Wells
What should you check when buying a Colorado home with a well?
A mountain home on a well comes with a state permit, a water supply you test yourself and a yield that sets how much water the house gets.
A live person answers. Not a robot, not a phone tree. Updated September 2026.
Photos: Small ranch house and cattle in a mountain valley, Madison Kuhn (Unsplash).
Check the permit, the water and the yield. Look up the permit on the Division of Water Resources Well Permit search to see what the well allows. A household-use-only well serves the inside of one home, with no outdoor watering or livestock. CDPHE advises a yearly test for coliform, nitrate/nitrite, TDS and pH. After closing, file the change of owner eForm; there is no fee.
Inside one home.
No outdoor watering and no livestock.
Up to three homes.
Plus 1 acre of lawn and garden, and animals.
75 gallons a day.
The DWR guide plans 75 gallons per person per day.
85.72% of Colorado.
Share of the state in drought, U.S. Drought Monitor, Sept 22, 2026.
What kinds of well permits do Colorado mountain homes have?
- Household use only. Serves the inside of one home. No outdoor watering and no livestock.
- Where household-use-only wells sit. Parcels under 35 acres created before June 1, 1972, or parcels with a county exemption, in most cases.
- Domestic well on 35+ acres. Serves up to 3 homes, 1 acre of lawn and garden, and animals.
Read the permit itself, not the listing. The permit sets the legal use.
How do you look up a well permit in Colorado?
- Search the permit file. Use the Division of Water Resources Well Permit search at dwr.state.co.us/Tools/WellPermits.
- Match it to the parcel. Compare the permit number, use and location with the home you are buying.
- File the change of owner. The change of owner eForm is required after closing, with no fee (C.R.S. 37-90-143).
How much water does a mountain well need to supply?
- Plan the demand. 75 gallons per person per day, per the DWR guide.
- Jefferson County yield test. In the Mountain Ground Water Overlay (Section 41), building permits need a four-hour well yield test.
- Storage for weak wells. Wells under 1 gallon per minute need 300 gallons of storage.
- Test shelf life. The Jefferson County yield test stays valid for 3 years.
What water tests should a buyer order?
- No state oversight. CDPHE does not regulate private wells. The owner is the one who tests.
- Every year. Coliform bacteria, nitrate/nitrite, total dissolved solids and pH.
- Every 3 to 5 years. Arsenic, uranium, lead and other metals.
- Lab status. The state lab paused chemistry testing. Bacteria tests still run.
About 7% of Coloradans drink private well water, per CDPHE.
What do drought and setbacks mean for a well in 2026?
- Drought. 85.72% of Colorado was in drought on Sept 22, 2026. Jefferson, Boulder, Park, Larimer, Gilpin, Clear Creek and Teller counties were 100% in D2 (severe) or worse.
- Setbacks. Wells sit 100 feet from contamination sources and 50 feet from a septic tank.
- Ask for records. Ask the seller for past water tests, pump work and any storage tank details.
Call the Kenna Real Estate Group at 303-955-4220 to set the well permit check and water test inside your inspection period.
Questions
Quick answers.
How do I find the well permit for a Colorado property?
Search the Division of Water Resources Well Permit tool at dwr.state.co.us/Tools/WellPermits.
Can I water a lawn from a household-use-only well?
No. A household-use-only well serves the inside of one home, with no outdoor watering or livestock.
Do I have to register a well after buying a home in Colorado?
Yes. File the change of owner eForm with the Division of Water Resources. There is no fee.
What tests should I run on well water in Colorado, and when?
CDPHE advises yearly tests for coliform, nitrate/nitrite, TDS and pH, and tests for arsenic, uranium and lead every 3 to 5 years.
How far does a well have to be from a septic tank?
50 feet from a septic tank and 100 feet from contamination sources.
Sources
- Colorado DWR well permitting
- Colorado DWR Well Permit search
- C.R.S. 37-90-143
- Jefferson County Section 41, groundwater
- CDPHE, well water and health
- U.S. Drought Monitor, Sept 22, 2026
Rules, rates and dates change. The county, town or state office named above has the current version.
Go deeper
Where to go next.
The map
Where the mountain towns are.
Every pin opens that town's page. Drive times from downtown Denver, without traffic.
- Front Range foothills
- I-70 corridor
- Peak to Peak
- Summit County
- Resort
- Tap a town to open its page
Outline: U.S. Census Bureau. Roads from downtown Denver: OSRM on OpenStreetMap. Town points: OpenStreetMap and USGS. Drive times without traffic.
Private consultation
Ask us about your mountain home.
303-955-4220A live person answers. Not a robot, not a phone tree.
- Every mountain town. Evergreen and Conifer to Summit County and Steamboat.
- Wildfire, water, winter. Insurance, well, septic and access checked before you offer.
- One point of contact. From the first call to the closing table.
Colorado Mountain Home Finder is part of the Kenna Real Estate Group at Keller Williams DTC (KWDTC).