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 February 18, 2026
Recent Activity
As of February 18, 2026
Year over Year
Top Operators in Colorado
| Rank | Operator | Permits (30d) | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CRESTONE PEAK RESOURCES OPERATING LLC | 19 | 14.7% |
| 2 | PDC ENERGY INC | 17 | 13.2% |
| 3 | NOBLE ENERGY INC | 13 | 10.1% |
| 4 | VERDAD RESOURCES LLC | 11 | 8.5% |
| 5 | KERR MCGEE OIL & GAS ONSHORE LP | 11 | 8.5% |
| 6 | TEP ROCKY MOUNTAIN LLC | 9 | 7.0% |
| 7 | PRAIRIE OPERATING CO LLC | 9 | 7.0% |
| 8 | BISON IV OPERATING LLC | 8 | 6.2% |
| 9 | QB ENERGY OPERATING LLC | 8 | 6.2% |
| 10 | DUNAMIS ENERGY OPERATING LLC | 5 | 3.9% |
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
49
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 2026-02-19
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": 124033,
"last_30_days": 127,
"last_365_days": 1765,
"year_over_year_change": "-4.7%",
"top_operators": [
{
"name": "CRESTONE PEAK RESOURCES OPERATING LLC",
"permits": 19,
"pct_share": "14.7%"
},
{
"name": "PDC ENERGY INC",
"permits": 17,
"pct_share": "13.2%"
},
{
"name": "NOBLE ENERGY INC",
"permits": 13,
"pct_share": "10.1%"
}
]
},
"meta": {
"source": "Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission (ECMC)",
"update_frequency": "daily",
"updated_at": "2026-02-18T00:01:38.951Z"
}
}Colorado Drilling Permit FAQs
Colorado has 124,033 total drilling permits tracked in our database, with 127 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: CRESTONE PEAK RESOURCES OPERATING LLC (14.7%), PDC ENERGY INC (13.2%), NOBLE ENERGY INC (10.1%).
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 →