About this list
- Agency
- Oregon Health Authority (OHA) - Oregon State Public Health Laboratory, Oregon Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (ORELAP)
- Format
- ORELAP's online lab search (ODIE: Drinking Water matrix, 'Accepts Public Samples' filter) plus each lab's ORELAP Fields of Accreditation (certificate, expiry, every drinking-water method x analyte)
- Homeowner flag
- Yes for labs ORELAP marks as accepting public samples (OHA: "these laboratories can accept samples from anyone"); No for drinking-water labs without that mark (mostly utility and federal labs).
Certified as ofsearch as fetched 2026-11-15 (live database, no list date)
ORELAP laboratory search (ODIE): accredited for the Drinking Water matrix. Fetched 2026-11-15 (UTC).
Official sourceTesting your well in Oregon
How often to test
- OHA says Oregon requires well testing only when a property with a well is sold, but it recommends testing for coliform and E. coli bacteria every year, nitrate every year, and arsenic every 3 to 5 years. You may need to test more often if the well has a history of contamination, the septic system recently malfunctioned, household members have a stomach illness, infants drink the water, or any equipment has broken. OHA lists typical costs of $20 to $40 for the bacteria and nitrate tests and $25 to $45 for arsenic. [1]
- If arsenic is above 8 ppb, OHA says to retest; if levels stay high, install a treatment system and keep testing every year at the faucet you drink from and every 3 years at the wellhead. [1]
- Oregon State University's Well Water Program advises testing for coliform bacteria at least once a year, when taste or color changes, after work on the well, if the well cap is not secure, or if surface water stands around the well. It suggests testing for nitrate if a pregnant woman or newborn will drink the water, and once a year if you live near fertilized fields, septic systems or livestock, or have had nitrate before. [2]
Free testing
- The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) offers a free well water test to households in Morrow and Umatilla counties whose well is inside the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area (LUBGWMA) and is used for drinking and cooking (not commercial wells or public water systems). You apply for a testing voucher online. [3]
- In the LUBGWMA program the first test covers nitrate, arsenic, lead, total coliform and E. coli. Depending on the nitrate result, OHA and the county health departments offer free retesting; households at 10 mg/L or more qualify for free drinking water delivery, and those between 10 and 24.99 mg/L are also offered a free reverse osmosis system. OHA says free testing is not available to households outside the LUBGWMA. [4]
Testing programs and help
- OSU Extension's Well Water Program offers free nitrate screening of well water at many of its Groundwater Protection Education events. It also suggests contacting several certified labs about price and logistics before ordering tests. [5]
Buying or selling a home
- Under Oregon's Domestic Well Testing Act (ORS 448.271), the seller of real estate with a domestic well must have the well water tested for arsenic, nitrate and total coliform bacteria by an accredited lab. Within 90 days of receiving the results, the seller or their representative must send the results to the buyer, and a Real Estate Transaction (RET) form plus the results to OHA. Properties with spring wells or irrigation-only wells are exempt. [6]
- Oregon's rules (OAR 333-061-0325) say the seller must test upon accepting an offer to purchase. The tests cannot be waived even if the buyer agrees to skip them, and results tied to the sale are valid for one year. Failing to test does not invalidate the sale documents. Capped domestic wells on unimproved lots do not need testing, and OHA may require extra tests in a designated area of public health concern. [7]
- Rentals: a 2025 law, HB 3525 (ORS 90.321), addresses landlord testing of domestic wells in groundwater management areas. OHA is drafting rules that would require landlords there to test well water on a set schedule, share results with tenants, and have the lab send results to OHA. As of 2 Nov 2026 no proposed rules were out for public comment. [8]
- OHA's advisory committee minutes (Aug 20, 2026) plan a public comment period on those rules from mid-November 2026 and a January 1, 2027 implementation date. [9]
State lab and rules
- OHA's Oregon Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (ORELAP) accredits labs for drinking water testing under the Safe Drinking Water Act. OHA publishes accredited lab lists and an interactive map, and says to contact labs directly to confirm the tests they offer. [10]
Show the numbers
| Item | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | 0 counties | |
| Zone 2 | 21 counties | |
| Zone 3 | 15 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
- Oregon Health Authority, Domestic Well Safety Program, Routine Domestic Well Testing
- Oregon State University Well Water Program, Testing for Drinking Water Safety
- Oregon Health Authority, Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area: Make sure your well water is safe
- Oregon Health Authority, LUBGWMA Frequently Asked Questions
- Oregon State University Well Water Program, Water Testing Guidance for Private Wells
- Oregon Health Authority, Domestic Well Safety Program, Submit a Domestic Well Testing Act and Real Estate Transaction (RET) Form
- Oregon Health Authority, Oregon Administrative Rules 333-061-0305 to 333-061-0335, Domestic Wells (rule pages marked effective Jan 1 and Feb 1, 2026)
- Oregon Health Authority, Domestic Well Safety Program, Rules and Statutes
- Oregon Health Authority, HB 3525 Rulemaking Advisory Committee minutes (Aug 20, 2026)
- Oregon Health Authority, Drinking Water Services, Laboratory Lists and Reporting Information
- U.S. EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county list (EPA 402/A-16/001, spreadsheet Sep 2025)
Loan test (FHA, VA, USDA) in Oregon
- 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 Oregon 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 Oregon 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.
Clackamas County74,835 on wellsLane County62,948 on wellsJackson County51,001 on wellsWashington County50,433 on wellsJosephine County45,634 on wellsPolk County34,536 on wellsMultnomah County30,692 on wellsLinn County29,289 on wellsDeschutes County28,270 on wellsDouglas County25,440 on wellsBenton County24,598 on wellsYamhill County19,681 on wellsUmatilla County18,987 on wellsMarion County16,998 on wellsKlamath County16,992 on wellsColumbia County13,816 on wellsCoos County12,000 on wellsMalheur County10,240 on wellsCrook County9,438 on wellsUnion County6,102 on wellsCurry County5,940 on wellsLincoln County5,456 on wellsWasco County4,960 on wellsLake County4,424 on wellsBaker County4,333 on wellsJefferson County4,272 on wellsTillamook County3,773 on wellsMorrow County3,711 on wellsHood River County3,417 on wellsHarney County2,555 on wellsGrant County2,516 on wellsWallowa County2,416 on wells