Well permits in La Plata County
18,518 well permits — 3.1% of Colorado’s register. The median well here is 150 feet deep, against 148 feet statewide.
18,518Permits
150 ftMedian depth
3,773Expired
0Denver Basin aquifer
How deep people drill in La Plata 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 | 150 ft | 362 ft | 148 ft — deeper here (11,217 permits, 61 %) |
| Yield | 10 gpm | 20 gpm | 10 gpm — the same here (2,650 permits, 14 %) |
| Static water level | 42 ft | 142 ft | 58 ft — lower here (8,890 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 | 10,644 | 57.5% |
| Household Use Only | 2,545 | 13.7% |
| Industrial | 2,234 | 12.1% |
| Commercial | 1,103 | 6.0% |
| Monitoring/sampling | 988 | 5.3% |
| Other | 308 | 1.7% |
| Not stated | 244 | 1.3% |
| Irrigation | 158 | 0.9% |
| Stock | 125 | 0.7% |
| Municipal | 121 | 0.7% |
| Geothermal | 27 | 0.1% |
| Augmentation | 11 | 0.1% |
What happened to these permits
11,474 of the 18,518 permits in La Plata County ended with a well the Division was told about — 62.0%. And 3,773 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 | 11,474 | 62.0% |
| Permit Expired | 3,773 | 20.4% |
| Permit Canceled | 1,079 | 5.8% |
| Permit Issued | 542 | 2.9% |
| Well Replaced - Abandonment Required | 510 | 2.8% |
| Well Abandoned | 450 | 2.4% |
| Application Denied | 209 | 1.1% |
| Application Information Requested | 191 | 1.0% |
| Application Received | 84 | 0.5% |
| Permit Expired (Pump Installed) | 51 | 0.3% |
Which aquifers
| Aquifer | Permits | Share |
|---|---|---|
| All Unnamed Aquifers | 17,887 | 96.6% |
| Not stated | 216 | 1.2% |
| Fruitland-pictured Cliffs | 181 | 1.0% |
| Alluvial | 58 | 0.3% |
| Dakota | 49 | 0.3% |
| Mancos | 32 | 0.2% |
| Hermosa | 28 | 0.2% |
| Dakota Sandstone | 12 | 0.1% |
| Mesa Verde Group | 11 | 0.1% |
| Entrada | 7 | 0.0% |
When the permits were issued
| Issued in | Permits | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,048 | 5.7% |
| 2010s | 3,539 | 19.1% |
| 2000s | 3,338 | 18.0% |
| 1990s | 4,267 | 23.0% |
| 1980s | 2,291 | 12.4% |
| 1970s | 1,498 | 8.1% |
| 1960s | 34 | 0.2% |
| 1950s | 94 | 0.5% |
| 1910s | 1 | 0.0% |
Buying land in La Plata County, or need a well drilled?
18,518 well permits are on the Division’s register in La Plata County, 3,773 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 La Plata County
| Subdivision, or the permit number | Status | Decreed use | Depth (ft) | Yield (gpm) | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mesa Linda permit 341796- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 200 | 12 | 1989 |
| Daybreaker Ranch permit 90825-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 100 | 0 | 1985 |
| Streamside permit 176433--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 80 | 0 | 2026 |
| Gillis West permit 343169- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 0 | 0 | 2026 |
| Vista Pacifica permit 336952- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 80 | 15 | 2025 |
| Juniper Heights permit 154252--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 340 | 0 | 2025 |
| Redtail Mountain Ranch permit 89776-F | Well Constructed | Irrigation | 345 | 0 | 2025 |
| Homestead Ranches permit 337504- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 460 | 0 | 2025 |
| Claude Decker permit 337546- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 300 | 0 | 2025 |
| Ranchos de Terra permit 141611--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 340 | 0 | 2025 |
| Freed permit 337859- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 120 | 0 | 2025 |
| Lakewood Meadows permit 159138--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 200 | 0 | 2025 |
| Vallecito Mountain View Estates permit 339223- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 200 | 7.5 | 2025 |
| Rafter J - Open A permit 264203--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 180 | 0 | 2025 |
| Pine View permit 339327- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 300 | 0 | 2025 |
| Oasis Valley Estates permit 339471- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 60 | 0 | 2025 |
| East Mesa permit 340026- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 200 | 0 | 1994 |
| G I Tract permit 340210- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 200 | 0 | 1993 |
| Purdy permit 90190-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 200 | 4 | 1984 |
| South Timber Ridge Ranch permit 340523- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 600 | 5 | 2026 |
| Bear Creek Pines permit 340548- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 235 | 0 | 1996 |
| Durango Ridge Ranch - Butterfly Ridge Ranch permit 340883- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 176 | 0 | 2025 |
