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Well Drilling Cost: Depth, Equipment, Permits and Testing

Published By Utility Cost Guide editor

How much does it cost to drill a well? Our national estimate for a complete private well system is $5,000 to $25,000, with $10,000 typical; drilling and casing alone are estimated at $15 to $70 per foot, with $35 typical. The U.S. Geological Survey’s 2021 study found a 142-foot median depth for domestic-supply wells, but a local well may be much deeper or shallower.

What a well drilling quote needs to cover

A per-foot drilling number is not a finished-water price. Request an itemized quote showing the planned diameter and depth, casing, sealing and grouting, well development and pump testing, pump and controls, pressure tank, disinfection, water sampling, and any electrical or trenching work. The Montana DNRC’s 2007 well-owner guide identifies the core drilling and completion line items. Ask the driller how extra depth, difficult geology, or a change in well yield changes the quote, and who pays if a first bore does not produce enough water.

Each row has a different scope. The system estimate already includes drilling, casing, pump and pressure tank; do not add those component rows to it.

Cost item Published figure What is included Source and date
Private well drilling + casing (per foot) $15 low / $35 typical / $70 high National estimate for drilling and casing, not a complete working system Site benchmarks, as of September 24, 2026
Complete private well system $5,000 low / $10,000 typical / $25,000 high Drilling, casing, pump and pressure tank; national estimate Site benchmarks, as of September 24, 2026
Household pump Submersible $3,000–$3,200; jet about $1,545–$1,570 Market estimate from an industry survey; check the installation scope before comparing with a quote NGWA Well Owners Guide, 2021; confirm with a local driller
Pressure tank Get a separate local quote Included in the complete-system estimate; no independently verified tank price in this source pack Site benchmark scope, September 2026
Well permit Nevada notice of intent: $25; Wake County, NC new-well permit: $800 Different jurisdictions and permit scopes, not a national price range Nevada fee page; Wake County fee page, checked October 2026
Well water test Wake County coliform $25; First Timer’s Package $175, plus $50 if the county collects the sample County laboratory and sampling fees; test selection changes the bill Wake County test fees, checked October 2026

The complete-system estimate is based on the site’s consumer and agency-reprint benchmark sources, not a government price for a finished household well. Its broad range is a planning figure; local contractors must price the site. The pump numbers are a separate industry survey (NGWA, 2021), not an amount to add automatically to the system estimate.

How deep is a well, and how does depth change the cost?

The USGS national analysis, published in 2021, reports a 142-foot median for domestic-supply wells. A median means half the wells in that dataset were deeper and half shallower; it does not predict the depth on a particular parcel. USGS also found substantial variation by geology. A New Hampshire DES fact sheet, 2020, gives a 400-foot median for bedrock wells, while a Vermont Geological Survey summary, January 2007, reports a 303-foot median for wells recorded in 2001–2005. Those state figures come from older, different populations; confirm with the agency before treating either as a current local depth.

Worked arithmetic, not a quote: At 150 feet, close to the USGS national median, the site’s typical drilling-and-casing estimate gives 150 feet × $35 per foot = $5,250. It does not include the pump, tank or other work needed to turn the bore into a complete system. A neighbor’s well log and a local driller’s experience are more useful for planning the likely depth than multiplying the national median alone. The EPA’s private-well guide, updated September 2026, distinguishes drilled wells from shallow dug and driven wells, so check that a comparison quote is for the same well type.

Well drilling cost per foot: three different measures

The USDA figures below are USDA NRCS cost-share payment rates for livestock or irrigation wells (FY2026). They consist of a base amount per well plus a per-foot implementation amount. The Iowa FY2026 scenario booklet, April 28, 2026, requires the base and implementation scenarios to be scheduled together. It restricts well assistance to livestock watering in a grazing system or irrigation with the required plan, and says pumping plants and pipelines are separate practices. These rates are neither household driller quotes nor prices for complete private-water systems.

Named sources and their scopes are shown side by side; amounts are not combined into one range.

Measure 4-inch well 6-inch well Source and scope
Kansas NRCS payment schedule $4,635.81 base + $56.55/ft $4,906.55 base + $72.34/ft Kansas FY2026 EQIP; livestock/irrigation cost-share benchmark
Iowa NRCS payment schedule $4,578.33 base + $55.83/ft $4,817.90 base + $71.75/ft Iowa FY2026 EQIP, April 28, 2026; livestock/irrigation cost-share benchmark
NGWA drilling-only average About $24/ft About $30/ft Industry survey (NGWA, 2021); excludes casing, pump and tank; confirm with a local driller
Site drilling + casing estimate $15 low / $35 typical / $70 high per foot; no diameter-specific figure National site benchmark, September 2026; includes casing

NRCS rates run above the NGWA drilling-only averages partly because their scopes and purposes differ, and the NRCS amount also has a base component. The site’s drilling-and-casing estimate has its own source basis and should retain its $35 typical value. Get a local quote that states whether casing is included in its per-foot price and whether the pump and tank are separate.

