Permitting Process

Development of oil and gas has taken place within Greeley city limits since the 1970s and represents a unique type of land use. As a property right, mineral owners are allowed to access and extract the resource; these rights, however, are balanced against the rights of surface property owners. Surface owners and mineral rights owners may be the same but often are not, particularly within newer areas of the city.

Additional information, including external resources, regulations, and public health considerations is available on our resource page.

Have questions about the operation of oil and gas facilities in Greeley? Take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions or contact us at 970-350-9780.

How does the City of Greeley use permitting to manage industry?

• Use by Special Review (USR) permitting, a type of land use (zoning) permit for land uses that are allowed, but generally benefit from greater scrutiny. Greeley Municipal Code Title 24 4.3.24.479
• Chapter 18 “Oil and Gas Operations” Development code. All other applicable standards from the Development Code (Chapter 18) also apply.
• The Planning Commission is responsible for reviewing and approving all USR cases.

How does the State of Colorado use permitting to manage industry?

Oil and gas producers are also required to receive a variety of permits from the State. When permits are submitted to the State, a notice is forwarded to the City of Greeley, to a designated contact known as the Local Government Designee. The City has the opportunity to comment on these notices.

• The Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) uses Form 2 and 2A permits to regulate the “downhole” or sub-surface operations associated with oil and gas development. For an explanation of Form 2 and 2A permits, please review the COGCC regulatory process document or this COGCC Presentation. Further permitting information is found at the Forms and Local Gov tabs from the COGCC website.
• The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) regulates permitting for the oil and gas industry on topics related to air quality, stormwater discharge, hazardous and solid waste, the management and disposal of low-level radioactive waste, and climate change/greenhouse gas emissions.

Oil and Gas complaints

The COGCC has created a dedicated webpage that contains the following:

• A newly developed and easy-to-use tool to file a complaint online.
• Guidance for how to file a complaint.  To be considered a formal complaint, all complaints are required to be in a written format.
• Questions and answers related to the complaint process, including what to expect and the rights of the complainant.
• Guidance and tools to search for complaints already filed.

Federal Government

US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA)

• National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Stormwater Permitting
• Clean Air Act air pollution reporting standards