Severance

Severance raises lot, street setbacks near plugged, abandoned and reclaimed wells to 75 feet

October 28, 2026·Severance·Weld County

From the Severance Town Council meeting of October 27, 2026

Future plats must place plugged and abandoned wells and production facilities in separate non-buildable tracts with access. Existing wells retain a 350-foot lot setback, while streets may not be platted within 150 feet.

The Severance Town Council adopted an ordinance Oct. 27 raising the setback for future lots and streets from plugged, abandoned and reclaimed oil and gas wells and production sites from 50 feet to 75 feet.

On future final plats, a lot line cannot come within 75 feet of a plugged and abandoned well, staff said. Plugged and abandoned wells and production facilities must be platted in separate non-buildable tracts with adequate access. An abandoned wellhead and its required setback cannot be located in a town-required park.

Staff said Weld County recently enlarged its setback for plugged and abandoned wells, and Severance raised its limit to match. “We do try to align with Weld County with regards to the enforcement of setbacks to oil and gas structures,” a staff member said. Severance’s 350-foot setback for active well sites remains unchanged and is more restrictive than Weld County’s 250-foot setback, staff said.

For existing oil or gas wells and their production facilities, lots may not be platted within 350 feet. Lots intended for places of assembly, institutions or schools may not be platted to allow a building site within 500 feet of those wells or facilities. Streets may not be platted within 150 feet of an existing oil or gas well or its production facilities.

Oil and gas pipelines must be located in non-buildable tracts or easements at least 30 feet wide and at least 50 feet from occupied structures. They cannot be placed in public rights-of-way, other public lands or lots intended for future development. Natural gas pipelines providing retail service are exempt from those pipeline requirements.

More from this meeting

Severance Town Council work Session/Regular, Oct. 27, 2026
Severance proposes 6% wastewater rate increase, 1.5% for water; Severance starts annexation process for 3.668 acres of Berrado land; Severance sets Dec. 8 hearing on Buffalo Creek annexation; Council appoints Knott to Planning Commission, 6-1; 5 consent items adopted.
Item A1Severance proposes 6% wastewater rate increase, 1.5% for water
The proposed bills set a $38.15 water base fee plus $8.88 per 1,000 gallons, and $39.81 for the first 5,000 gallons of wastewater. A public budget hearing is set for Nov. 10.
Item C2Severance starts annexation process for 3.668 acres of Berrado land
A public hearing is set for Dec. 8 at 6 p.m. to consider whether the proposal meets state and constitutional requirements. Reviews by special districts and local governments would follow before a final council vote.
Item C3Severance sets Dec. 8 hearing on Buffalo Creek annexation
The hearing is set for 6 p.m. at the Severance Town Council Chambers, 3 S. Timber Ridge Pkwy. The council will determine whether the proposed annexation meets constitutional and state-law requirements.
Item C4Severance starts Ridgegate annexation process, sets Dec. 8 hearing
The hearing will determine whether the proposal meets state constitutional and statutory eligibility requirements, not whether to annex the land.
Item C5Severance restores permits to grade land before final plat approval
A $2,000-per-disturbed-acre bond and town engineer approval are required. The permits cover preliminary grading only, not building or infrastructure work, and do not guarantee final plat approval.
Item C7Severance approves zero-foot front setbacks for Town Core multifamily housing
Multifamily housing may have no front setback there. Nonresidential buildings with a shared party wall also may have no front setback.
Item C8Severance council allows itself to bypass planning panel on code text amendments
The ordinance lets the council skip commission review after a motion at or before introduction, but it must still apply code criteria and hold its own public hearing with at least 15 days’ notice.
Item C9Severance sets 30-day restart window for paused land-use applications
Only applications already on hold at an applicant’s request and not already void are covered; they must be restarted in writing after the ordinance takes effect or become void, requiring a new filing and applicable review fees to proceed.
Item C11Severance council directs search for outside legal counsel
The town has an interim attorney, and the council was asked to guide management on what to do next, the town manager said. An outside firm could offer attorneys with different specialties for work a single in-house attorney would handle, a council member said.