Boulder County Public Health Environmental Health Division is in the process of revising its onsite wastewater treatment system (OWTS) regulations. Documents pertaining to the revision process, such as drafts, stakeholder comments, and meeting notes, will be posted here.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) revised Regulation 43, which governs local public health agency OWTS permitting programs. Local regulations must be as stringent as Regulation 43. We will request feedback specifically on items that are Boulder County-specific.
Provide Feedback
The drafts of the proposed changes will be available on February 5, 2026, and comments will be accepted until February 20, 2026. Comments must be submitted via the county-provided feedback form below and received by 4:30 p.m. on February 20, 2026. Once the comment period closes, BCPH will review comments and incorporate accepted comments into the regulation.
Please be aware that while we value all comments, we may not be able to incorporate everything. Local regulations must be as stringent as CDPHE Regulation 43. Therefore, we are not accepting comments regarding items promulgated in Regulation 43 and are requesting your feedback specifically regarding items that are Boulder County-specific.
OWTS Regulation Adoption Timeline
| Task | Requirement | Target Date |
| Complete Draft of Regulation | N/A | January 10, 2026 |
| Attorney review | N/A | January 10, 2026 |
| Comms review | N/A | January 10, 2026 |
| Post for public comment | Post on website | February 2, 2026 |
| Submit to CDPHE for preliminary review | Must submit to CDPHE for preliminary review at least 30 days before public hearing | March 1, 2026 |
| Post Public Hearing Notice | Minimum 20 days before public hearing | March 23, 2026 |
| BOH public hearing | If board makes changes no further public hearing is required | April 13, 2026 |
| Send adopted regs to CDPHE | Must be submitted 5 days after adopti | |
| on; CDPHE has 45 days to review adopted regs | April 18, 2026 | |
| Effective date for new regulations | Adopted and reviewed/approved by CDPHE regulations must be effective 45 days after adoption – CDPHE can request changes and this would provide more time than 45 days | June 15, 2026 |
Meetings
Throughout this process, your input as stakeholders is important. At this time, BCPH is not planning to hold meetings prior to the hearing with the Board of Health. The schedule for future meetings and materials for those meetings, such as presentations or agendas, will be provided when available.
