Well permits in Ouray County

1,242 well permits — 0.2% of Colorado’s register. The median well here is 220 feet deep, against 148 feet statewide.

1,242Permits

220 ftMedian depth

240Expired

0Denver Basin aquifer

How deep people drill in Ouray 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.

Medians, on the permits where the Division was told — never a mean, which a few industrial wells would carry away
Measurement	Median	90th percentile	Colorado median
Depth	220 ft	500 ft	148 ft — deeper here (791 permits, 64 %)
Yield	10 gpm	15 gpm	10 gpm — the same here (314 permits, 25 %)
Static water level	80 ft	250 ft	58 ft — higher here (656 permits, 53 %)

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	693	55.8%
Household Use Only	187	15.1%
Monitoring/sampling	154	12.4%
Irrigation	68	5.5%
Commercial	47	3.8%
Other	33	2.7%
Stock	28	2.3%
Geothermal	14	1.1%
Not stated	11	0.9%
Industrial	3	0.2%
Municipal	2	0.2%
Fire	2	0.2%

What happened to these permits

678 of the 1,242 permits in Ouray County ended with a well the Division was told about — 54.6%. And 240 expired without one: 19.3%.

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	678	54.6%
Permit Expired	240	19.3%
Permit Issued	79	6.4%
Permit Canceled	54	4.3%
Application Denied	48	3.9%
Well Replaced - Abandonment Required	29	2.3%
Application Received	26	2.1%
Application Information Requested	23	1.9%
Well Abandoned	18	1.4%
Application Withdrawn	11	0.9%

Which aquifers

Aquifer	Permits	Share
All Unnamed Aquifers	1,143	92.0%
Dakota	42	3.4%
Dakota Sandstone	16	1.3%
Mancos	13	1.0%
Alluvial	6	0.5%
Dakota-burro Canyon	6	0.5%
Not stated	5	0.4%
Morrison	2	0.2%
Entrada	2	0.2%
Dakota Group Aquifer	2	0.2%

When the permits were issued

Issued in	Permits	Share
2020s	125	10.1%
2010s	129	10.4%
2000s	195	15.7%
1990s	256	20.6%
1980s	170	13.7%
1970s	113	9.1%
1960s	5	0.4%
1950s	9	0.7%

Buying land in Ouray County, or need a well drilled?

1,242 well permits are on the Division’s register in Ouray County, 240 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 Ouray County

