Well permits in Pitkin County
4,805 well permits — 0.8% of Colorado’s register. The median well here is 103 feet deep, against 148 feet statewide.
4,805Permits
103 ftMedian depth
1,165Expired
0Denver Basin aquifer
How deep people drill in Pitkin 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 | 375 ft | 148 ft — shallower here (2,923 permits, 61 %) |
| Yield | 15 gpm | 25 gpm | 10 gpm — higher here (952 permits, 20 %) |
| Static water level | 48 ft | 165 ft | 58 ft — lower here (2,429 permits, 51 %) |
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 | 2,295 | 47.8% |
| Household Use Only | 1,064 | 22.1% |
| Monitoring/sampling | 771 | 16.0% |
| Commercial | 180 | 3.7% |
| Other | 177 | 3.7% |
| Municipal | 102 | 2.1% |
| Irrigation | 78 | 1.6% |
| Geothermal | 57 | 1.2% |
| Not stated | 20 | 0.4% |
| Stock | 19 | 0.4% |
| Industrial | 16 | 0.3% |
| Dewatering | 13 | 0.3% |
What happened to these permits
2,205 of the 4,805 permits in Pitkin County ended with a well the Division was told about — 45.9%. And 1,165 expired without one: 24.2%.
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 | 2,205 | 45.9% |
| Permit Expired | 1,165 | 24.2% |
| Permit Canceled | 298 | 6.2% |
| Well Abandoned | 280 | 5.8% |
| Application Denied | 201 | 4.2% |
| Well Replaced - Abandonment Required | 197 | 4.1% |
| Application Withdrawn | 140 | 2.9% |
| Permit Issued | 102 | 2.1% |
| Application Information Requested | 78 | 1.6% |
| NA | 45 | 0.9% |
Which aquifers
| Aquifer | Permits | Share |
|---|---|---|
| All Unnamed Aquifers | 4,548 | 94.7% |
| Mancos | 107 | 2.2% |
| Not stated | 89 | 1.9% |
| Alluvial | 52 | 1.1% |
| Leadville Limestone | 4 | 0.1% |
| Mesa Verde Group | 2 | 0.0% |
| Dakota | 1 | 0.0% |
| Morrison | 1 | 0.0% |
| Maroon-minturn | 1 | 0.0% |
When the permits were issued
| Issued in | Permits | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 357 | 7.4% |
| 2010s | 452 | 9.4% |
| 2000s | 782 | 16.3% |
| 1990s | 1,136 | 23.6% |
| 1980s | 602 | 12.5% |
| 1970s | 504 | 10.5% |
| 1960s | 238 | 5.0% |
| 1950s | 18 | 0.4% |
Buying land in Pitkin County, or need a well drilled?
4,805 well permits are on the Division’s register in Pitkin County, 1,165 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 Pitkin County
| Subdivision, or the permit number | Status | Decreed use | Depth (ft) | Yield (gpm) | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wieben Ranch First Amended Subdivision Exemption permit 342566- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 360 | 0 | 2004 |
| Wieben Ranch First Amended Subdivision Exemption permit 342564- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 410 | 15 | 2004 |
| Guber Family Trust permit 342541- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 188 | 0 | 2024 |
| Guber Family Trust permit 342543- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 155 | 15 | 1987 |
| Moore Open Space Preservation permit 90994-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 413 | 0 | 2023 |
| Dexter Rutecki Properties Exemption Lot Line Adj permit 338812- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 147 | 15 | 2024 |
| Deadwood Parcel Sub Exemption permit 337628- | Well Constructed | Monitoring/sampling | 478 | 0 | 2025 |
| Deadwood Parcel Sub Exemption permit 337629- | Well Constructed | Monitoring/sampling | 450 | 0 | 2025 |
| Stein Lot Split permit 90339-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 137 | 0 | 2025 |
| Dexter Rutecki Properties Exemption Lot Line Adj permit 338813- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 144 | 5 | 2025 |
| Douglas Casey Shield-o-meadows permit 338806- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 160 | 0 | 1994 |
| Deadwood Parcel Sub Exemption permit 339612- | Well Constructed | Monitoring/sampling | 700 | 0 | 2025 |
| Fifield permit 90505-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 504 | 0 | 2025 |
| Star Mesa permit 204465--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 745 | 0 | 2024 |
| Starwood permit 32691-F-R | Well Constructed | Domestic | 230 | 30 | 2023 |
| Sopris Mountain Ranch permit 334387- | Well Constructed | Fire | 296 | 4.34 | 2020 |
| Deadwood Parcel Sub Exemption permit 334706- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 340 | 0 | 2011 |
| Deadwood Parcel Sub Exemption permit 334707- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 503 | 0 | 2011 |
| Deadwood Parcel Sub Exemption permit 334708- | Well Constructed | Monitoring/sampling | 350 | 0 | 2012 |
| Deadwood Parcel Sub Exemption permit 334709- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 700 | 0 | 2013 |
| Deadwood Parcel Sub Exemption permit 334710- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 810 | 0 | 2019 |
| Deadwood Parcel Sub Exemption permit 334711- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 747 | 7.7 | 2023 |