Permits and well water testing

Permit categories matter as much as the posted fee. Nevada’s fee page, checked October 2026, lists $25 for a notice of intent to drill. Wake County, North Carolina, checked October 2026, lists $800 for a new-well permit. Wake says that charge includes a preconstruction contamination-source review, inspections, sampling and laboratory analysis. It therefore cannot be compared as if it bought exactly the same service as Nevada’s notice. See the well permit cost by state guide for more local examples, then ask the permitting authority which application, inspection and sampling charges apply to the parcel.

A private-well owner is responsible for arranging tests. The EPA guidance, updated February 26, 2026, recommends annual testing for total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH. Wake County’s published laboratory menu, checked October 2026, lists a $25 coliform test, a $50 full inorganic panel, and a $175 First Timer’s Package covering coliform, inorganic, volatile organic compounds and pesticides; county collection adds a $50 trip fee. Ask a local health department which panel is appropriate before ordering. The site’s national annual inspection-and-test estimate is $100 low, $350 typical and $1,000 high; it is an ongoing budget item, not part of the drilling invoice.

Are loans or grants available for a well?

USDA Rural Development’s Section 504 Home Repair page describes loans up to $40,000 at 1% fixed for 20 years, and grants up to $10,000 lifetime for qualifying very-low-income homeowners age 62 or older to remove health and safety hazards. Loan and grant assistance can total up to $50,000. The page describes repairs and hazards; it does not promise funding for a new well. These terms were read from an October 2, 2026 archive snapshot: confirm with the agency whether the current program, your repair and your household qualify.

USDA’s Rural Decentralized Water Systems Grant Program page describes household water-well loans of up to $15,000 at 1% fixed over 20 years in rural places with populations up to 50,000. The grant goes to a nonprofit, which then lends to homeowners; a homeowner does not apply for the grant directly. The archive copy showed a closed application window dated October 1 to December 1, 2025. Confirm with the agency and a participating nonprofit that funding and household loans are currently available before counting on one.

Well or city water?

Compare the whole well system and future testing with the local water utility’s connection fees, the private service line and the ongoing bill. A city main close to the lot can change the calculation, while a remote main may require costly extension. Local rules may also affect whether a new well can be drilled where public water is available. Use the well versus city water comparison for the decision, the utilities-to-land guide for an undeveloped parcel, and the switching guide if a house already has a well. Keep the wastewater choice separate: septic versus sewer has its own permits, installation and operating costs. The calculators directory can help organize the broader utility budget.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to drill a well per foot?

The site’s national drilling-and-casing estimate is $15 to $70 per foot, with $35 typical. An industry survey (NGWA, 2021) instead reported drilling-only averages of about $24 per foot for a 4-inch well and $30 for a 6-inch well; confirm with the agency, since the guide was accessed through an archive copy. Those figures cover different work, so request an itemized local quote.

How deep is a well for a house?

The USGS’s 2021 national study found a 142-foot median for domestic-supply wells. New Hampshire’s bedrock-well median was 400 feet in a 2020 fact sheet, and Vermont reported 303 feet for wells recorded in 2001–2005. Confirm with the agency before using either older local figure. A driller should review nearby well logs and geology for your parcel.

How long does a well last?

There is no supported lifespan figure in the sources used for this article. Ask a local well professional to inspect the existing well’s construction, yield and water quality rather than using a generic lifespan to budget a replacement. Pump and tank condition need to be assessed separately from the bore.

What does a well pump cost?

The industry survey (NGWA, 2021) gives a market estimate of $3,000 to $3,200 for a household submersible pump and about $1,545 to $1,570 for a jet pump; confirm with the agency because the source was accessed through an archive copy. Ask whether the quoted amount includes installation, controls and electrical work. If the pump is already part of a complete-system quote, do not add it twice.

What does a well and septic system cost together?

The well’s complete-system national estimate is $5,000 to $25,000, with $10,000 typical. This article’s source pack does not establish a septic-system price, so get a separate design and installation quote for the lot and use the septic versus sewer guide to compare wastewater choices. Permit and site conditions affect each project separately.

How much does well water testing cost?

Wake County lists $25 for coliform testing, $50 for a full inorganic panel and $175 for its First Timer’s Package, plus $50 if the county collects the sample. Those are Wake County lab fees, not national prices. EPA recommends annual testing for coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH.

Are there grants to drill a private well?

USDA Section 504 lists grants up to $10,000 lifetime for qualifying older, very-low-income homeowners removing health and safety hazards, but its page does not specifically promise a new well. A separate USDA program funds nonprofits that can make household well loans up to $15,000; homeowners borrow from the nonprofit. Both program pages were read from archive copies, and the latter showed a closed application window, so confirm with the agency before applying.

Sources and dates