Well permits, Ouray County — 110 of the 110 shown carry the subdivision or plat name the applicant gave; a 0 means the Division was never told, not a measurement of zero
Subdivision, or the permit number	Status	Decreed use	Depth (ft)	Yield (gpm)	Year
Government Springs Ranch permit 337099-	Well Constructed	Domestic	180	1.5	2025
Government Springs Ranch permit 338756-	Well Constructed	Domestic	300	7	2025
Lake Lenore permit 334554-	Well Constructed	Household Use Only	150	10	2024
Horsefly Tracts permit 336226-	Well Constructed	Domestic	300	0	2024
Horsefly Tracts permit 336884-	Well Constructed	Domestic	280	0	2026
Loughter Place permit 87811-F	Well Constructed	Irrigation	110	0	2020
Hudson permit 65100--A	Well Constructed	Domestic	150	0	2023
Army Navy 1557 permit 325385-	Well Constructed	Household Use Only	323	12.5	2023
Horsefly permit 326977-	Well Constructed	Domestic	232	0	2022
Horsefly Tracts permit 328406-	Well Constructed	Domestic	300	0	2022
Spruce Mountain permit 328437-	Well Constructed	Domestic	200	0	2024
Loughter Place permit 84310-F	Well Constructed	Commercial	110	75	2020
Park Estates permit 317936-	Well Constructed	Domestic	220	0	2020
Loghill Crest permit 314383-	Well Constructed	Domestic	405	10	2020
Horsefly Tracts permit 122303--A	Well Constructed	Domestic	250	5	2019
Loughter Place permit 82456-F	Well Constructed	Irrigation	0	119	2012
Loughter Place permit 82754-F	Well Constructed	Commercial	130	0	1997
Sailors Exemption permit 78877-F	Well Constructed	Domestic	102	15	2003
E Telluride Addition permit 51377-MH	Well Constructed	Monitoring/sampling	10	0	2013
Loghill Crest permit 203050--A	Well Constructed	Domestic	565	0	2012
Sundance permit 127235--A	Well Constructed	Household Use Only	432	0	2012
Horsefly Tracts permit 288389-	Well Constructed	Domestic	201	0	2012
San Juan Ranch permit 286811-	Well Constructed	Domestic	620	0	2011
Del Norte Mining Claim, Survey No 6374 permit 283967-	Well Constructed	Household Use Only	444	0	2010
Horsefly Tracts 3 permit 281829-	Well Constructed	Domestic	362	5	2009
Dancing Bear Ranch permit 272976-	Well Constructed	Domestic	440	0	2007
Hess-phillips Exemption permit 275815-	Well Constructed	Domestic	840	0	2008
Loughter Place permit 64181-F	Well Constructed	Other	0	0	2006
Loughter Place permit 64182-F	Well Constructed	Commercial	130	0	1997
Snowshoe permit 64949-F	Well Constructed	Household Use Only	401	6	2006
Horsefly Tracts 3 permit 263114-	Well Constructed	Domestic	900	0	2005
Lake Lenore permit 265861-	Well Constructed	Household Use Only	402	15	2005
Jetley Exemption No 2 permit 261693-	Well Constructed	Household Use Only	142	0	2005
Pleasant Valley Slope #1 permit 265913-	Well Constructed	Domestic	782	15	2005
Creekside permit 43710-MH	Well Constructed	Monitoring/sampling	20	0	2004
Hudson permit 61649-F	Well Constructed	Domestic	110	2.5	1972
Lake Lenore permit 254696-	Well Constructed	Household Use Only	160	0	2004
Lake Lenore permit 256799-	Well Constructed	Household Use Only	262	10	2004
Horsefly Tracts permit 257320-	Well Constructed	Domestic	162	5	2004
Log Hill (filing: 4) permit 488-G	Well Constructed	Geothermal	250	0	2004
Lazy Dog permit 258234-	Well Constructed	Domestic	842	10	2004
Elk Meadows Estates permit 60265-F	Well Constructed	Domestic	198	20	2003
San Juan Ranch permit 237705-	Well Constructed	Domestic	480	14	1995
Park Estates permit 240136-	Well Constructed	Domestic	362	10	2002
Park Estates permit 241151-	Well Constructed	Domestic	550	8	2002
Highlands Ranch permit 241765-	Well Constructed	Domestic	352	11.1	2002
Park Estates permit 242851-	Well Constructed	Domestic	710	2.5	2003
Gifford Exempt permit 243672-	Well Constructed	Household Use Only	202	0	2002
Pleasant Valley permit 243683-	Well Constructed	Domestic	792	15	2002
Lake Lenore permit 243691-	Well Constructed	Household Use Only	583	6	2002
San Juan Vista permit 57993-F	Well Constructed	Household Use Only	110	6	2002
Wilton Parcels permit 231729-	Well Constructed	Domestic	635	0	2001
Elk Mountain Resort permit 54442-F	Well Constructed	Commercial	322	10	2001
Horsefly permit 131245--A	Well Constructed	Domestic	800	0	2001
Lake Lenore permit 236842-	Well Constructed	Household Use Only	343	3	2001
