Well permits in Costilla County
4,256 well permits — 0.7% of Colorado’s register. The median well here is 170 feet deep, against 148 feet statewide.
4,256Permits
170 ftMedian depth
869Expired
0Denver Basin aquifer
How deep people drill in Costilla County
This is the part a buyer actually wants, and it is not published anywhere else. The figures below are medians over the permits where the Division was told — a mean would be carried away by a handful of industrial wells.
| Measurement | Median | 90th percentile | Colorado median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depth | 170 ft | 400 ft | 148 ft — deeper here (2,666 permits, 63 %) |
| Yield | 10 gpm | 30 gpm | 10 gpm — the same here (1,118 permits, 26 %) |
| Static water level | 67 ft | 210 ft | 58 ft — higher here (2,064 permits, 48 %) |
What the permits allow
A well permit is not a general right to water: it names what the water may be used for, and the narrowest of them — household use only — means inside the house and nothing else.
| Decreed use | Permits | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic | 1,504 | 35.3% |
| Household Use Only | 1,399 | 32.9% |
| Irrigation | 603 | 14.2% |
| Monitoring/sampling | 439 | 10.3% |
| Stock | 80 | 1.9% |
| Commercial | 78 | 1.8% |
| Other | 53 | 1.2% |
| Not stated | 42 | 1.0% |
| Municipal | 29 | 0.7% |
| Augmentation | 16 | 0.4% |
| Industrial | 6 | 0.1% |
| Geothermal | 4 | 0.1% |
What happened to these permits
2,458 of the 4,256 permits in Costilla County ended with a well the Division was told about — 57.8%. And 869 expired without one: 20.4%.
An expired permit is the trap in a rural sale. A seller can produce a permit that lapsed years ago, and a permit is not a water right — the two are separate, and a purchase turns on both. What an expired permit does and does not mean.
| Status | Permits | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Well Constructed | 2,458 | 57.8% |
| Permit Expired | 869 | 20.4% |
| Permit Issued | 247 | 5.8% |
| Application Denied | 200 | 4.7% |
| Well Replaced - Abandonment Required | 109 | 2.6% |
| Permit Canceled | 106 | 2.5% |
| Well Abandoned | 87 | 2.0% |
| Application Received | 74 | 1.7% |
| Application Information Requested | 52 | 1.2% |
| Application Withdrawn | 13 | 0.3% |
Which aquifers
| Aquifer | Permits | Share |
|---|---|---|
| All Unnamed Aquifers | 3,890 | 91.4% |
| Unconfined San Luis Vall | 160 | 3.8% |
| Unconfined San Luis Valley Aquifer | 79 | 1.9% |
| Not stated | 44 | 1.0% |
| Confined San Luis Valley | 43 | 1.0% |
| Confined San Luis Valley Aquifer | 16 | 0.4% |
| Alluvial | 11 | 0.3% |
| Unconfined San Luis Valley | 10 | 0.2% |
| Quaternary Alluvium | 2 | 0.0% |
| Salt Wash | 1 | 0.0% |
When the permits were issued
| Issued in | Permits | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 681 | 16.0% |
| 2010s | 763 | 17.9% |
| 2000s | 642 | 15.1% |
| 1990s | 672 | 15.8% |
| 1980s | 306 | 7.2% |
| 1970s | 337 | 7.9% |
| 1960s | 63 | 1.5% |
| 1950s | 41 | 1.0% |
Buying land in Costilla County, or need a well drilled?
4,256 well permits are on the Division’s register in Costilla County, 869 of them expired. This site tells you what a permit says; it does not drill, and it is not advice on a water right. Tell us where and we pass the request to drillers and water-rights advisers working in Colorado.
We take no commission and we recommend no driller. We have no arrangement with any firm today — we are collecting these requests in order to go and find them. What we do with this.
