- How can I tell if my well is permitted?
Perform a Water Rights Database Search using our website. You'll need the legal description for your property – Township, Range, Section and Quarter/Quarter of the section.
Click Here to learn about researching permitted wells on the SEO website.
- What is a legal description? (And no your address isn't enough!)
A legal description is a description of property used in legal documents, in contrast to a street address by which property is commonly known. The Public Land Survey System (PLSS) is a way of subdividing and describing land in the United States, and is used to describe well locations.
The PLSS employs a grid system based on township, range and section numbers. Here's an example of a PLSS legal description:
NE 1/4, SW 1/4, Section 24, Township 28 North, Range 97 West
Or shown as NE ¼ SW ¼, S24, T28N, R97W
You can find your legal description information:
- On your property tax bill or property deed.
- On plat maps (available by contacting your county clerk or from mapping companies).
- On United States Geological Survey topographic maps (available by calling the USGS).
- By contacting the Offices of your County Assessor, Clerk or Planner.
- Can you help me find a driller?
Our office cannot recommend a driller for you. However, we try to keep an updated driller list on our website for public use.
- How long does it take to obtain an approved:
Permit: It depends on the use for which you are applying. Domestic and/or stock use permits typically take 1 to 2 weeks, while more complicated permits can take several months.
Statement of Completion: We currently have a 6 month to 1 year back log of these documents awaiting review.
Extension Request: About three or four months.
Relocate/Deepening Request: Approximately two to four weeks.
- What is a Water Right?
All water within the State of Wyoming is the property of the State of Wyoming. Water rights granted by the State of Wyoming allow use of certain portions of the waters of the state to be used for specific purposes and are administered by their priority dates.
- How deep do I need to drill my well?
You can research data on nearby permitted wells using our website to obtain an estimate. In instances where there are no permitted wells nearby, you may need to solicit the services of a geological consultant to assist you in designing your well. Your driller may be able to estimate the depth based on his experience and local conditions.
- When is a spring considered ground water and when is it surface water?
In order for a spring to be permitted through the Ground Water Division, the following criteria must be met:
- The total yield from the spring, whether natural or artificial, must be 25 gallons per minute or less.
- The proposed use of the spring must be stock and/or domestic (as defined by the Ground Water Division.)
- There must be some form of artificial, man-made, and abandonable development made to the spring.
- The appropriator must capture water originating from the spring when is it readily identifiable as ground water. Once the spring water is flowing naturally across the ground surface, it is no longer ground water but is considered surface water.
If any of the above conditions are not met, the spring must be permitted through the Surface Water Division.
- How far from my property line and sewer should my well be?
The State Engineer's Office' Rules and Regulations require a minimum distance of 10 feet between the location of a well and any property line. For setback distances from sewers, septic tanks, etc. please read page 10 of our Water Well Minimum Construction Standards, to view Click Here.
For other requirements contact the Water Quality Division of the Department of Environmental Quality @ (307)-777-7781.
- How many acres must I own to drill a well?
There are no statewide requirements, but the setback distances outlined in the Water Well Minimum Construction Standards must be adhered to. To view Click Here; local ordinances may require a minimum acreage amount for the construction of a well. Please contact your local government prior to commencing construction of the well.
- Why do I need to submit a map or have my water right adjudicated?
Adjudication is the formal process of proving beneficial use of a water right and is required for nearly every ground water right which is not strictly limited to domestic and/or stock watering uses or temporary in nature.
For a ground water right, the adjudication process consists of three parts. Part I is the submission of the Proof of Appropriation and Beneficial Use of Ground Water Part I (U.W. 8) form. Part II is the submission of a map prepared by a Professional Land Surveyor or Professional Engineer licensed to practice in the State of Wyoming and will show the locations of the well, irrigated lands, and points of use of water, among other things. For our map requirement information, click here..
Part III is a document created after an on site inspection of the facilities to determine compliance with the terms of the water right. The document will list the findings of the inspection, must be approved by the appropriator, and is ultimately forwarded to the Wyoming State Board of Control who will adjudicate the water right.
- When is my well considered complete?
The SEO does not consider a typical well complete until after a pump is installed. A spring or flowing well is considered complete when the water is first used.
- What is your water right research policy?
Requests for water rights searches are not a priority for our office. If the project needs to be completed in a timely manner, you can use our online database to research our records or hire a water rights consultant.
- What is an aquifer?
AQUIFER – Any underground geological structure or formation having boundaries that may be ascertained or reasonably inferred, in which water stands, flows or percolates.
- What is a geothermal well?
A geothermal well produces ground water which has a temperature appreciably higher than that of the local average annual air temperature.
- How can petroleum companies transfer wells to land owners?
The preferred approach is to have the company cancel their water rights and then have the land owner re-file on the existing well for the use of water that they contemplate. In very few cases does transfer of the ownership of a well bore result in the transfer of ownership of a water right, unless the point of use under the water right is within the well bore.
- How do I pick a well name?
You can pick anything you'd like that isn't vulgar or offensive. Usually people use their last names or subdivision lot numbers.
- I have a well on my property. Am I the only person who can use the water from the well?
Not necessarily. Water rights attach to where they are used and in many cases there is no authorized use at the well site. There may be others who have a right to the use of the water from the well on lands that they own. However, they also need permission from the owner of the property to legally access the well. A detailed analysis of the water right associated with this well should reveal the answer to this question.
- Can I apply for a permit for a well that is not located on my property?
Yes – However, approval of a permit to appropriate water from the well does not grant any right-of-way or easement to the well. Permission from the owner of the property on which the well is located will need to be secured for access to the well if the water right is to be exercised.
