Well permits in Douglas County
22,500 well permits — 3.7% of Colorado’s register. The median well here is 360 feet deep, against 148 feet statewide.
22,500Permits
360 ftMedian depth
3,925Expired
20,693Denver Basin aquifer
How deep people drill in Douglas 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 | 360 ft | 775 ft | 148 ft — deeper here (13,848 permits, 62 %) |
| Yield | 13 gpm | 15 gpm | 10 gpm — higher here (8,238 permits, 37 %) |
| Static water level | 170 ft | 470 ft | 58 ft — higher here (12,740 permits, 57 %) |
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 | 13,804 | 61.4% |
| Monitoring/sampling | 2,001 | 8.9% |
| Municipal | 1,698 | 7.5% |
| Household Use Only | 1,632 | 7.3% |
| Commercial | 822 | 3.7% |
| Other | 718 | 3.2% |
| Irrigation | 535 | 2.4% |
| Stock | 447 | 2.0% |
| Industrial | 323 | 1.4% |
| Not stated | 300 | 1.3% |
| Geothermal | 113 | 0.5% |
| Augmentation | 52 | 0.2% |
What happened to these permits
12,073 of the 22,500 permits in Douglas County ended with a well the Division was told about — 53.7%. And 3,925 expired without one: 17.4%.
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 | 12,073 | 53.7% |
| Permit Expired | 3,925 | 17.4% |
| Well Abandoned | 1,685 | 7.5% |
| Permit Canceled | 1,162 | 5.2% |
| Application Information Requested | 863 | 3.8% |
| Permit Issued | 856 | 3.8% |
| Well Replaced - Abandonment Required | 570 | 2.5% |
| Application Denied | 539 | 2.4% |
| Application Received | 240 | 1.1% |
| Pump Installed, No Construction Info Received | 142 | 0.6% |
Which aquifers
| Aquifer | Permits | Share |
|---|---|---|
| All Unnamed Aquifers | 9,110 | 40.5% |
| Upper Dawson | 3,239 | 14.4% |
| Denver | 2,839 | 12.6% |
| Lower Dawson | 2,774 | 12.3% |
| Dawson | 2,124 | 9.4% |
| Arapahoe | 994 | 4.4% |
| Not stated | 522 | 2.3% |
| Alluvial | 352 | 1.6% |
| Laramie Fox Hills | 174 | 0.8% |
| Laramie-fox Hills | 167 | 0.7% |
When the permits were issued
| Issued in | Permits | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,464 | 6.5% |
| 2010s | 2,132 | 9.5% |
| 2000s | 3,114 | 13.8% |
| 1990s | 4,317 | 19.2% |
| 1980s | 3,464 | 15.4% |
| 1970s | 3,313 | 14.7% |
| 1960s | 647 | 2.9% |
| 1950s | 257 | 1.1% |
| 1930s | 1 | 0.0% |
Buying land in Douglas County, or need a well drilled?
22,500 well permits are on the Division’s register in Douglas County, 3,925 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 Douglas County
| Subdivision, or the permit number | Status | Decreed use | Depth (ft) | Yield (gpm) | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doubletree Ranch permit 341916- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 400 | 0 | 2026 |
| Crestview permit 342667- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 355 | 15 | 1986 |
| Hemphill permit 90734-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 700 | 10 | 1991 |
| Mcarthur Ranch permit 342851- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 528 | 11 | 1999 |
| Castle Mesa (filing: 1) permit 343057- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 470 | 0 | 1971 |
| Ponderosa East (filing: 2) permit 90733-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 828 | 0 | 2026 |
| Hilltop permit 90851-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 375 | 12 | 2026 |
| Nighthawk Hills permit 91097-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 530 | 10 | 2005 |
| Valley Park permit 148256--A | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 535 | 0 | 2026 |
| Chatfield East permit 89813-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 462 | 12 | 1982 |
| Wildstone Ranch Exemption permit 89731-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 400 | 20 | 2025 |
| Arrowpoint permit 89760-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 295 | 0 | 2025 |
| Arrowpoint permit 89797-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 280 | 12 | 2025 |
| Thunder Butte permit 336982- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 0 | 0 | 1967 |
| Hilltop permit 89778-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 500 | 0 | 2025 |
| Tessa Mesa permit 338554- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 726 | 13.6 | 2025 |
| Bears Den Rural Site Plan permit 89833-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 536 | 14 | 2025 |
| Keene Ranch permit 89882-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 503 | 15 | 2017 |
| Arrowpoint permit 89872-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 260 | 15 | 2025 |
| Arrowpoint permit 89873-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 280 | 14 | 2023 |
| Blackshere permit 338561- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 720 | 11.5 | 2019 |
| Castle Park Ranch permit 337564- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 798 | 15 | 2025 |
