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 April 4, 2026
Recent Activity
As of April 4, 2026
Year over Year
Top Operators in Colorado
| Rank | Operator | Permits (30d) | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KERR MCGEE OIL & GAS ONSHORE LP | 29 | 15.0% |
| 2 | PDC ENERGY INC | 27 | 14.0% |
| 3 | NOBLE ENERGY INC | 26 | 13.5% |
| 4 | BISON IV OPERATING LLC | 20 | 10.4% |
| 5 | DUNAMIS ENERGY OPERATING LLC | 16 | 8.3% |
| 6 | CRESTONE PEAK RESOURCES OPERATING LLC | 15 | 7.8% |
| 7 | QB ENERGY OPERATING LLC | 13 | 6.7% |
| 8 | VERDAD RESOURCES LLC | 11 | 5.7% |
| 9 | EXTRACTION OIL & GAS INC | 10 | 5.2% |
| 10 | SCOUT ENERGY MANAGEMENT LLC | 8 | 4.1% |
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
32
NIOBRARA
97.0%
1
CODELL
3.0%
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 2026-04-02
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": 124118,
"last_30_days": 193,
"last_365_days": 1667,
"year_over_year_change": "-9.1%",
"top_operators": [
{
"name": "KERR MCGEE OIL & GAS ONSHORE LP",
"permits": 29,
"pct_share": "15.0%"
},
{
"name": "PDC ENERGY INC",
"permits": 27,
"pct_share": "14.0%"
},
{
"name": "NOBLE ENERGY INC",
"permits": 26,
"pct_share": "13.5%"
}
]
},
"meta": {
"source": "Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission (ECMC)",
"update_frequency": "daily",
"updated_at": "2026-04-04T02:47:37.597Z"
}
}Colorado Drilling Permit FAQs
Colorado has 124,118 total drilling permits tracked in our database, with 193 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 (15.0%), PDC ENERGY INC (14.0%), NOBLE ENERGY INC (13.5%).
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 →