Drilled well cost: what official sources say, and the first test a new well needs

No federal agency, state agency or extension service we found publishes a national price for a drilled well. The most detailed official number comes from California's State Water Resources Control Board: in its current cost model it prices a new 500-foot domestic well at $65 per foot to drill, or $32,500, and about $46,180 once the pump, casing, wiring, tank, parts, labor, a water test and destroying the old well are added. County permits ($90 to $5,939 in its survey) come on top. That well is deeper than most, because the model is built for drought areas. And a new well isn't finished when the rig leaves: at least eight states require a lab test of a new well, several of them before anyone uses the water, and the sample is taken only after the well has been disinfected and flushed.

Well types are compared in how a private well works; how much water a new well delivers is in our well flow test guide.

How much does a drilled well cost?

The top search results for "drilled well cost" (checked November 3, 2026) are home-improvement and referral sites. The one we could open, Bob Vila's, quotes other commercial guides and mentions no state new-well testing rule. We don't repeat those numbers. Below are the only official figures we found, with dates and limits.

Two of the agencies we checked don't give a price at all. Penn State Extension's guide to drilling a new well (updated May 13, 2022) lists an "Itemized cost estimate" among the things a contract needs. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Well Owner's Handbook (fourth edition, updated January 2014) says to "begin by getting estimates or bids from more than one licensed well contractor" and to have "a written agreement with the contractor listing in detail the materials and services to be provided."

California's model: a 500-foot replacement well

California's State Water Board estimates the cost of a new private well for households whose wells are at high risk of running dry. Its 2024 supplemental appendix on long-term solutions (last updated June 2024) lists every line. The board says the cost figures were "developed in 2023" from projects it funded and from outside quotes. Its Needs Assessment page says the 2025 and 2026 assessments did not update the cost model, so these remain the current figures.

Read the assumptions before you borrow the totals:

• Depth. The model assumes a well 500 feet deep, 4 to 6 inches across. The board says that "is deeper than typical private wells," because the households it models are in areas where drought and water shortage "require deeper wells."
• Drilling. The board uses a flat $32,500 ($65 a foot times 500 feet). It took that from a 2023 quote by a California driller, close to the $31,250 average drilling cost its contractor gathered from board-funded projects that year.
• Total. The board's equation adds the drilling to the other items in the chart. Their sum is $46,180 (our arithmetic). The county permit fee goes on top, then a regional multiplier (0% rural, +30% suburban, +32% urban) and 3.1% for inflation.
• What's missing. The model does not include a flow test, treatment or a new water line to the house.

USDA payment rates for farm wells

The US Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) pays farmers part of the cost of a well through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), under conservation practice 642, Water Well. These are the only USDA well figures we found, with two caveats. First, the practice is for farm water. NRCS's practice standard (we read Kentucky's 2021 version) says it "does not apply to" wells "constructed for domestic or public water supply," or to pumps. Second, the rates are payments, not prices. Under 7 CFR 1466.23, payment for a practice may not exceed "Seventy-five percent of the estimated costs incurred by implementing the conservation practice" in most cases, or up to 90 percent for historically underserved producers and some priority practices.

Even so, they show how NRCS expects cost to rise with well size. From the West Virginia EQIP payment schedule for fiscal year 2026 (standard rates, not the higher rates for historically underserved producers):

NRCS says on its West Virginia payment schedule page that it re-evaluates each practice every year against "the current costs for material and labor within the state," and that "The updated payment schedule is released in the first quarter each Fiscal Year (Oct-Dec)." Each state sets its own rates, so treat this as one state's snapshot.

Drilled vs dug well cost

We found no official price for a household dug or bored well. The NRCS table above has one farm figure: a flat $17,181.71 payment for a dug well in West Virginia. The bigger question is whether a dug well is allowed at all. MDH says dug, bored and drive-point wells "are often less than 50 feet deep, and are more likely to be contaminated by surface water, sewage from septic systems, or chemical spills," and that "Many of the techniques used in the past for constructing dug or bored wells are not sanitary and are no longer legal under the state rules." Minnesota does let a property owner install a drive-point well (a "sand point") without a notification fee, as MDH's page on constructing a new well (updated October 18, 2024) explains.

