Find a licensed well driller near you

What a new well costs

Depth and rock set most of the price. A quote can cover drilling only, priced by the foot, or a complete working well with casing, pump, tank, wiring, permit, and a water test. Compare the same kind of quote from each driller.

One more reference point comes from farm programs. WellDrillingCost.com cites the USDA NRCS Kansas EQIP payment schedule for fiscal year 2026 (dated March 2, 2026): $72.34 per foot plus $4,906.55 per well for a typical 6 inch agricultural well. That payment is capped at 75 percent of NRCS's estimated cost and leaves out the pump and pipeline, so it is a floor for one farm well type, not a home quote. For a full calculation by depth and region, use our well drilling cost estimator and the water well drilling cost guide.

How deep wells go near you

Depth is the biggest cost driver, and the best predictor of depth is the wells already drilled nearby. Most states keep drilling logs that record each well's depth, water level, and the rock it went through. Our typical well depths page gives rough ranges by well type, and each state name in the licensing table below opens that state's well records page. Bring two or three nearby logs to a driller and ask why the estimate is deeper or shallower than they are.

What to ask a well driller

1. What is your state license number? Check it with the agency in the table below before you sign.
2. How deep do you expect to go, and why? A good answer names nearby well logs, not a round number.
3. Is the price per foot, or all in? The Well Guide says the gap between a drilling-only quote and a turnkey quote for the same well can be $5,000 to $10,000.
4. What casing, and how deep? Ask for the casing material, its diameter, and how far it goes into rock or below the water.
5. Who pulls the permit? And who files the drilling log with the state when the well is done.
6. What is the dry hole policy? Get in writing what you pay if the hole finds little or no water, and the depth where the driller stops to talk before going deeper.
7. Are the pump, tank, and trenching included? Ask which of them are in the quote, and who runs the line and power to the house.
8. Will you test the water when the well is done? Ask what the test covers, and whether the well is disinfected first.

Red flags in a well drilling quote

• A firm depth promised before anyone looks at nearby wells.
• A per-foot price with no total, and no line for casing, pump, or tank.
• No written dry hole policy.
• No license number, or one the state lookup cannot find.
• A request to start drilling before a permit, in a state that needs one.

How long a new well takes

The Well Guide says drilling itself typically takes 1 to 3 days, depending on depth and geology, and a full project runs 1 to 2 weeks from start to finish under normal circumstances. Before that come the quote, the permit, and a place on the driller's schedule. After it come the pump, tank, trench, and a water test before anyone drinks from the well.

Permits and the drilling log

The Well Guide lists a well permit at $100 to $500 and says one is mandatory in most states. Some states issue it through the same agency that licenses drillers, and some through a county health department. Every row in the table below links the state's rules page. Rules for drilling a well yourself vary too: Minnesota Department of Health lets an individual build a personal well for a home or farm on land they own or lease, under state rules, and Texas Occupations Code 1901 exempts a person drilling on their own property for their own use from the driller license.

Already have a well?

A well that has stopped producing does not always need replacing. The problem may be the pump, a pressure tank, or a clogged well. Start with our well pump repair near me guide or the well running dry guide. For every other well job, see well service near me.