Zetterholm Exemption permit 125467--A	Well Constructed	Household Use Only	200	4	2001
Loghill Crest permit 226279-	Well Constructed	Domestic	302	0.75	2000
Horsefly Tracts 3 permit 216746-	Well Constructed	Domestic	940	0	2001
Loghill Crest permit 217127-	Well Constructed	Domestic	330	8	1999
Horsefly Tracts permit 219733-	Well Constructed	Domestic	222	2.5	1999
Horsefly Tracts permit 221029-	Well Constructed	Domestic	242	15	2001
Valley View permit 209012-	Well Constructed	Domestic	80	15	1998
Swyhart & Wine Exemption permit 209020-	Well Constructed	Household Use Only	482	6	1998
Horsefly Tracts permit 203056-	Well Constructed	Domestic	343	5	1997
B & V permit 198179-	Well Constructed	Household Use Only	425	0	1994
Fat Jack Exception permit 198487-	Well Constructed	Household Use Only	100	10	1996
Horsefly Tracts permit 189035-	Well Constructed	Domestic	283	0.5	1995
Loghill Village (filing: 4) permit 174037-	Well Constructed	Domestic	104	4	1994
Horsefly permit 162809-	Well Constructed	Domestic	324	0	1992
Portland Town of permit 159307--A	Well Constructed	Domestic	97	13	1990
Portland Townsite permit 158781-	Well Constructed	Domestic	30	0	1990
Horsefly permit 152189-	Well Constructed	Domestic	185	0	1988
Horsefly permit 142295-	Well Constructed	Domestic	305	0	1986
Marshall Exemption permit 142479-	Well Constructed	Household Use Only	144	7	1986
Highlands permit 134311-	Well Constructed	Stock	205	0	1984
Horsefly permit 137514-	Well Constructed	Domestic	235	0	1984
Pleasant Valley Slope (filing: 1) permit 130023-	Well Constructed	Household Use Only	240	12	1983
Lake Lenore permit 126415-	Well Constructed	Household Use Only	10	0	1984
Vogellar permit 122503-	Well Constructed	Domestic	740	10	1980
Horsefly Tracts permit 121868-	Well Constructed	Domestic	65	3	1981
Moorehead permit 104777-	Well Constructed	Household Use Only	0	0	1979
Miller permit 106227-	Well Constructed	Household Use Only	640	0	1979
Pleasant Valley Slope (filing: 1) permit 99365-	Well Constructed	Household Use Only	240	8	1978
Moorehead permit 100462-	Well Constructed	Household Use Only	485	2	1978
Idlewild Estates 3 permit 102927-	Well Constructed	Household Use Only	210	13	1978
Hudson permit 73691-	Well Constructed	Household Use Only	120	15	1976
Portland Townsite of permit 68154-	Well Constructed	Domestic	40	15	1973
Beaver Meadows permit 70800-	Well Constructed	Household Use Only	11	15	1973
Hudson permit 71753-	Well Constructed	Household Use Only	84	15	1974
Idlewind permit 64698-	Well Constructed	Household Use Only	76	0	1974
Application Parcel Name Missing permit 65008-	Well Constructed	Household Use Only	34	0	1972
Colona permit 477-RN	Well Constructed	Domestic	52	0	1953
Old Dallas Townsite permit 21625-	Well Constructed	Domestic	61	0	1964
Subdivision 5 permit 48414-	Well Constructed	Domestic	115	0	1971
Application Parcel Name Missing permit 86812-	Well Constructed	Household Use Only	150	0	—
Idlewild Estates permit 121804-	Well Constructed	Domestic	160	0	1982
Pleasant Valley Slope (filing: 1) permit 129797-	Well Constructed	Household Use Only	600	0	1983
Application Parcel Name Missing permit 140026-	Well Constructed	Domestic	110	1	1964
Coya/ms18424 permit 342976-	Permit Issued	Household Use Only	0	0	2026
Horsefly Tracts permit 343442-	Permit Issued	Domestic	0	0	2026
Idlewild Estates permit 339809-	Permit Issued	Household Use Only	0	0	2025
Highlands permit 340136-	Pump Installed, No Construction Info Received	Domestic	0	15	2025
Highlands permit 333935-	Permit Canceled	Monitoring/sampling	190	0	2024
Highlands permit 333936-	Permit Expired	Monitoring/sampling	0	0	2024
Loghill Crest permit 331026-	Permit Extended	Domestic	0	0	2023
Ranch At Kettle Creek permit 327400-	Permit Expired	Domestic	0	0	2022
Pleasant Valley Slope #1 permit 322193-	Permit Expired	Domestic	0	0	2021
Horsefly Tracts permit 306338-	Permit Expired	Domestic	0	0	2017
Lake Lenore permit 303555-	Permit Expired	Household Use Only	0	0	2016
Piedmont permit 28-GX	NA	Geothermal	240	0	2007

Counties with a comparable register

Phillips 2,865
Lake 2,756
Bent 2,362
Sedgwick 2,293
Cheyenne 2,133
Montezuma 2,111
Jackson 1,625
Mineral 1,539
Kiowa 1,434
Hinsdale 1,273
Broomfield 1,127
Crowley 1,099
Dolores 604

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.