| Lemon Gulch Exemption, 1st Amendment permit 338853- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 750 | 15 | 2025 |
| Arrowpoint permit 89909-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 605 | 0 | 2025 |
| Keene Ranch permit 89963-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 652 | 0 | 2025 |
| Legacy Pines East permit 89962-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 430 | 15 | 2026 |
| Castlewood North permit 92476--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 620 | 10 | 2025 |
| Pinewood Knolls permit 338751- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 302 | 0 | 1984 |
| Doubletree Ranch permit 338564- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 340 | 10 | 2025 |
| Castle Oaks permit 338757- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 524 | 10 | 1979 |
| Stoneridge permit 339323- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 440 | 11 | 1988 |
| Surrey Ridge Estates permit 97204--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 600 | 15 | 2025 |
| Taylor Mountain Ranch At Bear Dance permit 90105-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 1000 | 0 | 2026 |
| Plum Creek Valley Estates permit 339374- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 540 | 0 | 2025 |
| Oakland Estates permit 297284--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 719 | 11 | 2025 |
| Woodmoor Mountain permit 340173- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 404 | 8 | 2025 |
| Christy Ridge permit 340146- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 440 | 0 | 1986 |
| Assembly Estates permit 90196-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 430 | 8 | 1994 |
| Castle Crest permit 339767- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 1200 | 12 | 2025 |
| Ponderosa Hills permit 34590--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 190 | 15 | 2025 |
| Vista Hills 1st Amendment permit 90265-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 440 | 0 | 2026 |
| Vista Hills 1st Amendment permit 90264-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 410 | 13 | 2025 |
| Surrey Ridge Estates permit 118060--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 516 | 0 | 2026 |
| Spruce Mountain Estates permit 340679- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 375 | 13 | 2026 |
| Crestview permit 90258-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 735 | 0 | 2025 |
| Stoneridge permit 68734--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 620 | 0 | 2026 |
| Deerfield permit 340879- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 465 | 30 | 1997 |
| Singing Hills Amended permit 340924- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 515 | 15 | 2026 |
| Homestead Hill permit 340299- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 575 | 10 | 2025 |
| Hidden Village permit 220566--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 809 | 13 | 2025 |
| Bears Den permit 90338-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 410 | 15 | 2026 |
| Legacy Pines East permit 90363-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 335 | 13 | 2026 |
| Oak Hills permit 109096--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 687 | 15 | 2025 |
| Nighthawk Hills permit 341329- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 600 | 0 | 2024 |
| Ponderosa Hills permit 341021- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 615 | 12 | 2025 |
| Castle Mesa West permit 341588- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 597 | 0 | 1981 |
| Heinle Acres permit 339410--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 280 | 15 | 2026 |
| Taylor Mountain Ranch At Bear Dance permit 51008-F-R | Well Constructed | Domestic | 925 | 11 | 2025 |
| Castlewood North permit 103048--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 522 | 13 | 2025 |
| Kelty Exemption permit 88841-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 500 | 12 | 2024 |
| Chatfield East permit 89546-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 435 | 0 | 2001 |
| Chatfield East permit 89041-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 460 | 15 | 1989 |
| Dawson Butte permit 333515- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 808 | 0 | 2024 |
| Legends Club permit 88837-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 770 | 12 | 2024 |
| Preserve At Deerfield permit 88847-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 300 | 15 | 2024 |
| Legacy Pines East permit 88830-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 410 | 0 | 2024 |
| Pine Ridge permit 333518- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 660 | 15 | 2024 |
| Arrowpoint Estates permit 88868-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 600 | 0 | 2024 |
