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Cost to plug an oil or gas well in Colorado

Reported costs of publicly funded well plugging in Colorado, 2022 to 2026.

Median cost per well

$85,728

B held-out error 40%

Typical range

$34,175 – $182,260

10th to 90th percentile; held 79% of held-out wells

Wells on file

322

313 independent observations, 2022-10 to 2026-06

Estimate a well in Colorado

By well type

Light bar: 10th to 90th percentile. Dark bar: middle half. Tick: median. Only graded well types are drawn.

Well type	Median per well	Typical range (10th–90th pct.)	Grade	Wells	Held-out error
Gas well	—	—	Insufficient data	194	—
Injection or disposal well	—	—	Insufficient data	13	—
Oil well	$90,824	$34,166 – $205,898	B	101	36%
Other or unknown	—	—	Insufficient data	14	—

By depth

Depth band	Median per well	Typical range (10th–90th pct.)	Grade	Wells	Held-out error
1,000-2,999 ft	$47,734	$34,836 – $133,765	B	62	21%
3,000-5,999 ft	—	—	Insufficient data	80	—
6,000 ft and deeper	$92,954	$26,317 – $175,486	B	153	26%

By year plugged

Wells with a reported plugging cost, by year plugged.

Year	Median per well	Typical range (10th–90th pct.)	Grade	Wells	Held-out error
2022	—	—	Insufficient data	7	—
2023	$85,464	$39,512 – $184,688	B	112	39%
2024	—	—	Insufficient data	103	—
2025	—	—	Insufficient data	34	—
2026	$52,036	$38,040 – $128,738	B	66	36%

Cost index for Colorado

Year	Index (2023 = 100 where 2023 is on file, otherwise first year)	Grade	Wells
2022	—	Insufficient data	7
2023	—	Insufficient data	112
2024	—	Insufficient data	103
2025	—	Insufficient data	34
2026	113.1	B	66

Counties with a graded estimate

County	Median per well	Typical range (10th–90th pct.)	Grade	Wells	Held-out error
Adams	$91,355	$39,824 – $122,945	B	78	24%

Contractors active

Companies awarded federal contracts for well plugging in this state, from USAspending (federal-land wells only): North Wind Site Services LLC, SPN Well Services Inc, Snow Consulting And Services, Inc..

Receipts

Every figure on this page is computed from public records you can inspect:

Well-level records for Colorado in the US Department of the Interior Orphaned Wells Program Office data layer (well identifier, county, type, reported cost, date).
Orphaned Wells Program maps and data, US Department of the Interior.

Costs are as reported by the grant recipient. 96% of the records here are a cost for one well; the rest are contract or lease averages. See limitations.

Data through 2026-06-30. Sample sizes are the wells behind each figure. Grades come from held-out tests, not in-sample fit: A needs 200+ independent cost observations and a held-out error of 25% or less; B needs 60+ and 40% or less. Anything weaker is shown as Insufficient data. How grading works.

Some figures here are withheld because the data is too thin to grade. If you hold actual plugging costs, report a plugging cost. Reports are reviewed before any use.