Last updated 2026-08-20
TL;DR
You need a Colorado water well construction contractor license from the Board of Examiners before you drill for pay. Most applicants document multi-year field experience, pass the board exam, and post $20,000 in financial responsibility. A DWR well permit for the hole is separate paper. Confirm current fees and exam dates with the board. This is not legal advice.
Do you need a license for well driller work in Colorado?
Yes. You need a license to construct or supervise water wells for anyone other than yourself on your own land. The Board of Examiners of Water Well Construction and Pump Installation Contractors issues that card. The private-driller exception is narrow and does not cover paid jobs.
C.R.S. 37-91-105 states: "It is unlawful for any person to construct, or to supervise the construction of, a water well or to install, or to supervise the installation of, pumping equipment unless such person is licensed pursuant to this article or unless such person is a private driller or a private pump installer." [14]
Supervision counts. If you are the person directing the hole, you need the card even if someone else is on the levers. Helpers can swing wrenches. They cannot be the unlicensed boss of the construction.
The board sits with the State Engineer at the Colorado Division of Water Resources. DWR also runs well permits and the construction rules. Same agency family. Different applications. [2]
The well driller a Colorado owner should hire is the name on DWR's licensed contractor list, not the nicest truck wrap. Look the person up before you subcontract a hole.
Unlicensed work is a bad way to start. The board can treat it as a reason to deny the license you want later. I would not "just punch this one" while a file sits incomplete.
If you only want the license steps, use the companion guide to the well driller license in Colorado. This article is the start path around that card, including the business paper people skip.
What license should you apply for first?
Apply for a water well construction contractor license if you will build, deepen, repair, or abandon wells. Apply for a pump installation contractor license if you will set pumps. Many working drillers hold both, so one crew can leave a producing system.
The license is personal. A shop name on an invoice does not cover the work. The licensed individual has to be the person constructing or supervising. [2]
You still form the company you will bill under. File with the Colorado Secretary of State if you use an LLC or a corporation. Articles of organization for a Colorado LLC cost $50. [3]
I would sit the construction exam first if study time is tight. Pump work pays. The regulated act people actually call a well driller for is the borehole.
Read the definitions in C.R.S. 37-91-102 before you treat a "test hole" as unregulated. Monitoring and observation holes can sit inside the same statute when they meet the definition of a well. [14]
Skip vanity add-ons. A welding wallet card will not replace 2 CCR 402-2 on the exam. Get the license that matches the work you will sign.
How much experience do you need before you can test?
Plan on documented, multi-year field experience in the exact work you want licensed. Licensing administration lives in 2 CCR 402-14 and in the current board application. The board reads affidavits, pay records, and supervisor letters. Confirm the current hour or year standard with the board before you quit a job to apply. [5]
Do not treat calendar time as a trick. Twenty-four months of riding in the truck with no casing, grout, or abandonment work is a weak file. I would keep a job log starting this week. Date, permit number, depth, what you did, licensed supervisor name.
Out-of-state time can count. Bring the other license and letters from the person who actually ran those jobs. There is no automatic reciprocity I would bet a rig on. The Colorado board decides what they accept.
If you do not have the time in, go to work for a licensed Colorado contractor. Paid experience beats a rushed packet that comes back incomplete. I would work two seasons on someone else's iron before I financed my own.
How do you apply and what is on the exam?
You file the board application, pay the fee the board currently charges, document experience, and sit the exam on their calendar. Get the packet from the Board of Examiners through DWR. Do not use a stale PDF from a forum. Fees and form editions change. Confirm both with the board. [2] [6]
The exam tracks the construction rules in 2 CCR 402-2 and the statute. Expect grout, annular seals, casing, disinfection, abandonment, reporting, and what a well permit does and does not allow. Pump applicants get pump material. [7]
I would study the current construction rules cover to cover. Then I would rebuild a GWS-31 from memory. People fail on paper more than on mud weight.
Exam dates follow the board calendar. I will not invent a wait time. Check the current board page for the next sitting. No approval guarantee. If you fail, you retest on their schedule, not yours.
Bring the experience letters the instructions ask for. Incomplete files sit. That delay is on you, not on "the state."
How much does well driller cost in Colorado?
License fees are real, and they are the cheap line. The board sets application and renewal charges. Confirm today's dollar amounts on the official packet. I will not quote a fee I cannot pin to the current board form. [2]
C.R.S. 37-91-107 requires licensed contractors to maintain $20,000 in financial responsibility, commonly a surety bond (other instruments may be allowed; confirm the current list). [14] Premium is a fraction of face value and depends on credit. Ask a surety, not a comment thread.
