Colorado

Buying Land in Washington County, Colorado

Washington County is straightforward dryland-wheat-and-cattle country on Colorado's northeast plains, seat Akron -- but two things aren't obvious from a listing: the county pushed back hard on utility-scale wind development rather than welcoming it, and it sits across two separate groundwater regimes depending on which part of the county a parcel falls in. Here's what's genuinely specific to Washington County on top of Colorado's statewide water and zoning framework.

A Small, Agricultural County -- Not a Growth Market

Generally favorable

Washington County had an estimated 4,771 residents as of mid-2024, one of the least densely populated counties in Colorado. Akron, the county seat, has roughly 1,700 residents; Otis is the only other incorporated town. Most residents live on the county's roughly 824 farms. This is a stable agricultural land market -- dryland wheat (the county ranks second among Colorado's counties in wheat acreage) and cattle (more than 74,000 head) -- not a speculative growth play, which is itself a useful data point for what kind of buyer this land suits.

Wind and Solar: The County Pushed Back, It Didn't Roll Out the Welcome Mat

Case-by-case / verify locally

Unlike some of its Eastern Plains neighbors, Washington County has not become a wind-farm host county. When NextEra proposed a wind project with transmission lines crossing the northern part of the county near Fleming, the county adopted a temporary moratorium on accepting, processing, or approving wind and solar farm permits starting in March 2020 (Resolution 64-2020), which was extended multiple times. County regulations followed in 2021 that multiple secondary sources describe as among the strictest in the state -- one source cites a required one-mile setback from structures, far beyond the setback for oil and gas drilling -- but sources are not fully consistent on the exact current setback figure or whether the moratorium has since been formally lifted. If wind or solar development potential matters to your evaluation of a parcel here (either as an opportunity or a risk to neighboring views/land use), confirm the county's current wind/solar energy ordinance and moratorium status directly with Planning and Zoning rather than relying on any secondary source, including this one.

Zoning: A-1 Agricultural (Limited) District Through the County Land Use Office

Generally favorable

Unincorporated Washington County is zoned primarily A-1, Agricultural (Limited) -- as of a 2014 county planning snapshot, roughly 11,325 parcels covering about 170,152 acres carried this designation, averaging just over 15 acres per parcel (that's an average parcel size, not a minimum lot size -- confirm the actual minimum and permitted-use rules for a specific parcel with the Land Use Office). The county's Land Use Office administers zoning and building permits for the unincorporated county; a Planning and Zoning Board reviews applications monthly.

Split Groundwater Geography: Two Different Regimes in One County

Case-by-case / verify locally

Washington County straddles two separate water-administration areas. A portion of the county sits within the Republican River Compact drainage, where the Republican River Water Conservation District (RRWCD) works to keep Colorado in compliance with its interstate compact with Kansas and Nebraska, and where county-level entities like the W-Y and Arikaree Groundwater Management Districts (and the Camp Creek and Northern High Plains Designated Groundwater Basins) govern local groundwater. The rest of the county sits in the South Platte River Basin (Colorado Water Division 1), with small footholds of the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District and the Lower South Platte Water Conservancy District. Which regime applies to a given parcel can matter for well permitting and any future pumping restrictions -- confirm with the Colorado Division of Water Resources (Division 1) or the relevant groundwater management district which regime covers a specific parcel.

Wind energy: Washington County said no, at least so far

Several of Washington County's Eastern Plains neighbors -- Lincoln, Cheyenne, Kit Carson, and Elbert counties, for instance -- host large utility-scale wind projects like the 600-megawatt Rush Creek Wind Project near Limon. Washington County is a documented exception. When NextEra Energy proposed a wind farm with transmission lines that would have crossed several properties in the northern part of the county near Fleming, it drew strong local opposition from families who have farmed and ranched the land for generations, and turbines have not been built in Washington County as a result.

The county's Board of Commissioners responded with a temporary moratorium on accepting, processing, or approving wind and solar farm permits, effective starting in March 2020 (Resolution 64-2020) and extended multiple times afterward. Reporting from 2022 describes the county as having since adopted regulations, with one account citing a required one-mile setback from structures as among the strictest in the state -- well beyond the roughly 2,000-foot setback used for oil and gas drilling elsewhere. Other sources reference a lower, roughly 1,500-foot setback figure debated in that process, and it's not clear from public sources whether that specific ordinance was ultimately adopted as described or whether some form of the moratorium remains in place today. If a wind, solar, or transmission-line question is relevant to a parcel you're evaluating here -- whether you'd want to lease land for it or want assurance a neighbor can't build next to you -- get the current ordinance text and moratorium status directly from the Washington County Land Use Office rather than relying on any single secondary account, including this one.