So "drilled vs dug" is about protection as much as price: a shallow dug well may be cheaper to build, but it can be illegal where you live and easier to contaminate. Our types of wells table compares depths and contamination risk using EPA, USGS and MDH figures.

What drives the cost of a new well

Every major line item, with the official figure we found or a note that none exists. The figures come from different states and years; they show what matters, not what your well will cost.

The Minnesota note. One official table shows how much drilling method can matter. Minnesota Rules 2890.3500 (published December 12, 2025) sets the most Minnesota's petroleum tank release program will reimburse for installing small wells during spill investigations. Those are not drinking-water wells. For a 4-inch well up to 25 feet deep, the cap is $2,396 using a hollow-stem auger in "sand, silt, or clay" and $3,988 using mud or air rotary in "limestone or hard rock." The hard-rock cap is about two-thirds higher for the same depth and diameter, though the rotary figure also assumes a steel riser and less sampling.

Water well drilling permits, notification and setbacks

• California: owners need permits "from local environmental health agencies (often County agency) or local water districts before construction can take place," the State Water Board says. Its 2021 phone survey of county permit offices found replacement-well fees from $90 (Modoc County) to $5,939 (San Mateo County).
• Minnesota: the contractor or owner must file a notification form "with the appropriate fee" before drilling a water-supply well. Minnesota Statutes 2026, section 103I.208 sets that fee at $325; the notification fee for sealing a well is $125. MDH notes that some counties and cities run delegated well programs that "may have additional requirements," and these usually require a permit.

Setbacks shape the layout too. MDH says a well must meet the "minimum isolation distances" in Minnesota Rules, Chapter 4725. Penn State's suggested distances include at least 50 feet from sewers and septic tanks and 100 feet from absorption fields, cesspools, pastures and barnyards. These are extension recommendations, not a regulation. For the distances FHA and VA lenders check, see our well inspection guide. To look up the permit or well log of a well that already exists on a property, see finding well and septic records.

What to put in the driller's contract

Penn State's contract checklist doubles as a list of what you're paying for:

• "Assurance of compliance with regulations" and the driller's liability insurance
• "Casing specifications (minimum of 4 inches to bedrock)"
• "Sanitary well cap and grout seal included"
• "Well development to maximum yield"
• "Disinfection after drilling and pump installation"
• "Itemized cost estimate" and "Estimate of well yield"
• "Delivery of well log and pump test results"

Add who collects the first water sample, which lab tests it, and who pays. Minnesota's rule makes the well's builder see that the sample is collected, and Kentucky's makes the driller report the results. Connecticut's law puts the test on the owner.

New well disinfection: why the first sample waits

Germs can get in during construction. MDH: "Every new well must be disinfected after it is drilled and before the water is used for drinking or cooking." That's why the rules make the chlorine go before the sample is taken.

Kentucky's well construction rule, 401 KAR 6:310 (effective January 3, 2020), spells out the sequence. A new well "shall be developed until the column of water in the well is free of visible sediment," then disinfected to at least 100 parts per million chlorine. The chlorinated water must stand for at least 30 minutes before the well is purged. The bacteria "sample shall not be collected until all residual chlorine has been purged from the well."

The Vermont Department of Health (updated March 4, 2026) says the same in one line: "Before you test your water, the well must be disinfected with chlorine, then flushed to remove the chlorine from the water." Rhode Island requires the test to be done "after all plumbing and water-using appliances are in place and the system has been properly disinfected," from "an interior faucet that yields untreated (raw) well water."

Doing it yourself? Our guide to disinfecting a new well covers bleach amounts and safety steps.

State new-well testing rules

These are the state rules we confirmed in their current published form. "Before use" means the source says not to drink the water, or not to use the well for household purposes, until the results are in.

Sources for the table: the current Connecticut statute, Minnesota Rules 4725.5650, Kentucky's rule above, the North Carolina DHHS testing FAQ (last modified July 29, 2025; read from the Internet Archive copy of January 18, 2026, because the state server refused the connection), the Vermont page above, the Rhode Island regulation (periodic refile effective January 4, 2022), South Dakota DANR's New Well Sampling Program and Wisconsin DNR's Water Sample Collection fact sheet.