Permits on record in Costilla County
| Subdivision, or the permit number | Status | Decreed use | Depth (ft) | Yield (gpm) | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melby Ranch permit 90555-F | Well Constructed | Commercial | 159 | 0 | 1967 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 89736-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 240 | 10 | 2025 |
| Forbes Wagon Creek Ranch permit 337588- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 370 | 0 | 2025 |
| San Luis Valley Ranches permit 89804-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 160 | 0 | 2025 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 89849-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 360 | 10 | 2025 |
| Forbes Park permit 89875-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 200 | 15 | 2025 |
| Forbes Park permit 89874-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 170 | 10 | 2025 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 89846-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 240 | 10 | 2025 |
| Forbes Park permit 89898-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 130 | 0 | 2025 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 89890-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 700 | 6 | 2025 |
| San Luis Estates South permit 89895-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 240 | 10 | 2025 |
| San Luis Valley Ranches permit 89897-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 100 | 15 | 2026 |
| Forbes Park permit 89907-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 220 | 15 | 2025 |
| Forbes Wagon Creek Ranch permit 338748- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 545 | 3 | 2025 |
| San Luis North Estates (filing: 2) permit 339136- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 160 | 10 | 2025 |
| San Luis Valley Ranches permit 90085-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 120 | 15 | 2026 |
| Bobby Mount Div of Land permit 339948- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 140 | 15 | 2025 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 90172-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 200 | 0 | 2025 |
| Forbes Wagon Creek Ranch permit 340485- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 197 | 11 | 2025 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 90207-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 220 | 10 | 2026 |
| Forbes Wagon Creek Ranch permit 340499- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 250 | 10 | 2025 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 90208-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 140 | 0 | 2025 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 90233-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 220 | 0 | 2025 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 90352-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 400 | 0 | 2025 |
| San Luis Valley Ranches permit 90243-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 172 | 0 | 2025 |
| San Luis Valley Ranches permit 90246-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 220 | 15 | 2025 |
| San Luis Valley Ranches permit 90244-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 140 | 10 | 2026 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 90332-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 180 | 0 | 2025 |
| Forbes Wagon Creek Ranch permit 341112- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 266 | 0 | 2026 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 90378-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 300 | 0 | 2025 |
| Rio Grande Ranchos permit 90376-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 300 | 0 | 2026 |
| Forbes Park permit 90417-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 180 | 0 | 2026 |
| San Luis Valley Ranches permit 90470-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 110 | 10 | 2025 |
| San Luis Valley Ranches permit 90480-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 140 | 10 | 2026 |
| Forbes Park permit 89374-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 155 | 15 | 1982 |
| Forbes Park permit 89382-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 150 | 5 | 2024 |
| San Luis Estates South permit 88845-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 240 | 10 | 2024 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 88925-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 300 | 10 | 2024 |
| Forbes Park permit 88884-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 110 | 15 | 2024 |
| Forbes Wagon Creek Ranch permit 335150- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 340 | 0 | 2025 |
| Forbes Park permit 89364-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 310 | 10 | 2022 |
| Forbes Park permit 88853-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 110 | 9 | 2024 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 88834-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 420 | 15 | 2024 |
| Forbes Wagon Creek Ranch permit 333775- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 510 | 3 | 2024 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 88883-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 120 | 10 | 2024 |
| San Luis Valley Ranches permit 88881-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 120 | 0 | 2024 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 89091-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 140 | 10 | 2024 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 89111-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 100 | 10 | 2025 |
| Forbes Park permit 89194-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 350 | 6 | 2024 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 89113-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 280 | 10 | 2024 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 89316-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 460 | 7 | 2024 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 89428-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 520 | 10 | 2025 |
| San Luis Valley Ranches permit 89366-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 160 | 10 | 2025 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 89247-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 200 | 0 | 2024 |
| Sangre de Christo Ranches permit 89429-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 105 | 0 | 2024 |
| Sangre de Christo Ranches permit 86192-F-R | Well Constructed | Domestic | 560 | 7 | 2025 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 89249-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 360 | 10 | 2025 |
