About this list
- Agency
- Idaho Department of Health and Welfare - Idaho Bureau of Laboratories, Drinking Water Laboratory Certification
- Format
- Scanned per-lab certificates in DHW's public document library (one PDF per lab and discipline: inorganic, organic, microbiology, radiochemistry; analyte, status and method per lab, effective dates), read by OCR and checked line by line
- Homeowner flag
- Yes for the 8 Idaho labs DHW's private-wells page lists under "Find a Water Testing Laboratory Near You". Not stated for the other labs.
Certified as of2026 EPA Region 10 Drinking Water Certificate Microbiology LT2: letter of January 22, 2026; 2025 EPA Region 10 Drinking Water Certificate Chemistry: letter of March 24, 2025; 2025 EPA Region 10 Drinking Water Certificate Microbiology: letter of May 23, 2025
Idaho Bureau of Laboratories - EPA Region 10 Drinking Water Certificates. Fetched 2026-11-03 (UTC).
Official sourceTesting your well in Idaho
How often to test
- Idaho's Department of Health and Welfare (DHW) recommends testing for bacteria and nitrates once a year, and for other contaminants, including metals and chemicals, every 3 to 5 years. It suggests using the Idaho Private Well Water Drinking Map to see what may be present in your area and decide what to test for. [1]
- DHW's testing table lists arsenic, fluoride, selenium and uranium every 3 to 5 years; chloride, manganese and sulfate if your water tastes, smells or looks strange; pesticides and petroleum if you live in an agricultural area or have underground petroleum tanks; and manganese if you have a formula-fed infant under 6 months. [1]
Free testing
- DHW offers free private well water testing (listed as available fall 2026) while funding is available. Idaho residents sign up through DHW's Idaho Health Tools website to have a free kit mailed home. The test covers nitrate, fluoride, arsenic, lead, uranium, manganese, chromium, nickel, copper, zinc, selenium, cadmium and barium, and results come with guidance on next steps. DHW says that because of the volume of kits being processed, it may take up to two months. [1]
Testing programs and help
- If your results show unsafe levels, DHW's Environmental Health Program can help you understand them and recommend how to fix the problem. DHW also publishes well water testing flow charts for next steps. [1]
- DHW's Groundwater Quality Near Me map shows private wells sampled since 2004 by the Idaho Department of Water Resources, the Department of Environmental Quality, the State Department of Agriculture and private well owners. Wells with results above a primary drinking water standard are shown in red. [1]
State lab and rules
- The Idaho Bureau of Laboratories (IBL), the state lab, tests private well water. Owners use IBL's Private Well Owner submission form and can get sample containers from IBL or their local public health district. Total coliform/E. coli samples need a sterile IBL bottle and must reach the lab within 30 hours of collection; nitrate and nitrite must be tested within 48 hours. For pesticides, herbicides or VOCs, contact IBL; it says general private well testing does not typically require them. [2]
- IBL certifies labs for chemical and microbiological testing of drinking water from public water systems, under Idaho's primacy agreement with EPA. [3]
- DHW's private wells page lists Idaho certified labs where you can get water tested, including the state lab (Idaho Bureau of Labs) in Boise and labs in Boise, Twin Falls, Pocatello, Idaho Falls, Kellogg, Coeur d'Alene and Moscow. [1]
What testing costs at the state lab
Idaho Bureau of Laboratories, Drinking Water Analysis Submission Form, Private Well Owner, revised 08/21/2024 (prices as printed; gross alpha and beta is by quote). The form says lab fees are also posted at StateLab.idaho.gov; IBL's Sampling and Submission Guide was not read.
| Test | Price |
|---|---|
| Total coliform/E. coli | $21 |
| Nitrate | $20 |
| Nitrite | $20 |
| Sulfate, fluoride or chloride (each) | $20 |
| Arsenic, lead or uranium (each) | $23 |
| Iron, copper, manganese or zinc (each) | $13 |
| Hardness | $28 |
| Total dissolved solids (TDS) | $16 |
Prices as published when we checked on 3 Nov 2026. Private certified labs set their own prices.
Show the numbers
| Item | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | 19 counties | |
| Zone 2 | 20 counties | |
| Zone 3 | 5 counties |
Radon in indoor air, not in water. EPA: Zone 1 = highest potential (average indoor radon may be above 4 pCi/L); Zone 2 = 2 to 4; Zone 3 = below 2. EPA says the map should not be used to decide whether an individual home needs testing. Source: U.S. EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county list (EPA 402/A-16/001, spreadsheet Sep 2025), accessed 2026-11-01.
Sources
- Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Drinking Water and Private Wells (page last updated 11-2-2026)
- Idaho Bureau of Laboratories, Drinking Water Analysis Submission Form, Private Well Owner (revised 08/21/2024)
- Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Drinking Water Testing and Certification (page last updated 6-30-2026)
- U.S. EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county list (EPA 402/A-16/001, spreadsheet Sep 2025)
Loan test (FHA, VA, USDA) in Idaho
- VA. Test results are valid for 90 days from the date the local health authority certifies them, unless the local authority says otherwise. VA’s chapter names no list of contaminants: the water must meet the local health authority’s requirements, or EPA guidelines where it has none. Your lender may ask for specific tests.
- FHA. A well test is required in the situations FHA’s handbook lists, among others, and the report may not be more than 180 days old at disbursement.
- USDA. Guaranteed loans need a water quality test for a private well, done by the local health authority or a state-certified lab, and no more than 180 days old at closing.
Lenders can ask for more (extra tests, a particular lab, who takes the sample): ask your lender before you book. Federal rules as read on Nov 3, 2026 source 1 source 2 source 3. Full comparison: VA, FHA and USDA well water test requirements. Loan test kits sold by mail, with price and days to results: kits compared.
What Idaho labs say on their own websites
State lists say what a lab is certified for, not whether it takes your sample or what it costs. We read each lab’s own site; a second reader re-checked every fact below. 3 labs on this list are on our register so far; 0 say they take homeowner samples and 0 print a price.
Prices exactly as each lab prints them, read 15 Nov 2026; re-checked every 90 days. Labs not shown have not been read yet or print nothing for homeowners. Confirm price and turnaround with the lab.
Labs by contaminant
Labs on the Idaho list for one test, with homeowner-accepting labs first.
Well water by county
Private-well population (USGS, 2015), arsenic estimate, radon zone and nearby labs for each county with at least 1,000 people on private wells, largest first.
Canyon County55,595 on wellsAda County41,778 on wellsKootenai County31,919 on wellsTwin Falls County24,149 on wellsBingham County22,904 on wellsBonner County21,639 on wellsJefferson County19,591 on wellsBonneville County14,133 on wellsCassia County10,673 on wellsJerome County9,973 on wellsGem County9,953 on wellsMinidoka County9,830 on wellsLatah County9,118 on wellsMadison County8,858 on wellsPayette County8,444 on wellsIdaho County8,417 on wellsBannock County8,096 on wellsGooding County7,341 on wellsOwyhee County6,883 on wellsFremont County6,297 on wellsTeton County5,762 on wellsValley County5,206 on wellsLemhi County4,391 on wellsBenewah County4,008 on wellsWashington County4,005 on wellsBlaine County3,930 on wellsFranklin County3,541 on wellsBoise County3,275 on wellsLincoln County3,105 on wellsPower County2,722 on wellsClearwater County2,508 on wellsCuster County2,453 on wellsBoundary County2,124 on wellsOneida County2,081 on wellsCaribou County1,985 on wellsNez Perce County1,942 on wellsAdams County1,602 on wellsShoshone County1,532 on wellsElmore County1,357 on wellsButte County1,087 on wells