One county, two water worlds

Washington County's location puts it in an unusual spot hydrologically: part of the county drains toward the Republican River and falls within the area governed by the Republican River Compact (Colorado's interstate agreement with Kansas and Nebraska over that river's water), while the rest sits in the South Platte River Basin, administered as Division 1 under the Colorado Division of Water Resources. In the Republican River portion, the Republican River Water Conservation District (RRWCD) -- created by the state legislature in 2004 -- works to keep Colorado in compact compliance, partly by retiring irrigated acreage and, historically, by funding a pipeline project to move water toward the compact-compliance point; county-level groundwater management districts including W-Y and Arikaree operate underneath that structure. In the South Platte portion, the relevant conservancy districts are different -- small parts of the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District and the Lower South Platte Water Conservancy District touch the county.

This isn't a distinction most land listings will draw for you, but it can matter: compact-compliance pressure in the Republican River basin has driven real groundwater-use restrictions and acreage retirement in neighboring counties like Yuma and Phillips, and a parcel's exact location relative to that basin boundary affects which rules and which groundwater management district actually governs a well there. Before assuming water rules are uniform across the county, confirm with the Colorado Division of Water Resources (Division 1 office) or the relevant groundwater management district which regime applies to your specific parcel.

What we could and couldn't confirm

The wind/solar moratorium and ordinance history is pieced together from the county's own posted resolution plus secondary journalism (Colorado Public Radio, The Colorado Sun) that does not fully agree on the exact setback distance ultimately adopted or the moratorium's current status -- this page deliberately reports that disagreement rather than picking one figure and presenting it as settled. The A-1 zoning parcel counts and acreage reflect a 2014 county planning snapshot referenced in secondary sources, not a current-year figure, and should be treated as illustrative of the district's scale rather than a current statistic. Water-basin boundaries within the county are described generally; the exact boundary affecting a specific parcel should be confirmed with the Colorado Division of Water Resources.

Verify directly with: Washington County's Land Use Office for zoning and the wind/solar ordinance's current status, the Colorado Division of Water Resources (Division 1 office) for well permitting, and the Republican River Water Conservation District or relevant groundwater management district if a parcel sits in the Republican River basin portion of the county

Who to Call Before Buying Land in Washington County

This site could not independently verify a dedicated Washington County environmental-health/septic (OWTS) office contact separate from the general county line, nor a standalone GIS/mapping office contact -- confirm septic permitting and GIS/parcel-mapping resources directly with the county's main line, (970) 345-2701. Well permitting is a state function through the Colorado Division of Water Resources (Division 1 office, since Washington County sits partly in the South Platte basin and partly in the Republican River basin) -- see the state hub and the water-basin discussion above before assuming a single office covers the whole county.

Planning & Zoning

Washington County Land Use Office (Planning and Zoning)

Confirming a parcel's zoning district (A-1 Agricultural Limited or other), permitted uses, subdivision requirements, and the current status of the county's wind/solar energy ordinance and moratorium.

Phone: (970) 345-2701Official website →

Assessor / Property Tax

Washington County Assessor

Current assessed value, parcel records, and property tax questions for a specific parcel.

Phone: (970) 345-6662Official website →

Recorder / Clerk / Land Records

Washington County Clerk and Recorder

Recorded deed, easement, and plat history for a specific parcel.

Phone: (970) 345-2701Official website →

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Topics Specific to Washington County

Hunting Land and Public Access in Washington County, Colorado →Wind and Solar Energy Leasing in Washington County, Colorado →

Sources

Planning and Zoning — Washington County, Colorado Government (accessed 2026-09)
Moratoriums — Washington County, Colorado Government (accessed 2026-09)
64-2020 Moratorium Wind and Solar — Washington County, Colorado Government (accessed 2026-09)
Power companies' plans to expand wind and solar on the Eastern Plains meet local headwinds — Colorado Public Radio (accessed 2026-09)
A land rush for renewable energy is transforming the Eastern Plains — The Colorado Sun (accessed 2026-09)
About — Republican River Water Conservation District (accessed 2026-09)
U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Washington County, Colorado — U.S. Census Bureau (accessed 2026-09)
Washington County — Colorado Encyclopedia (accessed 2026-09)

Last reviewed 2026-09