Well permits in Garfield County
12,165 well permits — 2.0% of Colorado’s register. The median well here is 103 feet deep, against 148 feet statewide.
12,165Permits
103 ftMedian depth
3,031Expired
1Denver Basin aquifer
How deep people drill in Garfield 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 | 103 ft | 310 ft | 148 ft — shallower here (7,515 permits, 62 %) |
| Yield | 15 gpm | 30 gpm | 10 gpm — higher here (2,240 permits, 18 %) |
| Static water level | 47 ft | 170 ft | 58 ft — lower here (5,665 permits, 47 %) |
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 | 5,381 | 44.2% |
| Monitoring/sampling | 3,038 | 25.0% |
| Household Use Only | 1,443 | 11.9% |
| Commercial | 872 | 7.2% |
| Other | 501 | 4.1% |
| Municipal | 271 | 2.2% |
| Irrigation | 222 | 1.8% |
| Industrial | 143 | 1.2% |
| Stock | 140 | 1.2% |
| Not stated | 72 | 0.6% |
| Geothermal | 30 | 0.2% |
| Dewatering | 25 | 0.2% |
What happened to these permits
5,642 of the 12,165 permits in Garfield County ended with a well the Division was told about — 46.4%. And 3,031 expired without one: 24.9%.
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 | 5,642 | 46.4% |
| Permit Expired | 3,031 | 24.9% |
| Permit Canceled | 935 | 7.7% |
| Well Abandoned | 749 | 6.2% |
| Application Denied | 383 | 3.1% |
| Application Withdrawn | 357 | 2.9% |
| Well Replaced - Abandonment Required | 325 | 2.7% |
| Permit Issued | 304 | 2.5% |
| Application Information Requested | 220 | 1.8% |
| Application Received | 102 | 0.8% |
Which aquifers
| Aquifer | Permits | Share |
|---|---|---|
| All Unnamed Aquifers | 11,667 | 95.9% |
| Alluvial | 145 | 1.2% |
| Not stated | 86 | 0.7% |
| Williams Fork | 84 | 0.7% |
| Wasatch-fort Union | 69 | 0.6% |
| Wasatch | 48 | 0.4% |
| Mesa Verde | 25 | 0.2% |
| Mancos | 13 | 0.1% |
| Green River | 11 | 0.1% |
| Dakota Sandstone | 4 | 0.0% |
When the permits were issued
| Issued in | Permits | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 964 | 7.9% |
| 2010s | 1,546 | 12.7% |
| 2000s | 2,500 | 20.6% |
| 1990s | 2,951 | 24.3% |
| 1980s | 1,413 | 11.6% |
| 1970s | 853 | 7.0% |
| 1960s | 271 | 2.2% |
| 1950s | 20 | 0.2% |
| 1900s | 1 | 0.0% |
Buying land in Garfield County, or need a well drilled?
12,165 well permits are on the Division’s register in Garfield County, 3,031 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 Garfield County
| Subdivision, or the permit number | Status | Decreed use | Depth (ft) | Yield (gpm) | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riverview Ranch permit 90729-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 95 | 0 | 2025 |
| Morrisania Ranch permit 341749- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 153 | 15 | 1945 |
| Reid Subdivision Exemption permit 90586-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 185 | 10 | 2017 |
| El Rancho Minor permit 90686-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 50 | 0 | 2026 |
| El Rancho Minor permit 90687-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 62 | 0 | 2026 |
| Gabossi permit 90670-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 300 | 12 | 2017 |
| Asgard (filing: 2) permit 90865-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 168 | 0 | 1999 |
| Antler Orchard permit 90879-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 65 | 0 | 1994 |
| Antlers Orchard permit 90911-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 240 | 0 | 2000 |
| Cooperton Townsite permit 90039-F | Well Constructed | Other | 80 | 0 | 2025 |
| Robbins Exemption permit 89799-F | Well Constructed | Commercial | 30 | 15 | 2025 |
| Windance Ranch permit 338552- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 74 | 0 | 2012 |
| Windance Ranch permit 338553- | Well Constructed | Other | 96 | 12 | 2006 |
| St Finnbar Farm permit 89766-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 40 | 15 | 2022 |
| Kuersten Exemption (resolution No. 80-72) permit 337565- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 263 | 0 | 2025 |
| Crouch Exemption permit 169271--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 183 | 0 | 2025 |
| Porter Exemption (resolution No. 84-122) permit 337318- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 150 | 0 | 2025 |
| Pinion Grove (aka Barnes Exemption) permit 61745-F-R | Well Constructed | Domestic | 303 | 15 | 2024 |
| Antlers Orchard Development Corp (amended) permit 89817-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 81 | 14.5 | 1999 |
| Shelton Minor permit 89827-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 140 | 15 | 2022 |
| Shelton Minor permit 89828-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 142 | 8 | 2022 |
| Antlers Orchard Development Corp permit 90129-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 63 | 15 | 2019 |
| St Finnbar Farm permit 90277-F | Well Constructed | Other | 11 | 0 | 2024 |
