Effective 8/6/25, House Bill 25-1014 changed the expiration process on non-exempt and large capacity well permits. House Bill 25-1165 provided updates to the Board of Examiners, Geothermal Notifications and established a new Registration Process for Prior Geothermal Operations. Click the headline to read more.
Well Permitting Updates
As a result of the passage of House Bill 25-1014, the following well permitting changes will go into effect on August 6, 2025:
- All valid non-exempt and large capacity well permits will automatically have their expiration date extended to two years from the date of permit issuance, and new permits will be issued with an expiration date two years from the date of permit issuance. No additional extension of the permit expiration date may be requested or granted for an non-exempt or large capacity well permit.
- Evidence of pump installation is no longer required in order to keep a non-exempt or large capacity well permit from expiring. A Pump Installation Report is still required to be submitted in accordance with the Well Construction Rules.
- If evidence of well construction has not been provided to this office within two years from the date of permit issuance, the well permit will be expired. Notice that the permit has expired will be sent to the permit holder of record and any listed contractor. In some cases, a well permit may have acceptable evidence of well construction in the file that has not been entered into our database. If you believe your well permit has been expired by accident, contact our office for assistance.
- A non-exempt or large capacity well permit that expired due to lack of evidence of well construction may be reinstated if evidence of timely well construction is provided, typically in the form of a Well Construction and Yield Estimate Report or Post-Construction Well Inspection Report, unless the permit was formally expired by an Order. A $30 filing fee is required for reinstatement of an expired permit.
- For information on Determining the Validity of Non-Exempt Permits, see Guideline 2005-1.
Geothermal Updates
The passage of House Bill 25-1165 resulted in several new processes associated with geothermal well permitting and notifications. For more detailed information please visit our new Geothermal Webpage.
- A Tributary Geothermal Notification List for each division, which interested parties can sign up for through the Notification Lists section of our website. The Tributary Geothermal Notification List will be used to provide notice of applications for geothermal well permits proposing to withdraw tributary groundwater at a rate greater than 50 gallons per minute.
- Owners/operators may register a Prior Geothermal Operation using the registration form available on the eForms page of our website. A “Prior Geothermal Operation” is a geothermal well, operation, district, or unit authorized by DWR or ECMC; a commercial geothermal hot spring with a vested water right; or a noncommercial geothermal hot spring that is accessible to and enjoyed by the public. Registration of a Prior Geothermal Operation is required in order to receive electronic notice of applications for proposed water wells or deep geothermal operations within 1/4 mile of the Prior Geothermal Operation.
- The “Board of Examiners of Water Well Construction and Pump Installation Contractors” will be renamed the “Board of Examiners of Water Well and Ground Heat Exchanger Contractors” and will need to conduct a series of rulemakings to implement the statutory requirements of HB25-1165. For more information and documents associated with these rulemakings, please visit our new Geothermal Webpage.