FORM 4 Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instruction 1(b).

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Section 17(a) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940

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(Print or Type Responses)

1. Name and Address of Reporting Person * FRITZE STEVEN L   2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol ECOLAB INC [ECL] 5. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable) _____ Director _____ 10% Owner __X__ Officer (give title below) _____ Other (specify below) Executive Vice President & CFO (Last) (First) (Middle) ECOLAB INC., 370 WABASHA STREET N. 3. Date of Earliest Transaction (Month/Day/Year) 11/27/2006 (Street) ST. PAUL, MN 55102 4. If Amendment, Date Original Filed(Month/Day/Year) 6. Individual or Joint/Group Filing(Check Applicable Line) _X_ Form filed by One Reporting Person ___ Form filed by More than One Reporting Person (City) (State) (Zip) Table I - Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned

1.Title of Security (Instr. 3) 2. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year) 2A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year) 3. Transaction Code (Instr. 8) 4. Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5) 5. Amount of Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 3 and 4) 6. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4) 7. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4) Code V Amount (A) or (D) Price Common Stock 10/24/2006   G V 1,655 D $ 0 10,384 D   Common Stock 11/27/2006   M   10,000 A $ 19.9219 20,384 D   Common Stock 11/27/2006   F(1)   6,767 D $ 45.685 13,617 D   Common Stock               11,580.12 (2) I By Ecolab Savings Plan

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Table II - Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
(e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)

1. Title of Derivative Security (Instr. 3)

2. Conversion or Exercise Price of Derivative Security

3. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)

3A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)

4. Transaction Code (Instr. 8)

5. Number of Derivative Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed of (D) (Instr. 3, 4, and 5)

6. Date Exercisable and Expiration Date (Month/Day/Year)

7. Title and Amount of Underlying Securities (Instr. 3 and 4)

8. Price of Derivative Security (Instr. 5)

9. Number of Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 4)

10. Ownership Form of Derivative Security: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)

11. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)

Code

V

(A)

(D)

Date Exercisable

Expiration Date

Title

Amount or Number of Shares

Employee Stock Option (Right to Buy)

$ 19.9219 (3)

11/27/2006

M

10,000 (3)

08/13/2000(3)

08/13/2009

Common Stock

10,000

$ 0

0

D

Reporting Owners

Reporting Owner Name / Address	Relationships
	Director	10% Owner	Officer	Other
FRITZE STEVEN L ECOLAB INC. 370 WABASHA STREET N. ST. PAUL, MN 55102			Executive Vice President & CFO

Signatures

/s/David F. Duvick, Attorney-in-Fact for Steven L. Fritze		11/28/2006
**Signature of Reporting Person		Date

Explanation of Responses:

*	If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 4(b)(v).
**	Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations. See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).
(1)	Reflects the reporting person's payment of the exercise price and withholding taxes for a stock option issued in accordance with Rule 16b-3 by withholding shares of Ecolab Common Stock.
(2)	Number of UNITS in the Ecolab Stock Fund of the Ecolab Savings Plan (401(k) Plan) as of September 30, 2006. Includes 28.314 UNITS acquired since the reporting person's last report. (The 11,580.120 UNITS are the equivalent of approximately 21,624 shares of the issuer's Common Stock.)
(3)	Option granted under the Ecolab Inc. 1997 Stock Incentive Plan on August 13, 1999. The option was originally reported as covering 7,500 shares at an exercise price of $39.84375 per share, but has been adjusted to reflect a stock split on June 6, 2003. The option became exercisable as to 25% of the total shares subject to the option (excluding any fractional portion less than one share) on each of the first, second and third anniversaries of the date of grant and as to the remaining shares as of the fourth anniversary on the date of grant.

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