| Eanes Exemption (resolution No. 96-52) permit 338708- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 58 | 15 | 1980 |
| Eanes Exemption (resolution No. 96-52) permit 338709- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 45 | 0 | 2025 |
| Burris Exemption permit 89915-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 53 | 15 | 2025 |
| Goose Creek permit 89981-F | Well Constructed | Other | 32 | 15 | 2025 |
| Goose Creek permit 81774-F-R | Well Constructed | Commercial | 30 | 15 | 2025 |
| Roaring Fork Ranches, Sb 35 Exemption Plat permit 339878- | Well Constructed | Monitoring/sampling | 59 | 0 | 2025 |
| Grass Mesa Ranch permit 339364- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 123 | 0 | 2025 |
| Sierra Vista permit 339400- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 57 | 0 | 2025 |
| Mountain Springs Ranch permit 339396- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 173 | 0 | 2025 |
| Bar Nine Quarter Circle permit 340096- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 270 | 0 | 2025 |
| Hughes Minor Sub (aka Peach Valley Minor Sub) permit 195611--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 140 | 0 | 2025 |
| Harris Exemption permit 30344-F-R | Well Constructed | Domestic | 29 | 0 | 2025 |
| Antlers Orchard Development Corp permit 340216- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 256 | 1.42 | 2025 |
| Antlers Orchard Development Corp permit 90216-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 100 | 0 | 2025 |
| Smilack Exemption permit 90241-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 115 | 15 | 2025 |
| Sillivan Exemption permit 90261-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 280 | 0 | 2025 |
| Moulton Heritage permit 90406-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 58 | 0 | 2025 |
| Ryobi Foundation Plat permit 341567- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 80 | 15 | 2025 |
| Freeark Tracts permit 341483- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 435 | 0 | 2025 |
| Hagman Exemption permit 90500-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 40 | 0 | 2012 |
| Budau Minor permit 88805-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 80 | 0 | 1982 |
| Budau Minor permit 88806-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 104 | 15 | 2022 |
| Simms permit 88824-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 183 | 0 | 2022 |
| Simms permit 88823-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 280 | 0 | 2022 |
| Erpestad Minor (re-subdivision Lot 2a Giomi Minor) permit 88822-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 62 | 15 | 2024 |
| Dwire-thunder Exemption (resolution No. 94-123) permit 333105- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 158 | 0 | 2024 |
| L/j (a Re-subdivision of Tract 11, Chelyn Acres) permit 89002-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 90 | 10 | 1968 |
| Robbins Exemption permit 89046-F | Well Constructed | Commercial | 36 | 15 | 2024 |
| Robbins Exemption permit 89047-F | Well Constructed | Commercial | 35 | 15 | 2024 |
| Grand Hogback Ranches permit 333320- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 163 | 0 | 2024 |
| Grand Hogback Ranches permit 333321- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 163 | 0 | 2024 |
| Grand Hogback Ranches permit 333322- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 243 | 0 | 2024 |
| Hawkins Divide Creek Parcel permit 333323- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 87 | 0 | 2024 |
| Van Rand Park permit 89001-F | Well Constructed | Commercial | 150 | 15 | 2024 |
| Mcclure River Ranch permit 89030-F | Well Constructed | Other | 45 | 60 | 2024 |
| Coke Ovens Exemption permit 333630- | Well Constructed | Commercial | 138 | 10 | 2024 |
| Panoramic Mesa permit 333577- | Well Constructed | Monitoring/sampling | 163 | 15 | 2024 |
| Grass Mesa Ranch permit 333744- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 177 | 0 | 2024 |
| Snobble Exemption (amended) permit 39050--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 50 | 0 | 2024 |
| Glen Park Ranch permit 333750- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 805 | 0 | 2025 |
| Doug Coffman permit 334875- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 8 | 0 | 1976 |
| Sopris View Acres permit 334567- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 310 | 0 | 2024 |
| Panoramic Mesa permit 89467-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 115 | 5 | 2024 |
| Panoramic Mesa permit 89408-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 73 | 15 | 2024 |
| Panoramic Mesa permit 89571-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 135 | 0 | 2024 |
| St Finnbar Farm permit 89312-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 40 | 15 | 2024 |
| Panoramic Mesa permit 89409-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 308 | 2 | 2024 |
| Douglas Minor permit 89633-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 75 | 15 | 2021 |
