as a railroad and farming town: the settlement dates to 1868 on the Kansas Pacific Railroad, named for Rocky Mountain News founder William N. Byers, and the townsite was platted in 1889. Working out here is a different job from working in the metro — different permitting authority, different utilities, and a real haul for materials and crews.
Byers Permits Come From Arapahoe County
Byers has no town building department. Because it is unincorporated, building permits and inspections are issued by the Arapahoe County Public Works and Development Building Division, reachable at 720-874-6600. County permits cover new construction, reconstruction, interior finish, remodeling, and certain fences, walls and signs, along with code variances.
Zoning is the part that catches people. Much of the land around Byers sits in the county’s A-1 Agricultural district under the Arapahoe County Land Development Code, where residential use can require special review — an owner may have to show the land has not been productively farmed for five or more years or is naturally unsuited to agriculture. The county also adopted a Byers Subarea Plan in December 2025 as its long-range planning document for the community, which is the right place to look before assuming a use is allowed.
Wells and Septic, Two Different Agencies
There is no municipal water or sewer utility here. Properties run on private wells and on-site septic. Those are permitted separately and by different bodies: septic through the Arapahoe County Public Health Department’s environmental health program, wells through the Colorado Division of Water Resources.
Any project that changes fixture count — a bathroom addition, a kitchen expansion, a finished basement with a wet bar — has to be checked against septic capacity before it is designed. On a rural property that check is the schedule driver, not the framing.
Farm-Era Buildings and Plains Foundations
The building stock reflects the homestead and ranching history — the Calhoun Ranch nearby still uses a 1905 bank barn and a 1906 house, and homestead claims were being filed around Byers in 1906. Structures of that age were built before modern code and have usually been added onto several times, so remodeling starts with finding out what is actually holding the building up.
Expansive clay is the other constant. Colorado’s eastern plains carry highly expansive soils, and a geotechnical investigation is generally required for new construction under the building code, which drives the foundation design — drilled piers or a post-tensioned slab rather than a conventional footing. On the wildfire side, Arapahoe County’s eastern-county wildfire protection plan rates most county land out here as low hazard, with the Kiowa Creek North area moderate.
Services We Provide in Byers
All work below is permitted and inspected under the authority with jurisdiction over Byers.
- Kitchen Remodeling in ByersLayouts, cabinets, counters, full gut rebuilds
- Bathroom Remodeling in ByersPrimary baths, guest baths, wet-area rebuilds
- Basement Finishing in ByersEgress, ceiling height, permits, finished space
- Home Additions in ByersBump-outs, second stories, whole-room additions
- Roofing in ByersReplacement, storm damage, Class 4 options
- Deck Building in ByersComposite and wood decks, rails, structural repair
- Fencing in ByersWood, composite and metal fence installation
- Framing in ByersStructural framing, walls, load-bearing changes
- Drywall in ByersHang, tape, texture, repair and patching
- Tile Work in ByersFloors, showers, backsplashes, waterproofing
- Painting in ByersInterior and exterior, prep and finish work
- Demolition in ByersSelective interior demo and full teardowns
Nearby in Arapahoe County
We work throughout Arapahoe County. Nearby communities:
Common Questions
Who issues building permits in Byers?
The Arapahoe County Public Works and Development Building Division, at 720-874-6600. Byers is unincorporated and has no town building department.
My land is zoned A-1 agricultural. Can I build a house on it?
It may require special review under the county’s Land Development Code, where the owner shows the land has not been productively farmed for five or more years or is unsuited to agriculture.
Who permits the septic system?
Septic is permitted through the Arapahoe County Public Health Department. Wells are permitted separately by the Colorado Division of Water Resources.
Talk to Us About Your Project
We work throughout Arapahoe County and the wider Denver metro. Tell us what you are trying to do, and we will tell you what it takes — permits, code, sequence and a real number — before anyone signs anything. See our Colorado remodeling price guide or read more about the areas we serve in Arapahoe County.