Business paper is small. Colorado Secretary of State articles of organization for an LLC cost $50. [3] An EIN from IRS is free. Workers' compensation insurance is required once you have employees. [9] General liability is not a substitute for the statutory bond. I would not run a rig with only one of those.
The money that actually hurts is iron. A used truck-mounted air rotary or mud rotary that can work Front Range gravels and eastern plains alluvium often sits in the six-figure range. New top-head machines cost more. Nobody publishes a clean Colorado-only rig index. Get three dealer quotes, then add tooling, a grout plant, and freight.
| Cost item | Honest figure or range | Confirm with |
|---|---|---|
| Board application and renewal | Board sets it | Current Board of Examiners packet |
| Financial responsibility | $20,000 face (C.R.S. 37-91-107) | Statute plus surety |
| LLC articles of organization | $50 | Colorado Secretary of State |
| Workers' compensation | Payroll-based | CDLE and your carrier |
| Used rig and tooling | Six figures, widely variable | Dealers, not blogs |
Year-one waste I see: a brand-new rig before you hold the card, a huge shop lease, and wrap on a still-unlicensed truck. Rent or stay on someone else's deck if capital is tight.
What clients pay you is a different number. Mountain crystalline rock is not a Denver Basin sediment bid. Nobody has good public data on average Colorado residential well prices by county. Ask three licensed shops what they charge for similar depth and diameter, then bid your actual costs.
How long does well driller take in Colorado?
If you already have the field time the board will accept, the remaining path is the application, the next exam date, the bond, and business setup. That can be weeks or several months. It depends on the board calendar and whether your file is complete. Confirm current practice with the board. There is no statutory stopwatch that says you will be licensed by a Friday. [2] [5]
If you are starting from zero field time, the honest clock is years of work under a licensed contractor, then the exam. That is the real duration for most people entering this trade.
Secretary of State registration can be done in a day once the articles are right. [3] Bond and insurance underwriting take longer if your record is thin.
Do not promise a customer a spud date until the license number is in your hand and the well permit is issued. Weather and casing lead times will already eat your week. Paper should not be the surprise.
Is a well permit the same as your contractor license?
No. Your contractor license lets you do the work. The well permit lets that specific hole exist. The owner (or an agent) applies to the State Engineer. C.R.S. 37-90-137 covers permits to construct wells outside designated groundwater basins. Designated basins add Ground Water Commission overlay. [14]
A common household well that qualifies as exempt under C.R.S. 37-92-602 is still permitted. The exemption is from the water-court process, not from DWR paper. The statute describes "Wells not exceeding fifteen gallons per minute of production and used for ordinary household purposes" plus the other limits in that section. [14]
C.R.S. 37-92-602 caps a typical exempt household well at 15 gallons per minute.
| Paper | Who issues it | What it lets you do |
|---|---|---|
| Contractor license | Board of Examiners | Construct or supervise wells for others |
| Well permit | State Engineer (DWR) | Build that specific permitted well |
| Private-driller exception | Statute, not a wallet card | Own equipment, own land, own use |
Refuse to mobilize if the permit is missing or the permitted use does not match the job. The construction report you file later has to match the permit. That is how DWR catches sloppy work.
Look up the permit before you bid deep. Aquifer, depth conditions, expiration, and special terms matter. Denver Basin bedrock names (Dawson, Denver, Arapahoe, Laramie-Fox Hills) are not interchangeable on a bid sheet.
Can you drill a well on your own land without a license?
Sometimes. C.R.S. 37-91-102 defines a private driller as a person that uses equipment it owns to construct a well entirely for its own use on property it owns. [14] You still need the well permit. You still follow 2 CCR 402-2. You cannot use that label to punch wells for neighbors for cash.
If you borrow a rig, or you hire a crew and call it help, you may have left the exception. I would not test that line. Hire a licensed contractor or get licensed.
Private pump installer is the twin exception for pumps. Same logic. Own equipment. Own property. Own use.
A ranch punching stock wells on its own deeded land with its own machine is the fact pattern the definition is built for. A side hustle with a trailer rig is not.
What construction rules and grout standards apply on the job?
2 CCR 402-2 is the rulebook. Those rules are the minimum standards for location, construction, repair, and abandonment of water wells, plus related work the rule names. Read the current text from the Secretary of State CCR posting or the DWR posting. [7]
Grout is not a suggestion. Surface seals, annular intervals, allowed materials (neat cement and the bentonite products the rule allows), and wait times are written down. If you guess, you fail inspections and you fail the exam.