| Grass Mesa Ranch permit 89441-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 165 | 6 | 1998 |
| Asgard (filing: 3) permit 336106- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 393 | 0 | 2024 |
| Ahc Rifle Antlers Orchard Development Companys # 1 permit 336273- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 113 | 0 | 2025 |
| Ahc Rifle Antlers Orchard Development Companys # 1 permit 336274- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 183 | 0 | 2025 |
| Ahc Rifle Antlers Orchard Development Companys # 1 permit 336275- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 163 | 0 | 2025 |
| Ahc Rifle Antlers Orchard Development Companys # 1 permit 336276- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 143 | 0 | 2024 |
| Ahc Rifle Antlers Orchard Development Companys # 1 permit 336277- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 143 | 0 | 2024 |
| Piffer Exemption (resolution No. 2005-08) permit 89488-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 180 | 5.7 | 2014 |
| Grand Hogback Ranches permit 335786- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 199 | 0 | 2025 |
| John Nieslanik Ranch Rural Land Development Exempt permit 336657- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 114 | 0 | 2025 |
| Panoramic Mesa permit 89692-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 196 | 0 | 1969 |
| Native Springs permit 89529-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 85 | 0 | 2002 |
| Panoramic Mesa permit 89623-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 163 | 10 | 2024 |
| John Nieslanik Ranch Rural Land Development Exempt permit 336658- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 110 | 0 | 2008 |
| John Nieslanik Ranch Rural Land Development Exempt permit 336659- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 120 | 0 | 2009 |
| General Land Office (glo) Government Lot permit 336291- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 200 | 0 | 2024 |
| Antlers Orchard Development Corp permit 336416- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 80 | 0 | 2026 |
| Mckee Exemption permit 87828-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 303 | 6 | 2023 |
| Robert Nieslanik Exemption (resolution No. 93-087) permit 329701- | Well Constructed | Stock | 150 | 0 | 2023 |
| Robert Nieslanik Exemption (resolution No. 93-087) permit 329702- | Well Constructed | Stock | 200 | 0 | 2023 |
| Robert Nieslanik Exemption (resolution No. 93-087) permit 329703- | Well Constructed | Stock | 160 | 0 | 2023 |
| Englund/moore (amended Plat Lot 2) permit 87821-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 32 | 15 | 1998 |
| Englund / Moore permit 87820-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 28 | 15 | 1998 |
| Mountain Springs Ranch permit 329905- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 135 | 0 | 2026 |
| Morrisania Ranch permit 330159- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 233 | 0 | 2024 |
| Morrisania Ranch permit 330160- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 260 | 0 | 2024 |
| Gabossi Exemption permit 88166-F | Well Constructed | Commercial | 160 | 0 | 2002 |
| Gabossi Exemption permit 88167-F | Well Constructed | Commercial | 225 | 0 | 2002 |
| Mcclure River Ranch permit 88666-F | Well Constructed | Commercial | 50 | 15 | 2019 |
| Antlers Orchard Development Corp permit 88508-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 108 | 0 | 2023 |
| Mountain Springs Ranch permit 331554- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 294 | 0 | 2024 |
| Morrisania Ranch permit 332173- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 180 | 0 | 1930 |
| Pleasant Valley Ranch permit 332086- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 125 | 15 | 2023 |
| Moss / Arnett permit 331977- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 234 | 15 | 2024 |
| Powerline Professional Park permit 67244-F-R | Well Constructed | Commercial | 63 | 15 | 2024 |
| Wilson Exemption (resolution No. 83-25) permit 332038--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 83 | 0 | 2023 |
| Petre Exemption permit 332068- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 82 | 0 | 2023 |
| Maves Subdivision Exemption permit 88761-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 240 | 3.5 | 1998 |
| Robbins Exemption permit 88803-F | Well Constructed | Commercial | 28 | 25.5 | 1980 |
By decreed use in Garfield County
- Domestic in Garfield County — 5,381
- Household Use Only in Garfield County — 1,443
- Monitoring/sampling in Garfield County — 3,038
Counties with a comparable register
- Boulder 20,791
- La Plata 18,518
- Elbert 17,636
- Arapahoe 17,030
- Denver 13,096
- Pueblo 12,597
- Yuma 12,410
- Grand 11,297
- Teller 10,843
- Fremont 10,353
- Chaffee 10,321
- Alamosa 10,088
- Rio Grande 9,833
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.