About this list
- Agency
- South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (SCDES) - Bureau of Regional Laboratory Services, Office of Environmental Laboratory Certification
- Format
- SCDES's CELMAPP map service (ArcGIS): certified commercial laboratories with SC permit number, address and phone, and each lab's certified Safe Drinking Water parameters and methods; no list date (data refresh date shown) or expiry dates
- Homeowner flag
- Not stated per lab. SCDES's well-testing page tells well owners: "For Volatile Organic Chemicals, Herbicides, Pesticides, Other Synthetic Organic Parameters, please contact a Commercial Laboratory." It names no lab, and CELMAPP does not say which labs take samples from homeowners.
Certified as ofno date printed; CELMAPP data last refreshed 2026-10-10 (LastRefreshDate of SCDES's details table)
SCDES Commercial Environmental Laboratory Mapping (CELMAPP) - certified commercial laboratories, Safe Drinking Water. Fetched 2026-11-03 (UTC).
Official sourceTesting your well in South Carolina
How often to test
- Clemson Extension says comprehensive testing should be done after a well is installed and whenever recent results are not available. That covers arsenic, chloride, copper, fluoride, hardness, iron, lead, manganese, nitrate, pH, radium, sodium, sulfate, total coliform bacteria, total dissolved solids (TDS) and uranium. It recommends annual testing for priority parameters, including bacteria, nitrates, TDS and pH, and a monthly visual check for changes in turbidity, color, odor or taste. [1]
- Clemson Extension suggests a minerals and metals analysis if you notice unusual taste, odor, or staining of laundry or plumbing fixtures, or if you are thinking about installing a water treatment system. [2]
Free testing
- SCDES says well owners over age 65, or on public assistance (such as food stamps, WIC or Medicaid), can get one coliform bacteria test and one metals and minerals analysis from its lab each year, free of charge. You need to provide a copy of a driver's license or proof of assistance. [3]
Testing programs and help
- SCDES has an application for private well owners who want their well assessed for PFAS. SCDES staff or contractors sample, test and give remediation recommendations. Where PFAS are found, owners may be eligible for a filtration system or for funding to connect to public water. [3]
- Clemson Extension's Be Well Informed program has a free, self-paced online course for well owners with modules on South Carolina water resources, well maintenance and water quality, plus a three-part fact sheet series on well components, water quality and treatment options. [4]
- For help understanding your results, SCDES points well owners to the Be Well Informed webpage, which gives feedback on health concerns and treatment choices. [3]
Buying or selling a home
- SCDES recommends that its well water tests not be used for real estate transactions. It also says it does not regulate the water quality of private wells. [3]
State lab and rules
- The SCDES lab tests water from residential wells. Pick up a sample kit at your local SCDES Regional Office or Health Department: one kit is for a coliform bacteria test and one for a metals and minerals analysis. SCDES accepts samples on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Do not pay when you drop off the sample; the invoice comes with your results. [3]
- The coliform test checks for total coliform and, if found, E. coli; results come by mail in two to three weeks. The metals and minerals analysis covers alkalinity, calcium, chloride, copper, hardness, iron, lead, magnesium, manganese, nitrate/nitrite, pH and zinc, with results in eight to twelve weeks. Fluoride, sodium, total dissolved solids and other inorganic tests can be added. For VOCs, herbicides, pesticides and other organic chemicals, SCDES refers you to a commercial lab. [3]
- SCDES said its lab would not accept metals and minerals samples from June 1 to October 31, 2026, with a tentative restart date of November 1, 2026. Check before you collect a sample. [3]
- SCDES fees are not charged when samples are part of an SCDES groundwater contamination investigation, and they may be waived or reduced based on ability to pay. Owners who have applied for a private well permit may have their first coliform bacteria test at no extra charge. [3]
- SCDES's Office of Environmental Laboratory Certification certifies labs under South Carolina Regulation 61-81, for analyses whose results are required by or officially submitted to SCDES. [5]
- SCDES's CELMapp search lists the commercial labs it certifies. Filter by Drinking Water and then Microbiology (bacteria) or Trace Metals (for example, lead) to see labs that may be able to test your sample. The listings are general and do not specify the parameters, methods or analytes a lab is certified for, so confirm with the lab. [6]
What testing costs at the state lab
SCDES Well Water Quality Testing Services page; no effective date is printed (copy saved 3 Nov 2026). Clemson HGIC 3870 (revised Nov 5, 2025) gives the same $20 and $50 fees. The page says metals and minerals samples were not accepted from June 1 to October 31, 2026 (tentative restart November 1, 2026).
| Test | Price |
|---|---|
| Coliform bacteria test (total coliform, then E. coli if coliform is found) | $20 |
| Metals and minerals analysis (alkalinity, calcium, chloride, copper, hardness, iron, lead, magnesium, manganese, nitrate/nitrite, pH, zinc) | $50 |
| Each added inorganic test, such as fluoride, sodium or total dissolved solids | $25 |
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 | 1 counties | |
| Zone 2 | 8 counties | |
| Zone 3 | 37 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
- Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center, Residential Drinking Water Wells: Water Quality, HGIC 1902 (published Oct 31, 2023)
- Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center, Testing Drinking Water, HGIC 3870 (revised Nov 5, 2025)
- South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (SCDES), Well Water Quality Testing Services (no date printed)
- Clemson Cooperative Extension, Be Well Informed (posted February 22, 2024)
- South Carolina Department of Environmental Services, Environmental Laboratory Certification (no date printed)
- South Carolina Department of Environmental Services, Commercial Environmental Laboratory Mapping (CELMapp) (no date printed)
- U.S. EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county list (EPA 402/A-16/001, spreadsheet Sep 2025)
Loan test (FHA, VA, USDA) in South Carolina
- 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 South Carolina 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. 8 labs on this list are on our register so far; 1 say they take homeowner samples and 0 print a price.
Say they take homeowner samples: AQUATIC ANALYTICS LLC.
Prices exactly as each lab prints them, read 14 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 South Carolina 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.
Lexington County133,471 on wellsHorry County103,189 on wellsBerkeley County98,112 on wellsYork County87,759 on wellsRichland County62,448 on wellsCharleston County62,252 on wellsSpartanburg County53,384 on wellsFlorence County48,291 on wellsAnderson County41,662 on wellsAiken County37,745 on wellsGreenville County32,576 on wellsDorchester County27,785 on wellsLancaster County25,909 on wellsSumter County25,445 on wellsColleton County20,860 on wellsOrangeburg County20,531 on wellsClarendon County19,940 on wellsJasper County19,494 on wellsPickens County18,536 on wellsChester County18,036 on wellsWilliamsburg County17,924 on wellsGreenwood County17,316 on wellsOconee County16,651 on wellsLaurens County15,145 on wellsNewberry County13,613 on wellsSaluda County13,355 on wellsAbbeville County11,618 on wellsKershaw County11,493 on wellsChesterfield County9,167 on wellsDarlington County9,121 on wellsCalhoun County9,083 on wellsHampton County8,720 on wellsBarnwell County8,601 on wellsBeaufort County8,387 on wellsMarlboro County8,136 on wellsCherokee County7,750 on wellsBamberg County6,298 on wellsFairfield County6,101 on wellsDillon County5,900 on wellsMarion County4,733 on wellsLee County3,596 on wellsGeorgetown County3,206 on wellsEdgefield County2,968 on wellsUnion County2,485 on wellsAllendale County2,408 on wellsMcCormick County1,521 on wells