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Weld County signs IGA with state reclamation office to streamline agricultural mining permits
Summary
The board approved an intergovernmental agreement with Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety that lets Weld County accept and process certain agricultural land-leveling and reservoir-dredging permits locally, speeding approvals for agricultural operators.
Weld County commissioners approved April 21 an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety (DRMS) to allow the county to be the permitting entity for certain agricultural land-leveling and reservoir-dredging activities.
Planning staff explained the IGA permits the county to determine whether routine agricultural activities (land leveling and ag-reservoir dredging) qualify for local permitting instead of requiring an operator to submit forms to DRMS and await state processing. The county said the change benefits operators with quicker turnaround, eases DRMS workload for routine matters, and provides administrative convenience for county staff and constituents.
Commissioner Kevin Ross thanked staff and local legislators for work on the agreement. Planning staff said they expect to adopt a local permit form and suggested a nominal fee (about $100) to cover any review needed, particularly when material removal or dust-control review and traffic-safety review are required. The board moved to approve the IGA under CRS 29-1-201 and authorized the chair to sign; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.
Staff said they will prepare an ordinance amendment to formalize the local permitting procedure at first reading in coming weeks and develop a single permit form for applicants.
