Texas water well permits and groundwater conservation districts
Who regulates a private well in Texas, what a groundwater conservation district can require, what the domestic and livestock exemption means and what the driller must file.
Texas has no single statewide permit for a private water well. Instead, three layers of rules apply: the state licenses the driller, the state collects a report on every well, and local groundwater conservation districts (GCDs) decide whether your well needs a district permit or registration. Getting this right before drilling avoids the most common surprise landowners get: a well that was drilled correctly but was never registered with the district.
Layer one: the driller must be licensed
The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) runs the Water Well Drillers and Pump Installers program. Its consumer page states that a license is required to drill a water-related well in Texas and to install a pump for a water-related well. You can look up a driller on the TDLR license search, see disciplinary actions and file a complaint from the program page at tdlr.texas.gov/wwd. Every driller listed on this site held an unexpired license on the date we checked.
Layer two: the state well report
After drilling, the driller must file a State of Texas Well Report. The rule (16 Texas Administrative Code section 76.70) gives the driller 60 days after the completion, or cessation, of drilling, deepening or otherwise altering the well to deliver the log to TDLR through the Texas Well Report Submission and Retrieval System, to the owner, and to the groundwater conservation district where the well is located, if any. Ask for your copy. It records depth, casing, screen and the water levels found, and it is useful for the life of the well and for a later sale of the property. The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) republishes these reports in its Submitted Drillers Report database, which is what this directory uses to show how many wells each driller reported.
Layer three: the groundwater conservation district
Chapter 36 of the Texas Water Code lets the state's groundwater conservation districts regulate wells within their boundaries: spacing between wells, production limits and permits are common tools. Not every county has a district, and some districts cover part of a county or several counties. The TWDB publishes a map and list of districts at twdb.texas.gov; the simplest step is to search your county with the word "groundwater district" and call the office. If your land is in no district, there is generally no local permit.
The domestic and livestock exemption
Water Code section 36.117 requires a district to exempt from its permit requirement a well used solely for domestic use or for providing water for livestock or poultry if the well is on a tract of land larger than 10 acres and is drilled, completed or equipped so that it cannot produce more than 25,000 gallons of groundwater a day. Read carefully what it says and does not say:
- It exempts the well from the permit. Many districts still require you to register the well and to follow their rules on spacing and construction.
- The exemption depends on the well being used solely for domestic or livestock purposes. Irrigation, commercial and public supply wells are not covered by it.
- The section has additional conditions and exceptions. Districts also have their own rules, which vary. Ask the district office for its written rules and forms.
Questions to ask before you hire
- Does the driller's TDLR license show as current, and does the driller know the district that covers my land?
- Who submits the district application or registration, and is the fee included in the quote?
- Will the well be permitted or exempt, and what does the district require to keep it that way?
- How deep have neighbouring wells been drilled, and which aquifer are we targeting?
- Will I receive the copy of the state well report?
If something goes wrong
TDLR accepts complaints against licensed drillers and its enforcement pages list sanctions for violations such as failing to file a well report on time. For a district rule problem, contact the district; for questions about state groundwater planning, the TWDB and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) publish landowner guides.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change and district rules differ. Confirm with the district and TDLR before you drill.