| Sangre de Christo Ranches permit 89331-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 340 | 10 | 2025 |
| Forbes Park permit 89318-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 550 | 12 | 2024 |
| Forbes Park permit 89338-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 150 | 10 | 2024 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 89384-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 325 | 0 | 2024 |
| Forbes Wagon Creek (filing: 1) permit 335387- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 450 | 0 | 2024 |
| San Luis Valley Ranches permit 89452-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 160 | 10 | 2024 |
| San Luis Valley Ranches permit 89515-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 160 | 10 | 2024 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 89495-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 300 | 10 | 2025 |
| Forbes Park permit 89537-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 150 | 0 | 2024 |
| Rio Grande Ranches permit 89542-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 340 | 5 | 2024 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 89646-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 320 | 0 | 2026 |
| Forbes Park permit 89664-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 270 | 0 | 2025 |
| Forbes Park permit 89684-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 106 | 0 | 2026 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 89685-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 180 | 10 | 2025 |
| Forbes Wagon Creek Ranch permit 336813- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 170 | 0 | 2025 |
| Forbes Park permit 87837-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 110 | 15 | 2023 |
| San Luis Valley Ranches permit 87952-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 400 | 15 | 2024 |
| Forbes Wagon Creek Ranch permit 329950- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 470 | 2 | 2023 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 88218-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 360 | 3 | 2023 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 88217-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 180 | 10 | 2024 |
| Forbes Park permit 88062-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 110 | 0 | 2023 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 87894-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 140 | 10 | 2023 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 88019-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 720 | 7 | 2023 |
| Forbes Wagon Creek Ranch permit 330337- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 170 | 11 | 2023 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 88367-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 340 | 10 | 2023 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 88020-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 120 | 8 | 2024 |
| San Luis Valley Ranches permit 88095-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 180 | 15 | 2024 |
| Forbes Park permit 88018-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 270 | 8 | 2023 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 88017-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 200 | 10 | 2024 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 88125-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 160 | 10 | 2023 |
| Forbes Park permit 88061-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 130 | 9 | 2023 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 88086-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 860 | 3 | 2023 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 88160-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 380 | 10 | 2023 |
| Forbes Wagon Creek Ranch permit 330427- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 510 | 10 | 2023 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 88127-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 400 | 8 | 2024 |
| San Luis Estates South permit 88135-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 400 | 10 | 2023 |
| Sangre de Christo Ranches permit 88640-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 380 | 10 | 2024 |
| Forbes Park permit 88195-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 90 | 10 | 2023 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 88187-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 240 | 10 | 2023 |
| Forbes Park permit 88222-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 250 | 5 | 2023 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 88639-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 180 | 10 | 2024 |
| San Luis Valley Ranches permit 88701-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 160 | 6 | 2024 |
| Forbes Wagon Creek Ranch permit 330800- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 850 | 0 | 2023 |
| Forbes Wagon Creek Ranch permit 330819- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 440 | 10 | 2023 |
| Forbes Wagon Creek Ranch permit 330849- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 310 | 0 | 2023 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 88266-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 190 | 5 | 2024 |
| Forbes Wagon Creek Ranch permit 331422- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 250 | 0 | 2023 |
| Forbes Wagon Creek Ranch permit 331318- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 250 | 10 | 2023 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 88434-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 400 | 6 | 2024 |
| Forbes Park permit 88428-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 110 | 8 | 2023 |
| Forbes Park permit 88513-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 200 | 10 | 2023 |
| Sangre de Cristo Ranches permit 88491-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 250 | 0 | 2023 |
| Forbes Park permit 88492-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 110 | 10 | 2023 |
By decreed use in Costilla County
- Domestic in Costilla County — 1,504
- Household Use Only in Costilla County — 1,399
Counties with a comparable register
- Washington 5,722
- Clear Creek 5,556
- Baca 5,424
- Pitkin 4,805
- Eagle 4,742
- Gilpin 4,606
- Moffat 4,379
- Huerfano 4,190
- Lincoln 4,107
- Montrose 3,965
- Delta 3,935
- Prowers 3,895
- Archuleta 3,805
Neighbours by the size of their register, not a ranking: the list slides with the county you are on, so each of the 63 county pages is reachable from the others. All of them.