| Oakland Estates permit 333326- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 662 | 15 | 2024 |
| Dawson Butte permit 332993- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 233 | 10 | 2024 |
| Castlewood Canyon Estates permit 89019-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 160 | 15 | 2024 |
| Woodmoor Mountain permit 333996- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 505 | 8 | 2024 |
| Wildstone Ranch Exemption permit 89027-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 500 | 10 | 2024 |
| Arrowpoint Estates permit 89196-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 280 | 0 | 2024 |
| Sellers Creek Ranch permit 334364- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 718 | 0 | 1972 |
| Wildstone Ranch Exemption permit 89112-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 540 | 15 | 2024 |
| Mcarthur Ranch permit 334195- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 905 | 0 | 2024 |
| Village At Bear Dance Exemption permit 89200-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 1180 | 14 | 2025 |
| Hidden Village permit 38840--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 325 | 13 | 2024 |
| Wildstone Ranch Exemption permit 89048-F | Well Constructed | Commercial | 335 | 15 | 2021 |
| Wildstone Ranch Exemption permit 89062-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 355 | 15 | 2023 |
| Wildstone Ranch Exemption permit 89049-F | Well Constructed | Commercial | 340 | 30 | 2021 |
| Wildstone Ranch permit 89234-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 425 | 24 | 2024 |
| Dawson Butte permit 334715- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 700 | 0 | 2024 |
| Hidden Pines permit 89252-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 755 | 10 | 2025 |
| Meribel Village (filing: 1) permit 89277-F | Well Constructed | Commercial | 785 | 15 | 2024 |
| Sage Port permit 89120-F | Well Constructed | Municipal | 1740 | 0 | 2024 |
| Ponderosa East (filing: 1) permit 80921--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 463 | 15 | 2024 |
| Inspiration Farms permit 89285-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 805 | 15 | 2015 |
| Spruce Mountain Estates permit 89412-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 320 | 0 | 1999 |
| Arrowpoint permit 89233-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 215 | 15 | 2022 |
| Woodmoor Mountain permit 51384--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 605 | 10.3 | 2024 |
| Arrowpoint permit 89386-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 255 | 0 | 2024 |
| Lehigh Ranch permit 282736--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 763 | 8 | 2024 |
| Reynolds Industrial Park permit 335749- | Well Constructed | Commercial | 322 | 12 | 2026 |
| Keene Ranch permit 55786-F-R | Well Constructed | Domestic | 555 | 15 | 2024 |
| Happy Canyon permit 335548- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 1180 | 10 | 2025 |
| Dawson Butte permit 176945--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 815 | 0 | 2024 |
| Arrowpoint permit 89550-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 300 | 0 | 2025 |
| Arrowpoint permit 89548-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 280 | 0 | 2025 |
| Legacy Pines East permit 89578-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 415 | 15 | 2025 |
| Ponderosa Summit permit 49266-F-R | Well Constructed | Domestic | 855 | 13 | 2024 |
| Thunder Butte permit 336859- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 10 | 0 | 1967 |
| Legacy Pines East permit 89634-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 295 | 12.5 | 2025 |
| Arrowpoint permit 89645-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 280 | 13 | 2024 |
| Ponderosa Hills permit 32974--A | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 255 | 0 | 2024 |
| Pine Mor permit 89559-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 880 | 11 | 2024 |
| Ponderosa Hills permit 22912--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 490 | 12 | 2024 |
| Black Forest Estates permit 70960--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 260 | 15 | 2026 |
| Meribel Village (filing: 1) permit 89561-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 790 | 10 | 1998 |
By decreed use in Douglas County
- Domestic in Douglas County — 13,804
- Household Use Only in Douglas County — 1,632
- Monitoring/sampling in Douglas County — 2,001
- Municipal in Douglas County — 1,698
Counties with a comparable register
- El Paso 46,491
- Weld 43,473
- Jefferson 42,751
- Adams 26,561
- Park 22,930
- Larimer 20,919
- Boulder 20,791
- La Plata 18,518
- Elbert 17,636
- Arapahoe 17,030
- Denver 13,096
- Pueblo 12,597
- Yuma 12,410
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.