Colorado Drilling Permits
The DJ Basin's Niobrara and Codell formations are major oil targets. Colorado has strict setback regulations (2,000 ft from homes) affecting drilling locations.
All Time
As of May 11, 2026
Recent Activity
As of May 11, 2026
Year over Year
Top Operators in Colorado
| Rank | Operator | Permits (30d) | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KERR MCGEE OIL & GAS ONSHORE LP | 41 | 29.5% |
| 2 | BISON IV OPERATING LLC | 32 | 23.0% |
| 3 | VERDAD RESOURCES LLC | 18 | 12.9% |
| 4 | EXTRACTION OIL & GAS INC | 10 | 7.2% |
| 5 | NOBLE ENERGY INC | 10 | 7.2% |
| 6 | SCOUT ENERGY MANAGEMENT LLC | 6 | 4.3% |
| 7 | TEP ROCKY MOUNTAIN LLC | 5 | 3.6% |
| 8 | PRAIRIE OPERATING CO LLC | 4 | 2.9% |
| 9 | CRESTONE PEAK RESOURCES OPERATING LLC | 3 | 2.2% |
| 10 | SIMCOE LLC | 3 | 2.2% |
Find Wells Near You in Colorado
Search for oil wells, gas wells, and drilling permits near any Colorado address. Enter a city, ZIP code, or street address to find recent well permit activity in your area.
Target Formations
26
NIOBRARA
100.0%
Major Basins in Colorado
Denver-Julesburg (DJ) Basin
View Denver-Julesburg (DJ) Basin rig count →Piceance Basin
View Piceance Basin rig count →Data Source
Data Coverage
1898-01-01 to 2026-12-08
Update Frequency
Daily updates (business days)
Access This Data via API
Access Colorado well permit data programmatically. Historical data, trends, and more.
/v1/drilling-intelligence/well-permits?state=COcurl -X GET "https://api.oilpriceapi.com/v1/drilling-intelligence/well-permits?state=CO"
Sample Response
{
"data": {
"state": "Colorado",
"state_code": "CO",
"total_permits": 124199,
"last_30_days": 135,
"last_365_days": 1640,
"year_over_year_change": "-7.4%",
"top_operators": [
{
"name": "KERR MCGEE OIL & GAS ONSHORE LP",
"permits": 41,
"pct_share": "29.5%"
},
{
"name": "BISON IV OPERATING LLC",
"permits": 32,
"pct_share": "23.0%"
},
{
"name": "VERDAD RESOURCES LLC",
"permits": 18,
"pct_share": "12.9%"
}
]
},
"meta": {
"source": "Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission (ECMC)",
"update_frequency": "daily",
"updated_at": "2026-05-11T08:34:30.416Z"
}
}Colorado Drilling Permit FAQs
Colorado has 124,199 total drilling permits tracked in our database, with 135 permits issued in the last 30 days. The Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission (ECMC) updates permit data daily.
Colorado includes the Denver-Julesburg (DJ) Basin, Piceance Basin basins. The DJ Basin's Niobrara and Codell formations are major oil targets. Colorado has strict setback regulations (2,000 ft from homes) affecting drilling locations.
The top operators in Colorado by permit count are: KERR MCGEE OIL & GAS ONSHORE LP (29.5%), BISON IV OPERATING LLC (23.0%), VERDAD RESOURCES LLC (12.9%).
Official permit data comes from the Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission (ECMC) (https://ecmc.state.co.us/). OilPriceAPI aggregates this data and provides it via API with historical trends and operator analytics.
Weekly Drilling Report
See how Colorado compares to other states in our weekly permit analysis with interactive map and operator rankings.
This Week in Well Permits →