| Deadwood Parcel Sub Exemption permit 334712- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 590 | 15 | 2023 |
| Starwood permit 334452- | Well Constructed | Monitoring/sampling | 83 | 0 | 2026 |
| Stein Lot Split permit 89399-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 260 | 0 | 2024 |
| Stein Lot Split permit 89400-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 133 | 30 | 2003 |
| Capitol Creek Ranch permit 332041- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 470 | 0 | 2024 |
| West Buttermilk Pfister Tracts permit 329536- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 360 | 0 | 2025 |
| R & O permit 87767-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 100 | 15 | 2000 |
| Erie Lode Ms#3283 permit 127960--A | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 158 | 0 | 2023 |
| Deadwood Parcel Sub Exemption permit 330261- | Well Constructed | Monitoring/sampling | 747 | 0 | 2023 |
| Miller Nichols permit 330832- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 60 | 0 | 2023 |
| Natal Ranch permit 225395--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 50 | 15 | 2024 |
| M/b Snowmass Creek permit 88624-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 52 | 0 | 1980 |
| Brush Creek Village permit 88643-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 140 | 15 | 1984 |
| Ruedi South Shore permit 88642-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 163 | 0 | 2024 |
| Deadwood Parcel Sub Exemption permit 331970- | Well Constructed | Monitoring/sampling | 590 | 0 | 2023 |
| Deadwood Parcel Sub Exemption permit 331971- | Well Constructed | Monitoring/sampling | 850 | 0 | 2023 |
| Ruedi South Shore permit 87298-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 298 | 15 | 2020 |
| Castle Creek Valley Ranch permit 87577-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 150 | 30 | 1992 |
| Sopris Mountain Ranch permit 86704-F | Well Constructed | Commercial | 46 | 0 | 2022 |
| Happy Day Ranch permit 86481-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 281 | 15 | 2022 |
| Ruedi South Shore permit 86624-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 145 | 15 | 2017 |
| Flying Dog Ranch Exemption permit 326217- | Well Constructed | Monitoring/sampling | 243 | 0 | 2023 |
| Sunfire Ranch permit 48633--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 73 | 0 | 2022 |
| Red Butte Ranch permit 86969-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 80 | 45 | 2021 |
| Red Butte Ranch permit 326375- | Well Constructed | Monitoring/sampling | 40 | 0 | 2021 |
| Elk Mountain permit 326669- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 363 | 5 | 2023 |
| Craig Ranch permit 326242- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 400 | 0 | 2022 |
| Craig Ranch permit 326243- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 194 | 0 | 2022 |
| Chaparral Aspen Homestead 1 Condominiums permit 327277- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 112 | 0 | 2023 |
| Deadwood Parcel Sub Exemption permit 327887- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 235 | 0 | 2013 |
| Little Texas permit 87366-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 65 | 14 | 2008 |
| Flying Dog Ranch Exemption permit 328206- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 73 | 15 | 2023 |
| Flying Dog Ranch Exemption permit 328207- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 350 | 0 | 2023 |
| Flying Dog Ranch Exemption permit 328208- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 68 | 15 | 2023 |
| Castle Creek Valley Ranch permit 87444-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 295 | 10 | 1987 |
| Castle Creek Valley Ranch permit 87445-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 275 | 15 | 2024 |
| Ruedi South Shore permit 28179-F-R | Well Constructed | Domestic | 158 | 10 | 2023 |
| Droste/pioneer Springs Ranch permit 328506- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 608 | 0 | 2022 |
| Phillips Lot Line Adjustment permit 328665- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 80 | 0 | 2022 |
| Lazy-o Ranch Pud permit 87561-F | Well Constructed | Commercial | 56 | 50 | 2021 |
| Crown Mountain Ranch Exemption permit 269337--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 71 | 11 | 2022 |
| Castle Creek Valley Ranch permit 85071-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 131 | 15 | 2008 |
| Nystrom Tracts permit 181614--A | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 151 | 5 | 2021 |
| Redstone Ranch Acres permit 321644- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 225 | 0 | 2022 |
| Knollwood permit 297310--A | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 140 | 13 | 2021 |
| Pitkin Green permit 85548-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 122 | 45 | 2021 |
