Weld County Government

As Colorado’s third largest county, Weld County covers 3,996 square miles in the northern part of the state and is larger than the size of Rhode Island, Delaware and the District of Columbia combined. Our county is home to 31 municipalities and just under 300,000 people.

The history of Weld County, which was established in 1861 when Colorado was still a territory, is literally rooted in the land. Weld County ranks number one in the state, and number eight in the country, in the value of agricultural products sold -- $1.5 billion annually. Another important industry in the county is the energy industry. Oil and gas activity has occurred for decades in Weld County, which is located in the Denver-Julesburg Basin and sits above the Wattenberg Field. New technologies in the energy industry have lead to renewed interest in Weld County, which is the largest oil and gas producing county in Colorado.

Weld County is a home rule county meaning it is governed by a home rule charter which brings government closer to the people.

Following adoption of a constitutional amendment by Colorado voters in 1970, Weld County began work toward drafting its own set of governing rules. A 21-member commission was elected in 1974 to write the charter and after seven and a half months of study and scores of public hearings, the charter was presented to the voters in September 1975.

Passage of the charter made Weld County the first in the state to adopt its own home rule charter. Because of this charter, and the fiscal responsibility of Weld County Government, Weld County has no long-term debt, no short-term debt and no sales tax.