Water and land - Western Slope
Out here, a well permit is not a promise of unlimited water
A domestic well in rural Montezuma County comes with permit conditions and limits, and in dry country the supply is worth checking before you count on it.
Published June 10, 2026 - Last verified June 11, 2026
On rural land outside Cortez, Mancos, and Dolores, a lot of homes rely on a well. It is easy to assume a well means all the water you could want. In Colorado, that is not how it works.
A well runs on a permit from the state, and the permit says what the well may be used for. Some permits cover only household use inside the home. Others allow some outdoor watering or livestock, but with limits. The permit, not the size of the lot, sets the rules. In a dry part of the state, the well’s actual yield and the depth to water also matter, and both can vary from one parcel to the next.
Why this matters before you buy: “has a well” is the start of the question, not the answer. You want to know what the permit allows, whether it matches how you plan to live, and how dependable the supply has been. Plans for a garden, animals, or a second home can run straight into a permit’s fine print.
Before counting on a well, look up its permit and conditions with the Colorado Division of Water Resources.