Historical 1928 U.S. Geological Survey topographic map of Mesa Verde National Park in Montezuma County, Colorado

The Field Guide / Resources

Black Saddle Resources

Good questions deserve good sources.

Explore Resources

Black Saddle Resources brings together government agencies, public records, university research, technical guidance and industry standards that can help buyers and sellers dig deeper into Colorado land, horse property and rural real estate.

This page is educational. Property-specific questions should still be verified with the appropriate agency, records, professionals and jurisdiction.

Colorado Division of Water Resources

Water & Wells

DWR maintains Colorado well-permit and water-administration resources. Property-specific water questions should be researched through the applicable permits, records and professional guidance when appropriate.

Colorado Division of Water Resources

Water Rights

Start with state information about water rights and water administration.

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Colorado Division of Water Resources

Well Permitting

Well-permit information, application guidance and resources for reviewing allowable uses.

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Colorado Division of Water Resources

Well Permit Search / Records

Search the state well-permit tool for the records associated with a well.

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Colorado Division of Water Resources

Water Administration

Explore groundwater administration and its connection to well permits.

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USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

Soils, Pasture & Conservation

NRCS provides official soil-survey data and land-management resources that can help property owners and buyers begin investigating soil characteristics and land capability.

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

Web Soil Survey

Access soil-survey information and the Web Soil Survey tool.

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USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

Range & Pasture

Technical information about rangeland, pasture and grazing management.

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USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

Conservation Planning

An introduction to planning around the land and its natural-resource concerns.

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USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

Manure & Nutrient Management

Explore nutrient-management planning and considerations for manure use.

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USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

Soil Survey Information

Official soil-survey information.

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USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

Soil Health

Official soil-health resources.

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Colorado Department of Local Affairs / Division of Local Government

Planning & Land Use

State resources related to Colorado local governments, planning and land-use administration.

Colorado Department of Local Affairs / Division of Local Government

Colorado Local Government Information

Find local-government information through the state’s public LGIS directory.

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Colorado Department of Local Affairs / Division of Local Government

Land Use & Planning Resources

Explore state planning resources, land-use topics and links to further guidance.

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County & Municipal Planning Departments

Zoning, land-use and permitting questions should be verified with the local government that has jurisdiction over the property.

Colorado State University Extension

Colorado Pasture & Horse Management

Colorado-specific educational resources covering pasture, carrying capacity, equine management, manure and small-acreage land management.

Colorado State University Extension / Boulder County

Pasture Management

A collection of pasture-management guidance and small-acreage resources.

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Colorado State University Extension

Carrying Capacity

Grazing guidance that considers forage supply, carrying capacity and pasture recovery.

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Colorado State University Extension

Equine Management

Browse livestock and animal resources, including equine care and management topics.

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Colorado State University Extension

Manure Management

Educational guidance on manure storage, disposal and management.

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American Association of Equine Practitioners

Equine Health & Biosecurity

Professional equine-health and biosecurity resources for horse owners and facility managers.

American Association of Equine Practitioners

Equine Biosecurity

Biosecurity guidance for equine veterinarians working with clients and facilities.

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Penn State Extension

Facilities & Daily Management

Technical educational resources covering equine facilities, riding-arena footing, fencing, ventilation and boarding-operation considerations.

Penn State Extension

Riding Arena Footing

Footing-material selection and management considerations for riding arenas.

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Penn State Extension

Horse Fencing

Fence-planning guidance covering layout, materials, gates and horse-management needs.

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Penn State Extension

Stable Ventilation

An introduction to airflow and ventilation in horse stables.

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Penn State Extension

Boarding Horses

Facility and operational considerations to investigate when thinking about boarding.

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State Standards / Local Administration

Colorado On-Site Wastewater Resources

Colorado establishes statewide standards for onsite wastewater systems, while local public-health agencies administer permitting and local requirements.

Colorado Secretary of State / Water Quality Control Commission

Colorado Regulation 43

Official rule index for on-site wastewater treatment systems; review the current version and applicable local requirements.

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Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment

Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment

The state agency’s on-site wastewater treatment system resource hub.

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Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment

Local Public Health Departments

Use the state agency finder to locate the relevant local public-health agency.

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Different Sources / Different Purposes

Property Records & Industry Standards

Listing information, data standards, technical platforms and public records serve different purposes. Availability varies by property and jurisdiction. These public starting points do not require Black Saddle MLS credentials.

REcolorado

REcolorado

Public information about REcolorado and its role as a multiple listing service.

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Real Estate Standards Organization

RESO

The Data Dictionary documents standard resources, fields and lookups for real-estate data exchange.

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Bridge Interactive

Bridge Interactive

Public developer information about Bridge’s real-estate data platform; data access has separate permissions.

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Colorado Division of Property Taxation

County Assessor Records

Find the applicable county assessor through the state directory, then follow that county’s property-record resources.

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Colorado Department of Local Affairs / Division of Local Government

County GIS

Start with the local-government directory to find the county website and its available GIS resources. This is a directory, not a parcel map.

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Colorado Department of Local Affairs / Division of Local Government

County Clerk & Recorder

Find the applicable county through the state directory, then locate its Clerk & Recorder. County-specific recording links remain to be verified.

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Colorado State Archives

Colorado County Clerk & Recorder Offices

Recorded property documents are maintained at the county level. Depending on the property, recorded deeds, easements and other documents may be part of due-diligence research.

Colorado State Archives

Colorado County Clerk & Recorder Directory

A directory of Colorado County Clerk & Recorder offices.

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ECMC

Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission

ECMC provides public information and mapping related to regulated oil-and-gas activity in Colorado.

Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission

Colorado Oil & Gas Data / Map Resources

Oil-and-gas mapping resources. This is not a complete mineral-ownership search.

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Colorado Division of Professions and Occupations

Colorado Licensed Land Surveyors

When exact property boundaries or survey matters require professional evaluation, use an appropriately licensed Colorado land surveyor.

Colorado Division of Professions and Occupations

Colorado Professional-License Lookup

Official Colorado professional-license lookup.

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