Larimer County staff recommends code change to ease well permits for parcels over 35 acres amid growing appeals

Larimer County planning staff told commissioners on Jan. 6 that they recommend changing the land-use code so properties larger than 35 acres inside a water service area could bypass the county appeal process and pursue state well permits if they obtain a letter from their water provider.

Planning manager Jenny Axmaker said the recommendation follows two appeals the Board of County Commissioners granted in late 2024 that allowed property owners in a water service area served by the Northern Colorado Water Association to pursue wells after the association declined additional service. "We recently adopted the county's first water master plan, hooray, and staff is starting to work on implementing the goals and strategies of the plan," Axmaker said, explaining the proposal is a limited step toward the broader water-security goals in the new plan.

The proposal reflects a technical difference between water districts and water associations, Axmaker said: special districts are created under state special-district law and typically rely on property taxes and formal service…