| Durango Heights permit 341038- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 65 | 0 | 1973 |
| Flying S permit 33566-F-R | Well Constructed | Domestic | 360 | 0 | 2025 |
| South Timber Ridge Ranch permit 341438- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 360 | 0 | 2025 |
| Animas Valley View Estates permit 341509- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 220 | 0 | 2026 |
| Valley of Spruce permit 90476-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 6 | 13 | 2006 |
| Gosney Ranch Tracts permit 341600- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 170 | 0 | 2026 |
| Pine View permit 333099- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 220 | 0 | 2025 |
| Land Int'l Chap Lake permit 333158- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 130 | 0 | 1978 |
| Gladden permit 333357- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 170 | 0 | 1982 |
| Happy Scenes #2 permit 42853-F-R | Well Constructed | Domestic | 120 | 3 | 2024 |
| Pine View (filing: 2) permit 333604- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 120 | 0 | 1988 |
| Animas Meanders permit 333597- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 120 | 0 | 2024 |
| Corbett permit 333660- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 120 | 0 | 2024 |
| Happy Scenes permit 46952-F-R | Well Constructed | Domestic | 340 | 0 | 2024 |
| Rieser Subdivision permit 333667- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 400 | 0 | 2025 |
| Shea Resub permit 333882- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 0 | 0 | 2024 |
| Sarah J Andrews permit 334028- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 80 | 0 | 2024 |
| Rowe Exemption permit 334085- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 115 | 0 | 1982 |
| Jr Ranch permit 334386- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 60 | 0 | 2024 |
| Rec Exmpt 0801-18-3 Re550 permit 336592- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 80 | 0 | 2025 |
| Houston Boundary Adjustment permit 334890- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 200 | 0 | 2025 |
| Cat 1, Proj 81-197 permit 161807--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 176 | 0 | 2024 |
| Turtle Lake permit 89375-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 100 | 0 | 2007 |
| Valley of Spruce permit 336502- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 16 | 0 | 1972 |
| Cliffs of Durango permit 265200--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 600 | 0 | 2024 |
| Vista Pacifica permit 327112--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 316 | 0 | 2024 |
| Linda Vista West permit 335981- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 160 | 0 | 1985 |
| Rocking H permit 336062- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 250 | 0 | 2007 |
| Timberdale Ranch permit 336459- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 360 | 0 | 2025 |
| Vista Grande permit 88069-F | Well Constructed | Commercial | 168 | 2.75 | 1972 |
| Enchanted Forest permit 329506- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 140 | 0 | 1995 |
| Lake of the Pines permit 99884--A | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 300 | 0 | 2024 |
| Florida River Ranch permit 329693- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 360 | 0 | 2023 |
| Wallace Gulch Estates permit 329696- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 420 | 0 | 2023 |
| Enchanted Forest Estates permit 329768- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 180 | 0 | 2024 |
| Lake Purgatory permit 329971- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 575 | 0 | 2023 |
| Hood permit 63018-F-R | Well Constructed | Domestic | 300 | 14 | 2023 |
| Vicenti Ba Proj 2009-0079 permit 87936-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 100 | 12 | 2023 |
| Wits End (filing: 1) permit 330109- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 100 | 0 | 2023 |
| Lake Purgatory 2 permit 330246- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 320 | 0 | 2023 |
| Meadows permit 330242- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 220 | 0 | 2023 |
| Daulton permit 330270- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 75 | 15 | 2024 |
| Midway Acres permit 330283- | Well Constructed | Commercial | 8 | 0 | 2023 |
| Diamond G permit 330361- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 240 | 0 | 2024 |
| Frazier/mackie Ba permit 225018--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 100 | 15 | 2023 |
| Wilderness Lake Mountain Estates permit 330447- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 160 | 0 | 2023 |
| Cliffs of Durango permit 265197--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 680 | 0 | 2023 |