The same rule set covers cisterns, monitoring holes, and pump installation. Abandonment has its own steps. A hole you cannot finish still needs a lawful end.
I keep a printed rule book in the doghouse. Phones die. Inspectors do not care.
If you want grout intervals and board citations in one folder, the $179 Well Board + Grout-Log Kit from WellDrillerPath is built for that paper. It does not replace 2 CCR 402-2, and it is not a license.
Designated-basin jobs and Denver Basin jobs can carry extra permit conditions on grout or interval. Read the permit. The statewide minimum is the floor, not the bid.
What bond, insurance, and business filings do you need?
Post the statutory financial responsibility. C.R.S. 37-91-107 sets that amount at $20,000. [14] Buy the instrument on the board's required form. Confirm acceptable bond language (or CD or other options) with the current application.
Register the entity you will invoice under. An LLC is the usual pick. Articles of organization cost $50 at the Colorado Secretary of State. [3] Get an EIN. Open a bank account that is not your personal checking.
If you hire anyone, get workers' compensation coverage. Colorado treats that as an employer duty. [9] Add auto and general liability. The bond is for compliance. It will not make a plaintiff disappear.
Local business licensing exists in some cities and counties. A state well license does not automatically waive a town shop license. Call the county where you park the rig.
I would not form five entities to look big. One clean LLC, one bond, one insurance stack, one licensed person who actually shows up.
What paper do you file after you finish a hole?
File the Well Construction and Test Report, Form GWS-31, with the Division of Water Resources. That form is how the State Engineer learns what you actually built. Get the current PDF from DWR, not a copy of a copy. [12]
Confirm the filing deadline on the current form instructions and in 2 CCR 402-2. Editions change. I will not lock a day count from an old truck binder.
Pump installation has its own report. Plugging and abandonment has its own report. The GWS series is the language DWR speaks. Learn it. [12]
Field notes should already hold permit number, location, lithology, casing schedule, grout intervals, and test data. If you cannot rebuild the GWS-31 from your notes, your notes are not good enough.
Owners will ask you about water quality. CDPHE and EPA publish private-well testing guidance. Point them there. Do not play chemist on a lab you did not run. [13]
What should year one look like if you do this for real?
Work the license you have. Do not buy a second rig. Stay on well types you have actually built. Denver Basin sedimentary holes and mountain fractured rock do not bid the same. A blown borehole on a Front Range lot can erase a year of profit.
Price grout and mobilization honestly. Thin grout is how people lose licenses.
Keep every permit, grout ticket, and GWS-31 in one job jacket. Private residential wells are not public water systems, but the owner still drinks the water. Hand them testing guidance instead of a speech. [13]
Write dry-hole terms before you spud in granite. Yield is a gamble in fractured rock. If you cannot say that out loud, you are not ready to take the deposit.
If you came from Arizona or Texas, rewrite your habits to 2 CCR 402-2. Colorado will not grade you on another state's rulebook.
I would go to board meetings in year one. You learn what they are actually enforcing. That is worth more than a new paint job.
How does Colorado compare if you already hold another state license?
Colorado licenses the person and ties field work to DWR permits and 2 CCR 402-2. That is tighter paper than states that only register a shop. It is a different stack than California contractor work or the Texas well driller license.
Do not assume comity. File as the Colorado board instructs, and sit their exam unless they tell you in writing that they waive it. Confirm that in the current packet, not in a Facebook group. [2] [6]
Neighbor reads that help if you work the borders: well driller license in Arizona and well driller license in California. Different boards. Different bonds. Different grout rules.
If you want a start checklist in one place, use /start. WellDrillerPath is an independent publisher, not a law firm and not a drilling company. The board still owns your license file.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a license for well driller in Colorado?
Yes, if you construct or supervise water wells for others. C.R.S. 37-91-105 makes unlicensed work unlawful unless you qualify as a private driller or private pump installer. That exception is own equipment, own land, own use. Paid neighbor jobs do not qualify. Confirm current application steps with the Board of Examiners.
How much does well driller cost in Colorado?
Board application and renewal fees are set by the board, so confirm the current amounts on the official packet. C.R.S. 37-91-107 requires $20,000 in financial responsibility, usually a bond. A Colorado LLC filing is $50. The real spend is a used rig and tooling in the six-figure range. Nobody publishes a clean statewide well-bid average.
How long does well driller take in Colorado?
If you already have accepted field experience, the remaining wait is the board calendar, a complete file, the exam, and bond setup. That can be weeks or months. Confirm timing with the board. There is no approval guarantee. If you still need qualifying experience, plan on years of work under a licensed contractor first.
