Can you drill a well without a permit in Colorado?

Exempt up to a limit. A household obtains water via a permit-exempt small-capacity well (15 gpm) under CRS 37-92-602 outside designated basins or CRS 37-90-105 inside them; on a 35-acre-plus lot limited outside/stock/1-acre irrigation is allowed.

Which Colorado counties have groundwater restrictions?

22 Colorado counties sit in a managed, over-appropriated, adjudicated, or critically overdrafted groundwater basin — including Adams County, Alamosa County, Arapahoe County, Baca County, Cheyenne County. Each county profile cites the specific basin and rule.

Colorado · off-grid water rights

Water rights in Colorado

Whether a new off-grid home can legally get its own water in Colorado: the state well and water-rights rules, then the 22 counties where a specific groundwater basin adds a catch — each cited to the state water agency.

Colorado water rules

Household well
Exempt up to a limit
A household obtains water via a permit-exempt small-capacity well (15 gpm) under CRS 37-92-602 outside designated basins or CRS 37-90-105 inside them; on a 35-acre-plus lot limited outside/stock/1-acre irrigation is allowed.
Limit: Household-use-only well: 15 gpm, ≤0.33 acre-ft/yr, indoor only. Domestic well on a 35+ acre tract: 15 gpm, ≤1 acre-ft/yr.
Colorado DWR — Guideline 2023-1, Exempt & Small-Capacity Wells ↗
Greywater reuse
permitted
Subsurface use under Reg 86; county must authorize; permit/treatment required.
Greywater Action / EPA REUSExplorer ↗
Rainwater harvesting
regulated
Two barrels max, 110 gal, outdoor non-potable only (HB 16-1005).
NCSL ↗
Water rights
prior appropriation
Strict prior appropriation; small household/stock wells may be exempt.
National Agricultural Law Center ↗

22 constrained counties in Colorado

Over-appropriatedAdams CountyLost Creek Designated Ground Water Basin46
Over-appropriatedAlamosa CountySan Luis Valley / Rio Grande Basin (Water Division 3) — groundwater rules & RGWCD subdistricts46
Over-appropriatedArapahoe CountyLost Creek Designated Ground Water Basin65
Over-appropriatedBaca CountySouthern High Plains Designated Ground Water Basin41
Over-appropriatedCheyenne CountyNorthern High Plains Designated Ground Water Basin38
Over-appropriatedConejos CountySan Luis Valley / Rio Grande Basin (Water Division 3) — groundwater rules & RGWCD subdistricts60
Over-appropriatedCostilla CountySan Luis Valley / Rio Grande Basin (Water Division 3) — groundwater rules & RGWCD subdistricts69
Over-appropriatedEl Paso CountyUpper Black Squirrel Creek Designated Ground Water Basin66
Over-appropriatedElbert CountyUpper Big Sandy Designated Ground Water Basin55
Over-appropriatedKit Carson CountyNorthern High Plains Designated Ground Water Basin42
Over-appropriatedLincoln CountyNorthern High Plains Designated Ground Water Basin39
Over-appropriatedLogan CountyNorthern High Plains Designated Ground Water Basin51
Over-appropriatedMineral CountySan Luis Valley / Rio Grande Basin (Water Division 3) — groundwater rules & RGWCD subdistricts50
Over-appropriatedPhillips CountyNorthern High Plains Designated Ground Water Basin40
Over-appropriatedRio Grande CountySan Luis Valley / Rio Grande Basin (Water Division 3) — groundwater rules & RGWCD subdistricts56
Over-appropriatedSaguache CountySan Luis Valley / Rio Grande Basin (Water Division 3) — groundwater rules & RGWCD subdistricts51
Over-appropriatedSedgwick CountyNorthern High Plains Designated Ground Water Basin39
Over-appropriatedWashington CountyNorthern High Plains Designated Ground Water Basin41
Over-appropriatedWeld CountyLost Creek Designated Ground Water Basin46
Over-appropriatedYuma CountyNorthern High Plains Designated Ground Water Basin45
Actively managedDouglas CountyDenver Basin nontributary bedrock aquifers (Dawson, Denver, Arapahoe, Laramie-Fox Hills)45
Actively managedMorgan CountyKiowa-Bijou Designated Ground Water Basin42

Keep exploring Colorado

See the full Colorado county ranking, compare states on the water-rights hub, or read how we score water access. We dim physical water — never erased — where a county sits in one of these basins, household-first.

General guidance, not legal advice. Off-grid, building, and land-use rules are often set at the county level and change often. Verify with your county and state before acting. Data reviewed 2026-06-26.