Black Forest is unincorporated El Paso County on five-acre lots, with most properties on a private well and an onsite septic system rather than municipal utilities. It is also the site of what was, at the time, the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history — and the rebuild that followed shaped how construction here is regulated today.
Who Permits Your Project in Black Forest
Black Forest has no town government. Building permits come from the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department at 2880 International Circle in Colorado Springs, and land use is governed by the El Paso County Land Development Code. There is no municipal layer and no local design review.
What replaces that layer is utility permitting. Most parcels rely on a private well, permitted by the Colorado Division of Water Resources, and an onsite wastewater treatment system permitted by El Paso County Public Health. Any project that adds bedrooms, bathrooms or fixtures has to be checked against the existing septic system’s capacity before design, because an undersized system is the constraint that most often forces an addition to be redrawn.
The 2013 Fire and What It Changed
The Black Forest Fire burned from June 11 to 20, 2013, consuming 14,280 acres, damaging or destroying 489 homes, and forcing the evacuation of roughly 41,000 residents. It was, at the time, the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history.
The rebuild is the part that matters for anyone building here now. Within about a year, 171 rebuild permits had been issued. Those rebuilds met the fire code in place at the time, and local officials subsequently tabled stricter wildfire code provisions and relaxed residential fire-sprinkler requirements to help keep rebuilding affordable. The practical result is a housing stock where wildfire-resilient construction reflects individual owner decisions rather than a uniform mandated standard. On any given parcel here, the roof assembly, siding, soffit detailing and defensible space are worth assessing on their own merits rather than assumed from the build date. We treat ignition-resistant material choices as a design conversation on every exterior project in Black Forest, whether or not code compels it.
Five-Acre Zoning and What It Allows
Black Forest parcels are typically zoned RR-5 or RR-2.5 — rural residential with roughly five-acre or 2.5-acre minimums. County planning materials for the Black Forest Timbered Area describe a density target of about one dwelling per five acres.
For an owner, low density is mostly an advantage: setbacks are rarely binding, additions have room, and detached structures such as shops and garages are usually feasible. The limits come from utilities rather than dimensions. Well yield and septic capacity determine how much house a parcel can actually support, and those are the numbers we check first on any addition or accessory-structure project.
Building Conditions in El Paso County
Effective June 30, 2026, the 2023 Pikes Peak Regional Building Code, 2nd Printing, applies, adopting the 2021 IBC, IRC, IEBC, IMC, IFGC, IPC and IECC, the 2023 NEC and the 2021 ISPSC. Design snow loads below 7,000 feet are 43 psf ground and 30 psf flat-roof; at or above 7,000 feet, 57 psf ground and 40 psf flat-roof. Design wind is 130 mph ultimate for Risk Category I and II at Exposure C. El Paso County is in EPA Radon Zone 1. Onsite wastewater is governed by Chapter 8 of the county Board of Health Regulations, effective July 7, 2018; since January 1, 2024, OWTS applications must be submitted by a licensed installer, and new installations require the original percolation test plus a plot plan showing both primary and alternate leach field locations.
Services We Provide in Black Forest
All work below is permitted and inspected under the authority with jurisdiction over Black Forest.
- Kitchen Remodeling in Black ForestLayouts, cabinets, counters, full gut rebuilds
- Bathroom Remodeling in Black ForestPrimary baths, guest baths, wet-area rebuilds
- Basement Finishing in Black ForestEgress, ceiling height, permits, finished space
- Home Additions in Black ForestBump-outs, second stories, whole-room additions
- Roofing in Black ForestReplacement, storm damage, Class 4 options
- Deck Building in Black ForestComposite and wood decks, rails, structural repair
- Fencing in Black ForestWood, composite and metal fence installation
- Framing in Black ForestStructural framing, walls, load-bearing changes
- Drywall in Black ForestHang, tape, texture, repair and patching
- Tile Work in Black ForestFloors, showers, backsplashes, waterproofing
- Painting in Black ForestInterior and exterior, prep and finish work
- Demolition in Black ForestSelective interior demo and full teardowns
Nearby in El Paso County
We work throughout El Paso County. Nearby communities:
Common Questions
Who issues permits in Black Forest?
The Pikes Peak Regional Building Department, with land use under the El Paso County Land Development Code. Black Forest is unincorporated, so there is no town permit and no local design review — but well and septic permitting through the state and county public health add their own steps.
Will my septic system support an addition?
That is the first question on any project that adds bedrooms or fixtures, and it is frequently the binding constraint. El Paso County Public Health permits onsite systems, applications must come from a licensed installer, and new installs require a percolation test and a plot plan showing both primary and alternate leach field locations. We check capacity before drawing.
Is my house built to wildfire standards?
Do not assume so from the build date. Post-2013 rebuilds met the code in place at the time, and stricter wildfire provisions were subsequently tabled while residential sprinkler requirements were relaxed to support affordable rebuilding. The roof assembly, siding, soffits and defensible space are worth assessing individually on each property.
Can I build a detached shop or garage?
Usually yes. RR-5 and RR-2.5 zoning gives most parcels enough room that setbacks are not the limiting factor. What needs checking is the county land-use code for the specific parcel and whether any new plumbing affects the septic system’s design load.
Do you handle the well and septic coordination?
Yes. Wells are permitted through the Colorado Division of Water Resources and onsite systems through El Paso County Public Health, and both have to line up with the building permit’s timeline. Coordinating them is part of running the project, not something we hand back to the owner.
Talk to Us About Your Project in Black Forest
Give us the address and the scope. We will check septic capacity and zoning against what you want to build, look honestly at the property’s wildfire exposure, and give you a plan that accounts for the utility permitting rather than discovering it late.