Can an unlicensed helper operate the rig in Colorado?
A helper can work on the crew. The person who constructs the well or supervises construction must be licensed, unless the private-driller exception applies. C.R.S. 37-91-105 covers supervision, more than who holds the levers. Keep a licensed contractor responsible for construction decisions on paid jobs.
Does Colorado grant reciprocity for another state's well license?
Do not count on automatic reciprocity. The Board of Examiners can review out-of-state licenses and experience, then it decides what it will accept. Most people should plan to file a full Colorado application and sit the Colorado exam unless the board says otherwise in writing. Confirm current comity practice with the board.
Do you need a separate pump installer license in Colorado?
Yes, if you will install pumping equipment and you are not working under the private pump installer exception. The board issues a pump installation contractor license separate from the water well construction contractor license. Many drillers hold both. Confirm the current dual-license process on the board application.
What is Form GWS-31 in Colorado?
GWS-31 is DWR's Well Construction and Test Report. Licensed contractors use it to tell the State Engineer what was actually built, including construction and yield information. Get the current form from DWR. Confirm the filing deadline on the form instructions and in 2 CCR 402-2, because editions change.
Do you still need a well permit for an exempt household well?
Yes. C.R.S. 37-92-602 exempts certain small household wells from water-court procedures. It does not erase the State Engineer permit. A typical exempt household well is capped at 15 gallons per minute, with other limits in that section. Do not spud without the permit in hand.
How do you verify a Colorado well contractor license?
Use the Division of Water Resources licensed contractor resources through the well construction and pump installation program. Match the person's name, more than a company logo on a door. The license is personal. If the name is not on the board's list, do not treat the truck as licensed.
What continuing education does Colorado well license renewal take?
Colorado requires continuing education for licensed well construction and pump installation contractors under the board's licensing rules. Hour counts and approved course lists change. Confirm the current requirement and renewal deadline with the Board of Examiners before you let a license lapse.
Can you drill monitoring wells on a Colorado well contractor license?
Monitoring and observation holes are covered in Article 91 and in 2 CCR 402-2 when they meet the statutory definition of a well. Do not assume an environmental boring is unregulated. If the work is close to the line, ask the board before you bid. The definition in C.R.S. 37-91-102 is the starting point.
What happens if you drill without a Colorado license?
C.R.S. 37-91-105 makes it unlawful to construct or supervise a water well without a license, unless a statutory exception applies. The board can also make later licensing harder. I would not treat an unpermitted, unlicensed job as a cheap start-up tactic. Get the card or stay a helper.
Should you form an LLC before you apply for the license?
The license is issued to a person, so you can apply before the LLC exists. I would still file the $50 articles of organization before you invoice anyone or buy a bond in a trade name. Keep the licensed individual, the SOS entity, and the insurance named insured aligned so a claim does not bounce.
Where do you get the current Colorado well contractor application?
Get it from the Board of Examiners of Water Well Construction and Pump Installation Contractors through the Colorado Division of Water Resources. Use the current packet only. Fees, bond forms, and experience affidavits change. Confirm every blank with the board. This site is not the board and not a law firm.
Sources
- Colorado Division of Water Resources, Well Construction and Pump Installation: DWR administers well construction and pump installation contractor licensing through the Board of Examiners and publishes program materials.
- Colorado Secretary of State, Business fees: Colorado articles of organization for an LLC cost $50.
- Colorado Secretary of State, 2 CCR 402-14 licensing rules: 2 CCR 402-14 contains the board's rules on licensing administration, financial responsibility process, and continuing education.
- Colorado Department of Natural Resources, Board of Examiners of Water Well Construction and Pump Installation Contractors: The Board of Examiners is the body that licenses water well construction and pump installation contractors in Colorado.
- Colorado Secretary of State, 2 CCR 402-2 well construction rules: 2 CCR 402-2 sets minimum standards for water well construction, pump installation, cistern installation, and monitoring and observation hole or well construction.
- Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, Division of Workers' Compensation employers: Colorado employers are responsible for workers' compensation coverage for employees.
- Colorado Division of Water Resources, GWS-31 Well Construction and Test Report: Form GWS-31 is the Well Construction and Test Report licensed contractors file with DWR after constructing a well.
- U.S. EPA, Protect Your Home's Water: EPA publishes private-well testing and protection guidance for household well owners.
- Colorado General Assembly, Colorado Revised Statutes Title 37 (2023 PDF): Official Title 37 text includes Article 90 well permits, Article 91 contractor licensing and the $20,000 financial responsibility requirement, and Article 92 well exemptions.