El Paso land-use affidavits may need every title owner

A land-use application around Colorado Springs can stall for a reason that has nothing to do with the plan itself: the wrong set of people signed the affidavit.

Every owner listed on the title must sign and notarize the affidavit, not just the person who happens to live on the land. The title is the rule, not the front door.

For a married couple who both hold the deed, that means two signatures. A family parcel passed down to several heirs may need each of them. Land held in a trust, or owned by a business entity, brings its own signing requirements — the trustee or an authorized officer, with the paperwork to back it up. One owner acting alone for the group will not clear the desk.

The quiet fix is to pull the title and read it before you fill anything out, so you already know who needs to be in the room and how to reach them. Scattered heirs or a far-off co-owner can take weeks to gather, and a single missing notarized signature holds up an otherwise sound project. El Paso County Planning posts the current affidavit forms, so you can match each required signer against the title before the clock starts.