Last verified Jul. 2026

Terms of Use

1. Who these terms are with

Colorado Water Rights (cowaterrights.com) is an independent reference site about Colorado water law, operated from Colorado, United States ("we", "us", "our"). "You" means anyone using the site. These Terms of Use govern that use, alongside our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into them and is the authority on how we handle data.

We may update these terms. The effective date at the top changes when we do, and continuing to use the site after that means you accept the revised version. We will not apply changes retroactively to something that already happened.

2. What this site is — and is not

This site is reference information. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney–client relationship. We are not attorneys, engineers, appraisers, brokers or agents, and nothing here is legal, engineering, financial, appraisal or real estate advice.

Colorado water law is unusually fact-dependent. Two rights on the same ditch, decreed for the same amount, can behave completely differently because of their priority dates, later decrees, ditch company bylaws, or conditions imposed in a change case decades ago. General information cannot tell you what your right entitles you to. The full disclaimer sets this out at length and forms part of these terms.

3. No warranty

The site is provided "as is" and "as available", without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy, or non-infringement.

We check every legal claim against the primary source and date it — see the methodology — and we still do not warrant that the site is accurate, complete or current. Statutes are amended, decrees are entered, rights change hands, and administrative practice shifts. The last-verified date on a page tells you when it was checked, not that it is correct today. Always confirm against the linked primary source before acting.

4. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, we are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary or punitive damages, or for any loss of profits, water rights, property, business or data, arising out of or relating to your use of — or inability to use — this site, whether the claim is framed in contract, tort, negligence, strict liability or otherwise, and even if we have been advised that such damages are possible.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, our total aggregate liability arising out of or relating to the site will not exceed one hundred United States dollars (US$100). Some jurisdictions do not allow certain exclusions or limitations, so parts of this section may not apply to you; in that case our liability is limited to the greatest extent permitted.

5. Your responsibilities

You are responsible for verifying anything that matters against the primary source, for meeting your own deadlines, and for obtaining professional advice before acting. Do not treat a page here as a substitute for reading your decree, your well permit, or your ditch company's bylaws.

6. Intellectual property — ours, and what is not ours

What we own. The original writing, page structure, editorial selection and arrangement, design system, diagrams and site code are ours, © 2026 Colorado Water Rights, and are protected by copyright.

What we do not own, and do not claim. The Colorado Constitution, the Colorado Revised Statutes, court opinions, water court decrees and the records published by the Colorado Division of Water Resources are government works in the public domain. We quote them, cite them and link to them; we assert no copyright over any of that material, and nothing in these terms should be read as restricting your use of it. Where you want the law itself, go to the source we link to — that is what the links are for.

7. What you may do with this site

You may read it, print it, save it, and share links to it. You may quote from it with attribution and a link to the page quoted. You may use it in your own research, in a transaction, or in advising a client.

What we ask you not to do is republish the site's original prose wholesale as a substitute for it — reproducing pages or large parts of them on another site, with or without attribution. Quoting, excerpting, summarizing, indexing and linking are all fine.

8. Things you must not do

• Present this site's content as legal advice, or as your own professional opinion, to someone relying on you.
• Misrepresent the site, or suggest that we endorse you, your firm or your services.
• Suggest affiliation with any government body. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or publishing on behalf of the Colorado Division of Water Resources, the Colorado Judicial Branch, the Office of Legislative Legal Services or any other agency.
• Interfere with the site's operation, attempt to gain unauthorized access to any system, or conduct security testing against it without our written permission.
• Use anything you learn here — particularly from the public records we explain how to search, which contain individuals' names and addresses — to harass, stalk or intimidate anyone. Those records are public because water administration requires it, not so that people can be looked up.
• Use the site in violation of any applicable law.

9. Email sign-up

If you give us an email address, you are asking us to send you the owner's guide and occasional notices when Colorado water rules change. You can unsubscribe from any message, and you can ask us to delete your address at any time. What we collect and how we handle it is governed by our Privacy Policy. There is no charge, and no obligation either way — nothing on this site is behind the form.

10. Links to other sites

We link extensively to state agencies, courts and official publications so you can verify what we say. We do not control those sites, are not responsible for their content, accuracy or availability, and a link is not an endorsement. Your use of them is governed by their own terms.

11. Copyright complaints

If you believe material on this site infringes your copyright, email [email protected] identifying the work, the page complained of, your contact details, and a statement of your good-faith belief that the use is unauthorized. We respond to properly made complaints promptly and will remove genuinely infringing material.

12. Corrections

If something here is wrong, tell us — bluntly is fine. Corrections are made on the page and the last-verified date is updated when they are. That is the whole premise of the site, and it only works if people report errors.

13. Changes to the site

We may change, add, remove or discontinue any part of the site at any time, including taking it down entirely. It is published free and we make no commitment to keep any page available. If you rely on something here, keep your own copy of the primary source.

14. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Colorado, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. Any dispute arising out of or relating to the site or these terms will be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Colorado, and you consent to the jurisdiction of those courts. Nothing here waives any right you have under consumer protection law that cannot be waived by agreement.

15. Severability and entire agreement

If any provision of these terms is held unenforceable, that provision is limited or removed to the minimum extent necessary and the rest remains in effect. Our failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver of it. These terms, together with the Privacy Policy and the disclaimer, are the entire agreement between us about your use of this site.

16. Contact

Email [email protected]. See also about this site and how it is researched.