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Household-use-only wells are typically on properties that are less than 35 acres in size. With this type of well, the water can only be used inside the home. No lawn watering, garden watering, or other outside use is permitted. Domestic use wells apply to more than 35 acres in size properties.

By law, every new or replacement well in the state that diverts groundwater must have a well permit. To obtain a permit, a person must file an application with the State Engineer; these applications are evaluated pursuant to statutory guidelines.

Aquifers may be as shallow as a few feet, or as deep as thousands of feet below the ground surface. Wells in mountainous areas of the Front Range typically average 350 feet deep; while in eastern Colorado they range from 40 to 1000 feet deep.

Drilling the well hole, installing the casing (a tubular lining that prevents the well hole from collapsing) and adding a well cap (a tight-fitting, vermin-proof top seal) typically costs $15 -$30 per foot, or $1,500 -$3,000 for a 100' deep well, and $6,000 -$12,000 for a 400' well.

Household-use-only wells are typically on properties that are less than 35 acres in size. With this type of well, the water can only be used inside the home. No lawn watering, garden watering, or other outside use is permitted. Domestic use wells apply to more than 35 acres in size properties.

Prior to drilling a ground water well in Colorado, you must have a permit from the Colorado Division of Water Resources, also known as the State Engineer's Office. Most private domestic wells in Colorado are “exempt” from administration in the priority system and do not require augmentation.

As a general guidance, personal drinking water wells should have a minimum horizontal distance of at least 10 feet and preferably 25 feet from such boundaries. State or local standards may be less or more stringent in your area.