| Roberts Mes 97-92 permit 33357--A | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 280 | 10 | 2023 |
| La Paloma permit 330761- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 140 | 0 | 1995 |
| Redtail Mountain Ranch permit 265372--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 704 | 0 | 2024 |
| Deer Valley permit 330865- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 200 | 0 | 2023 |
| Wilderness Lake Mountain Estates permit 239026--A | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 526 | 5 | 2023 |
| Valley Acres permit 39477--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 100 | 0 | 2024 |
| Rim River Ranches permit 331030- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 195 | 10 | 2023 |
| Alpine Shadows permit 148391--A | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 340 | 0 | 2025 |
| Lake Purgatory permit 331909- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 600 | 0 | 2023 |
| Redtail Mountain Ranch permit 332042- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 900 | 7 | 2024 |
| Elkhorn Ranch permit 268026--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 110 | 0 | 2025 |
| Cherry Valley Estates permit 332456- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 360 | 0 | 2024 |
| Loma Linda permit 327727- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 150 | 0 | 1996 |
| G I Tracts permit 324992- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 155 | 0 | 1978 |
| Mesa Heights permit 325029- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 159 | 0 | 2023 |
| Stardust Ba/proj 2002-016 permit 325186- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 344 | 5 | 2022 |
| Lake Vista Estates permit 325517- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 700 | 0 | 2022 |
| Moonbeam Ba permit 325196- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 405 | 7 | 2022 |
| Enchanted Forest Estates permit 325336- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 172 | 0 | 1995 |
| J Bar Mes permit 325404- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 83 | 0 | 1972 |
| Enchanted Forest Estates permit 325664- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 220 | 0 | 2024 |
| Gi Tracts permit 325916- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 150 | 0 | 1990 |
| Electra Sporting Club permit 326003- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 560 | 10 | 2022 |
| Lake Purgatory permit 326211- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 461 | 0 | 2023 |
| Lake Purgatory permit 326210- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 442 | 0 | 2023 |
| Lakewood Meadows permit 326195- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 220 | 0 | 2022 |
| La Plata Canyon Ranches permit 326214- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 283 | 0 | 2022 |
| Lake Purgatory permit 326209- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 480 | 0 | 2023 |
| Lake of the Pines permit 326292- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 280 | 0 | 2022 |
| Taylor Ranch permit 87032-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 285 | 0 | 2000 |
| Electra Lake Sporting Club permit 326572- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 280 | 5 | 2022 |
| Pine River Ranch permit 66482-F-R | Well Constructed | Domestic | 180 | 15 | 2022 |
| Aspen Trails permit 326866- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 220 | 0 | 2023 |
| Lake Vista Estates permit 326809- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 255 | 0 | 2005 |
| Lake Purgatory permit 326899- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 400 | 0 | 2022 |
| Lake Purgatory permit 326900- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 400 | 0 | 2022 |
| Proj 81-231 permit 326911- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 100 | 5 | 2024 |
| Tween Lakes Estates permit 327099- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 380 | 0.5 | 1996 |
| Deer Valley Estates permit 327340- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 180 | 0 | 2023 |
| Turtle Lake permit 87376-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 120 | 0 | 2023 |
| Rincon Ridge Llc permit 182753--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 440 | 0 | 2023 |
By decreed use in La Plata County
- Commercial in La Plata County — 1,103
- Domestic in La Plata County — 10,644
- Household Use Only in La Plata County — 2,545
- Industrial in La Plata County — 2,234
Counties with a comparable register
- Weld 43,473
- Jefferson 42,751
- Adams 26,561
- Park 22,930
- Douglas 22,500
- Larimer 20,919
- Boulder 20,791
- Elbert 17,636
- Arapahoe 17,030
- Denver 13,096
- Pueblo 12,597
- Yuma 12,410
- Garfield 12,165
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.