Pitkin County governs itself under a home rule charter

Most Colorado counties run on a standard template set by state law. A smaller group, including Pitkin County, are “home rule” counties. That means local voters adopted a charter — a kind of local constitution — that decides how the county is organized and how it handles its own local affairs.

Why this matters if you live here or are buying here: the charter shapes which officials the county has, how decisions get made, and where the county can set its own course. Day-to-day, a Board of County Commissioners makes land-use and budget decisions for the unincorporated parts of the county, the areas outside the city of Aspen and the towns.

Home rule does not put the county above state law. Colorado law still sets the outer limits. But on local matters, a home rule charter gives the county more room to tailor its own rules than a statutory county has.

For a property question, this is a reminder to check the right level of government. The city of Aspen, the Town of Snowmass Village, and the Town of Basalt each have their own rules, while the county handles the unincorporated land in between.

To see how the county is organized, read Pitkin County’s own charter and government pages, and check DOLA for how home rule counties fit into Colorado’s structure.