What the water may be used for
A well permit is not a general right to water. It names what the water may be used for, and the narrowest of them is narrower than most buyers expect.
| Decreed use | Permits | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic | 243,096 | 40.5% |
| Household Use Only | 105,372 | 17.6% |
| Monitoring/sampling | 91,022 | 15.2% |
| Irrigation | 47,689 | 7.9% |
| Stock | 31,328 | 5.2% |
| Commercial | 22,356 | 3.7% |
| Other | 18,823 | 3.1% |
| Not stated | 15,448 | 2.6% |
| Municipal | 9,424 | 1.6% |
| Industrial | 8,665 | 1.4% |
| Geothermal | 3,815 | 0.6% |
What each one allows
Domestic
household water, and usually a little more — the commonest decreed use in Colorado by a wide margin.
Household Use Only
the narrowest domestic permit there is: water inside the house, and nothing else. No lawn, no livestock, no garden. It is the use most often misunderstood by a buyer who assumes a well means water for the land.
Monitoring/sampling
not a water supply at all — a hole drilled to watch the groundwater. These sit on the same register and are not wells anyone drinks from.
Irrigation
watering land, at the volume the permit allows.
Stock
watering livestock.
Commercial
water for a business.
Other
a use the Division records under this heading.
Not stated
the file records no decreed use.
Municipal
a public water supply.
Industrial
water for an industrial process.
Geothermal
a use the Division records under this heading.
⚠️ The difference between domestic and household use only is the one that catches people. Household use only is water inside the house: no lawn, no livestock, no garden. A parcel with that permit is not a parcel you can irrigate.