Short answer: most Colorado domestic wells run $15,000–$35,000 all-in, with drilling alone at roughly $50–$75 per foot. But the real number is driven almost entirely by one thing — how deep you have to go — and that changes dramatically from the Eastern Plains to the high country. Here is how the cost actually breaks down, and how to estimate yours before you drill.
Budget about $50–$75 per foot for the drilled and cased hole (higher in hard mountain rock), then add $6,000–$12,000 for the pump, pressure tank, trenching, electrical and water test. A typical 250–350 ft Front Range or foothills well lands near $18,000–$30,000 finished. Deep Denver Basin and fractured-granite wells can run higher.
Contractors don't quote a well as one flat number — they quote a rate per foot plus a set of fixed components. Understanding the pieces is the only way to know whether a bid is fair and to estimate a lot you're considering buying.
Here is a realistic line-item budget for a finished domestic well on Colorado acreage — roughly a 300-foot well with a standard submersible pump. Your bid will shift up or down mostly on depth and trench distance.
The per-foot rate is the number drillers quote first, and it covers the borehole, casing and grout — not the pump or trenching. In most of Colorado it lands in a predictable band, but geology moves it:
| Ground conditions | Typical $/ft | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|
| Soft alluvium / sand & gravel | $35–$55 | Eastern Plains, river valleys |
| Sedimentary bedrock / sandstone | $50–$70 | Denver Basin, Front Range foothills |
| Hard & fractured granite | $65–$100+ | Park, Teller, Chaffee, high country |
That's why "cost per foot to drill in Hartsel" is such a common search — Park County's fractured granite sits at the top of the range and the depth to water is hard to predict, so buyers want a real number before committing. In fractured rock, checking the actual depths of nearby permitted wells is worth more than any statewide average.
Depth is the cost. Colorado's aquifers vary so much that a statewide average is nearly meaningless for your specific lot. These ranges reflect typical domestic well depths; the drilling cost column applies the per-foot rates above.
| Region / counties | Typical depth | Drilling cost (hole only) |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern Plains Weld, Yuma, Kit Carson, Logan | 100–250 ft | $5,000–$14,000 |
| Front Range / Denver Basin El Paso, Douglas, Elbert | 300–600+ ft | $18,000–$40,000+ |
| Foothills & mountain bedrock Teller, Park, Chaffee, Fremont | 200–600 ft | $14,000–$40,000+ |
| High-country resort valleys Summit, Eagle, Pitkin, Routt | 150–500 ft | $10,000–$35,000+ |
In the Denver Basin (much of El Paso, Douglas and Elbert), wells tap the Dawson, Denver, Arapahoe and Laramie–Fox Hills aquifers — deep, layered sandstones that reliably hold water but require a long, expensive borehole. In mountain bedrock counties, water comes from fractures in the granite, so a deep well and a shallow well can sit side by side. That unpredictability is exactly why looking at real neighbor data beats guessing.
Colorado Well Finder maps 591,000+ verified state permit records. Search any address to see the real depth, yield and aquifer of every well nearby — then multiply by the per-foot rates above for a grounded estimate.
Look up well depths near youColorado is a prior-appropriation water state, which makes well permitting more than a formality. A few things can change your cost — or whether you can drill at all:
A well is one piece of getting raw land to a finished home. Tri-Lakes Contracting handles the whole path — site prep, septic, foundation and the build. Their free build-feasibility review tells you what a parcel really needs before you commit.
Get a free build-feasibility reviewA typical domestic well runs about $15,000–$35,000 finished. The drilled and cased hole is usually $10,000–$25,000, and the pump, tank, trenching, electrical and water test add roughly $5,000–$12,000. Drilling alone is about $50–$75 per foot in most of the state.
Most drillers quote $50–$75 per foot for a standard 6-inch domestic borehole with casing and grout. Soft plains ground can be $35–$55; hard fractured granite in the high country runs $65–$100+. The per-foot rate excludes the pump, pressure tank, electrical and trenching.
Hartsel and Park County sit on fractured granite, so both depth and yield are hard to predict. Wells commonly run 200–600+ feet and quotes trend toward the high end, roughly $60–$100 per foot. Because a neighbor a quarter mile away can hit water at a very different depth, checking actual permitted well depths near the specific parcel matters more here than almost anywhere in Colorado.
Yes, but it's a small part of the total. The Colorado Division of Water Resources charges roughly $100 for a standard household or domestic well permit, and some counties add an administrative fee. Your driller usually files it. The bigger question is whether your area allows a new exempt well and whether an augmentation plan is required.
Because depth — the biggest cost — depends on geology. Eastern Plains wells can be 100–250 ft; Denver Basin wells in El Paso, Douglas and Elbert often reach 300–600+ ft; and fractured mountain bedrock in Park, Teller and Chaffee is deep and unpredictable. Deeper wells also need bigger pumps and more pipe and wire, so the whole system scales with depth.
A submersible pump package — pump, drop pipe, wire, pitless adapter, pressure tank, controls and install — typically adds $3,000–$8,000, more for deeper wells. Add a water line trench from well to house ($1,500–$6,000), an electrical hookup, and a bacteria/nitrate water test to finish the system.
Look up the depth of existing permitted wells near the parcel, multiply the typical neighbor depth by $50–$75 per foot for the hole, then add about $6,000–$12,000 for the pump, tank, trenching and electrical. If nearby wells average 300 ft, budget roughly $21,000–$34,000 all-in.