Two more states give advice without a rule. The Arizona Department of Health Services well guide says to test all new wells for arsenic, total coliform bacteria, fluoride, lead, nitrates, total dissolved solids and uranium. Colorado's health department lists a "New well/no known testing" panel that includes PFAS and a VOC screen. Your local health department can tell you whether a county rule adds tests; the state pages list certified labs and each state's own guidance.

What to test first in a new well

Every rule includes bacteria. Most add nitrate, and the longer lists add minerals from the local rock.

• Bacteria (total coliform, E. coli): required in all eight states. South Dakota DANR notes that wells are most often contaminated by surface water entering "around the pump, through the well cover, or through the upper few feet of the well casing." See coliform bacteria.
• Nitrate: required in Connecticut, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Vermont and Rhode Island (nitrite too in Connecticut, Vermont and Rhode Island). See nitrate in well water.
• Arsenic and uranium: both occur naturally in some bedrock. Connecticut lets local health directors require arsenic or uranium tests in areas known for natural deposits in the bedrock. MDH says arsenic "has been detected in about 40 percent of new wells drilled since 2008 in Minnesota," according to its arsenic page (updated October 19, 2026). Connecticut and Vermont require uranium. See arsenic and uranium.
• Lead, first draw: required where a new well feeds existing plumbing (Connecticut) or in every case (Vermont, Rhode Island). The sample is drawn from the plumbing. See lead.
• Sodium, chloride and sulfate: Connecticut requires all three, Vermont sodium and chloride, Rhode Island chloride and sulfate. See salt in well water.
• VOCs and PFAS: Rhode Island requires VOCs and MTBE. Colorado's new-well list includes PFAS and a VOC screen. Neither is on most lists; ask your local health department whether land use near your well calls for them. See VOCs and PFAS.

If your state has no rule, MDH's baseline for every well is a fair starting point: "Two standard tests — for coliform bacteria and nitrate — should be performed regularly on every well." Then add arsenic and uranium where local geology calls for them. The lab finder shows which certified labs near you run each test.

When to take the first sample

1. The well is developed. Kentucky requires the water to run free of visible sediment.
2. The well is disinfected. In Minnesota, licensed contractors disinfect after construction. Penn State says to make sure it happens "Before the well construction is complete."
3. The chlorine is flushed out. Run water until no chlorine remains. Kentucky won't accept a sample until "all residual chlorine has been purged." MDH says to send the chlorinated water away from the septic system.
4. The sample goes to a certified lab within the deadline. Minnesota and Kentucky set 30 days from completion, and North Carolina recommends the same. Bacteria bottles have short holding times; Kentucky sets 6 hours. Our sampling guide covers bottles, taps and holding times.
5. Nobody drinks the water until the results are back. Connecticut requires them to meet state limits; Minnesota requires coliform to be absent and the nitrate and arsenic results to be reported.
6. Test again later. Vermont says to retest "six to 12 months" after installing a new well, because those results "will better represent your long-term water quality." Then move to a regular schedule, covered in how often to test well water.

MDH found that when arsenic shows up in a new well, "the level may increase or decrease in the first few months after construction."

Reading the first results

Two examples, both illustrative:

Example 1: Minnesota, arsenic 4 µg/L

The driller's report shows no total coliform, nitrate below the reporting limit and arsenic at 4 micrograms per liter. Rules 4725.5650 no longer bars use: coliform is absent, and the nitrate and arsenic results have been reported. This is row 2. Because arsenic was detected, MDH suggests considering treatment or another drinking-water source as well as the six-month retest, since early levels can move either way. Federal arsenic limits apply to public water systems, not private wells; our arsenic page explains what the numbers mean.

Example 2: Connecticut, coliform present

A new well for a new house comes back positive for total coliform. This is rows 1 and 4. The family can't use the well for domestic purposes until the local health authority accepts the results, so the well gets disinfected again and resampled after flushing. If disinfection keeps failing, MDH's advice is to find the source of the contamination and check the well for defects. See how to read a well water test report for the terms on the lab sheet.

Help paying for a new well

State and USDA programs that help pay for replacement wells, repairs and treatment are covered in our guide to well repair grants. For lab prices beyond the first test, see what well water testing costs, and book the first test with a certified lab through the lab finder.

Questions people ask