Key Takeaways
- Black Forest is unincorporated El Paso County, atop the Palmer Divide.
- Lots are typically 2.5 acres or larger with no municipal water or sewer.
- Wells on parcels under 35 acres are usually limited to indoor use only.
- Septic systems require a stamped soils report and a licensed installer.
- Wildfire mitigation shapes siting, materials, and defensible space.
- Site work and utilities cost more here than in a city subdivision.
Black Forest is the reason a lot of people end up in northern El Paso County instead of inside Colorado Springs. Ponderosa pines instead of privacy fences, acreage instead of side yards, and Pikes Peak in the windshield on the drive home. If you are relocating from California or Texas, it is probably the closest thing to what you pictured when you decided to build in Colorado.
Here is what surprises almost everyone: the lot is only half the purchase. Water is usually the first thing to catch people off guard. According to Colorado State University Extension, most private wells on Colorado parcels smaller than 35 acres are permitted for household use only, meaning the water can be used solely inside the home and the well is capped at 15 gallons per minute. On a 2.5-acre Black Forest lot, that rules out irrigating a lawn.
What to Look for in a Custom Home Builder in Black Forest
Building on acreage in unincorporated county is a different job than building in a platted subdivision with utilities at the curb. Look for a builder who can show you:
- Completed homes on well and septic, not just city water and sewer
- Direct experience with El Paso County Planning and Community Development, which is a separate jurisdiction from the City of Colorado Springs
- A site work scope that includes driveway, grading, and utility trenching as line items rather than allowances
- Familiarity with wildfire mitigation requirements on wooded lots
- Relationships with local well drillers, septic designers, and excavators who already work the Palmer Divide
- A process for evaluating a lot before you buy it
That last one matters more than anything else on this list. Almost every expensive surprise in a Black Forest build traces back to a lot that was purchased before anyone walked it with a builder.
Building in Black Forest: What Buyers Should Know
Black Forest sits at roughly 7,300 to 7,500 feet on the Palmer Divide, the ridge that separates the Arkansas and South Platte drainages. That elevation and the tree cover create a genuinely different building environment than Colorado Springs proper, ten to twenty minutes downhill.
What that means in practice:
- More snow, more wind. The Palmer Divide catches storms that miss the city. Roof design, snow shedding, and driveway grade all matter more.
- Trees are an asset and a constraint. Ponderosa, Douglas fir, and Gambel oak set the character of the lot and also dictate where the house can go.
- No municipal utilities. Water, wastewater, and sometimes power all have to be brought to the site.
- Rural residential zoning. Minimum lot sizes, setbacks, and accessory structure rules differ from city code.
- Real amenities nearby. Black Forest Regional Park covers 385 acres, and the Pineries Open Space and Fox Run Park are minutes away.
- Established luxury market. Communities like Winsome and Flying Horse North have set a high bar for what gets built here.
How Water and Septic Work on Black Forest Acreage
This is the section most Black Forest buyers wish they had read before making an offer.
Wells
Every home here needs a well permitted through the Colorado Division of Water Resources. The permit type is determined largely by parcel size:
- Under 35 acres: Usually a household use only permit. Indoor use exclusively, no outdoor irrigation, no livestock watering.
- 35 acres or more: Typically a domestic permit, which allows up to three dwellings, irrigation of about one acre, and livestock watering.
- Either type: Capped at 15 gallons per minute for wells drilled after May 1972.
Since most Black Forest lots run 2.5 to 5 acres, plan on the household use only category. If a lush lawn is part of your vision, have that conversation before closing on land, not after.
Septic
Wastewater is handled by an onsite wastewater treatment system, or OWTS, permitted through El Paso County Public Health. There are roughly 30,000 operating OWTS in El Paso County, so this is well-worn ground, but the process has real requirements:
- A soils report stamped by a Colorado professional engineer, including at least two soil profile excavation pits
- A design document showing the primary and alternate system locations
- Since January 2024, permit applications submitted by a licensed OWTS installer
- Setbacks maintained between the well, the septic tank, and the soil treatment area
- Final inspection with the tank uncovered and the well already complete
Soil conditions drive cost here. A lot with shallow bedrock or poor percolation may require an engineered system rather than a conventional one, and that difference can be tens of thousands of dollars. It is the single strongest argument for a soils investigation during your due diligence period.
Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Black Forest Builder
- Have you built on well and septic in unincorporated El Paso County, and can I see those homes?
- Will you walk a lot with me before I make an offer?
- What does your site work scope actually include, and what is still an allowance?
- Who does your soils and septic design, and how early do they get involved?
- How do you handle wildfire mitigation and insurability?
- How long does El Paso County permitting typically take on your projects?
If you are still in the land search, it is worth reviewing our available custom home lots, which include acreage homesites in the Winsome community in Black Forest. Our 2026 guide to buying land in Colorado covers the broader due diligence process across El Paso, Douglas, and Elbert Counties.
Why Murphy’s Custom Homes Builds in Black Forest
Murphy’s Custom Homes has been building in the Colorado Springs region since 1985, and a meaningful share of that work has been on acreage in northern El Paso County rather than inside city limits. That distinction shows up in the parts of a build that never make the photo gallery.
What we bring to a Black Forest project:
- Four decades of experience with wells, septic systems, and rural site work in this county
- Available acreage homesites in the Winsome community, so you are not searching alone
- Lot evaluation before you buy, covering slope, drainage, tree cover, and buildable area
- Long-standing relationships with the excavators, drillers, and septic designers who work the Palmer Divide
- In-house design input so the house is sited for views, snow, wind, and defensible space together
- Parade of Homes recognition across multiple years in Colorado Springs
Building here is genuinely more involved than building on a city lot, and it is worth it for the right buyer. The difference between a smooth Black Forest build and a frustrating one is almost always how much got figured out before anyone broke ground. Start your build with Murphy’s, and we will walk the lot with you first.
FAQs: Building in Black Forest, Colorado
Where is Black Forest, Colorado?
Black Forest is an unincorporated area of El Paso County, northeast of Colorado Springs and south of Monument, sitting at roughly 7,300 to 7,500 feet on the Palmer Divide. It is characterized by ponderosa pine forest and rural residential acreage, generally within twenty to thirty minutes of downtown Colorado Springs.
Do you need a well and septic in Black Forest?
Yes. Black Forest has no municipal water or sewer service, so every home relies on a private well permitted through the Colorado Division of Water Resources and an onsite wastewater treatment system permitted through El Paso County Public Health. Both need to be planned and budgeted before construction begins.
Can you water a lawn on a Black Forest lot?
Usually not. Most Black Forest parcels are smaller than 35 acres, which means the well is typically permitted for household use only, restricting water to indoor use with no outdoor irrigation. Landscaping plans should assume xeriscape and native plantings rather than irrigated turf.
How much does site work cost on Black Forest acreage?
It varies widely based on driveway length, slope, tree clearing, soil conditions, and utility distance. The two biggest variables are well depth and whether soil conditions require an engineered septic system instead of a conventional one. A soils investigation during due diligence is the only reliable way to narrow the range.
How long does permitting take in unincorporated El Paso County?
Timelines depend on submittal completeness and current county volume, and the septic permit runs on its own track alongside the building permit. Because an OWTS permit expires twelve months from issuance or when the building permit expires, sequencing matters. A builder who works in the county regularly can give you a current estimate.
What communities are in Black Forest?
Winsome and Flying Horse North are two of the recognized acreage communities in and around Black Forest, both offering homesites of roughly 2.5 acres and up. Much of the area is also unplatted rural residential acreage outside any formal community or HOA.