A rural Routt County home usually means a well and a septic system

Outside Steamboat Springs and the towns, a home in Routt County often makes its own water and handles its own waste.

The water usually comes from a private well. In Colorado, a well needs a permit from the state water agency, and many household well permits come with conditions on how the water may be used. “Has a well” is not the same as “unlimited water.” A permit can limit a home to indoor use, or to a set number of animals or a small garden, depending on its type. Reading the actual permit tells you what the well is allowed to do.

The waste side is the septic system, also called an on-site wastewater treatment system. In unincorporated Routt County, the county handles septic permits and inspections. A septic system has to be sized and sited for the soils and the lot, and an older one may need a check before a sale.

Before buying a rural place here, look up the well permit and its limits, and confirm the septic system’s permit and condition. Treat the drinking water and the wastewater as two separate questions.

Verify the well with the Colorado Division of Water Resources and the septic system with Routt County environmental health.