| Sopris Mountain Ranch permit 321958- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 260 | 0 | 2021 |
| Mountain High Condo permit 85712-F | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 111 | 15 | 2005 |
| Carbondale Lou Usms No. 6344 permit 322934- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 452 | 0 | 2023 |
| Launer/stringer Lot Line Adjustment permit 107370--A | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 42 | 0 | 2021 |
| Navratilova Lot Split permit 156627--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 140 | 13.5 | 2021 |
| Little Texas permit 323249- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 70 | 0 | 2022 |
| Twin Creeks Ranch permit 324878- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 7 | 10 | 2001 |
| Shield-o-terraces permit 323881- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 88 | 0 | 2022 |
| Aspen River Valley Ranch permit 86394-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 130 | 15 | 2022 |
| Aspen River Valley Ranch permit 86395-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 74 | 15 | 2022 |
| Aspen River Valley Ranch permit 86396-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 135 | 12 | 2022 |
| Aspen River Valley Ranch permit 86397-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 63 | 0 | 1978 |
| Highlands Ranch permit 324471- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 120 | 0 | 2021 |
| Crown Mountain Ranch Exemption permit 269336--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 96 | 0 | 2021 |
| Stonywood Trust-snowmass Larson Llc Lot Line Adjus permit 324664- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 141 | 13.8 | 2014 |
| Red Butte Ranch permit 84224-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 300 | 0 | 2021 |
| Red Butte Ranch permit 84225-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 630 | 0 | 2021 |
| Shield-o-mesa permit 317589- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 505 | 1 | 2020 |
| Oh Be Joyful permit 45580-F-R | Well Constructed | Domestic | 100 | 15 | 2020 |
| Oh Be Joyful Acres permit 318487- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 48 | 0 | 1929 |
| Lower Sewell Tracts permit 319496- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 0 | 0 | 1971 |
| Wildcat Ranch permit 319173- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 180 | 5 | 2020 |
| Wildcat Ranch permit 319174- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 250 | 15 | 2021 |
| Wildcat Ranch permit 319175- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 229 | 15 | 2021 |
| Hercules Lode Usms No. 4251 permit 318281- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 480 | 0 | 2023 |
| Rogers Lot Line Adjustment permit 84871-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 99 | 15 | 2020 |
| Chaparral Aspen permit 320003- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 197 | 15 | 2021 |
| White Horse Springs permit 83344-F | Well Constructed | Other | 0 | 0 | 1992 |
| Roaring Fork View Parcels Long Line Adj permit 83342-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 270 | 15 | 2021 |
| Roaring Fork View Parcels Long Line Adj permit 83314-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 198 | 15 | 2021 |
| Deadwood Parcel Sub Exemption permit 314340- | Well Constructed | Monitoring/sampling | 810 | 0 | 2019 |
| Wildcat Ranch permit 314916- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 158 | 0 | 2019 |
| Chaparral Aspen permit 314913- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 115 | 0 | 2017 |
| Deadwood Parcel Sub Exemption permit 312708- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 700 | 0 | 2013 |
| Horseshoe Lode Us Mineral Survey No. 6010 permit 313371- | Well Constructed | Household Use Only | 100 | 15 | 2019 |
| Wildcat Ranch permit 314101- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 508 | 0 | 2020 |
| Deadwood Parcel Sub Exemption permit 315472- | Well Constructed | Domestic | 810 | 0 | 2019 |
| Sparovic permit 81887-F | Well Constructed | Commercial | 144 | 15 | 2012 |
| Thomas Emma Exemption permit 308444- | Well Constructed | Monitoring/sampling | 177 | 0 | 2018 |
| Crown Mountain Ranch Exemption permit 269335--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 230 | 0 | 2018 |
| Crystal View Heights (filing: 1) permit 81830-F | Well Constructed | Domestic | 80 | 30 | 2018 |
| Brush Creek Village permit 87657--A | Well Constructed | Domestic | 445 | 0 | 2018 |
By decreed use in Pitkin County
- Domestic in Pitkin County — 2,295
- Household Use Only in Pitkin County — 1,064
Counties with a comparable register
- Custer 6,916
- Kit Carson 6,777
- Mesa 6,494
- Conejos 5,774
- Washington 5,722
- Clear Creek 5,556
- Baca 5,424
- Eagle 4,742
- Gilpin 4,606
- Moffat 4,379
- Costilla 4,256
- Huerfano 4,190
- Lincoln 4,107
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.