The City of Loveland’s Unified Development Code (UDC) contains enhanced standards and regulations for oil and gas drilling within the City of Loveland. Under these regulations, oil and gas development projects fall into two approval tracks: Track 2 and Track 3.

• Track 2  is only available for applications that meet standards in the City's enhanced oil and gas standards in the UDC.
• The City's Track 2 application standards closely mirror more restrictive standards recently adopted by the Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission (“ECMC”), formally known as the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission ("COGCC"). 
• The application then goes through the Development Review process, which includes project meetings with the City’s Development Review Team consisting of staff in current planning, building, transportation, development services, power, waste/wastewater, stormwater, economic development, and the Loveland Fire Rescue Authority. Outside consultants may be brought in as part of the review team to assess specific areas of the project. Public participation through a neighborhood meeting is included in that process. After thorough review and a staff recommendation, Track 2 applications are available for administrative review by the Development Services Director who serves as the City’s regulatory agent for oil and gas Track 3 applications are any oil and gas applications that do not meet the city’s Enhanced Oil & gas Guidelines. Track 3 applications are processed by the Development Review Team and submitted to the City Planning Commission for review and to provide approval recommendations to City Council. The applicant must comply with the minimum state requirements. A Track 3 application approved or denied by the Planning Commission can be appealed to the City Council.

An oil and gas application received by the City for development inside the City limits does not need to meet Larimer County's permitting requirements, but must meet the minimum requirements outlined by the State of Colorado.

The Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission (ECMC), formally known as the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC), regulates oil and gas development across the state. The ECMC governs the permitting and regulation of oil and gas wells using the Oil & Gas Conservation Act, amended by SB 19-181 in June 2019. SB 19-181 ensures that oil and gas development and operations in Colorado are regulated in a manner that protects public health, safety, welfare, the environment, and wildlife resources.

Many of Colorado’s regulations are among the first-in-the-nation to include groundwater testing and monitoring, setbacks from buildings, installing noise barriers during drilling operations, and re-routing or reducing truck traffic away from communities.

On July 29, 2021, the Larimer County Board of County Commissioners adopted revised oil and gas regulations for the county's unincorporated areas. The revised oil and gas regulations can be found in Article 11.0 of the Larimer County Land Use Code. Article 11.0 contains the current regulatory framework overseeing the development of oil and gas facilities in unincorporated areas of the county, and specifically directs the regulations to:

• Protect the public health, safety, welfare, and environment and wildlife resources;
• Ensure a comprehensive and transparent public land use process for the development of new oil and gas facilities, and establish criteria for the review and approval or denial of oil and gas applications;
• Avoid impacts to public health, safety, welfare, and the environment and wildlife resources through the application of reasonable siting requirements and land use regulations;
• Minimize to the maximum extent possible the nuisance effects of oil and gas facilities through the application of the best available techniques and technologies;
• Maximize protection of natural and cultural resources and public facilities; and
• Confirm the financial, indemnification, and insurance capacities of the oil and gas developer/operator to ensure timely and effective construction, production, removal and reclamation of oil and gas facilities and infrastructure.

The State of Colorado offers an interactive map for the public to track ongoing oil and gas developments across the state. You can search for current applications, active oil and gas activity, and old, closed wells through ECMC's interactive oil and gas map.

Common oil and gas terminology

Colorado Department of Public Health and Education resources: oil and gas and your health