Water Systems CouncilState Well Codes
The State Well Codes database stores state standards for the construction of private water wells.
Included in the database is state-specific information on various codes related to well construction and siting. To find information on your state or other states, use the searchable database below.
Please note that this database is intended as a guide and occasionally standards change. WSC updates the database periodically, but we encourage you to obtain a full list of state well codes from your state environmental agency or contact the wellcare® Hotline for assistance.
If you have questions about the database, corrections or updates, please contact Charlene Bean.
Please click on the State Name in the list below for well code information. If you would like to alphabetize the table, click on the column name in blue.
| State | Category | Subcategory | Standard Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | Abandonment | Upper Terminus - General |
For flood-prone wells, the top of the well head or pitless well unit shall be no less than 24 inches above ground surface, or the highest known flood level, whichever is greater. If requirements not met, must be brought into compliance unless otherwise approved by the Department or well was permitted prior to effective date of Regulations. |
| Delaware | Testing | Testing - General |
Bacteriological sampling and testing after the repair or maintenance of potable wells is required. Disinfection shall be repeated until bacteriological results meet applicable standards. |
| Delaware | Seals | Seals - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Delaware | Screens | Screens - General |
Wells finished in unconsolidated aquifers require screens, wells in consolidated aquifers do not require screens. Bottom of screen shall be closed. Only commercially manufactured screens constructed of materials resistant to damage by chemical action of groundwater or cleaning agents shall be used unless otherwise approved by the Department. Lead packers and swedges are prohibited. |
| Delaware | Pumps | Pumps - General |
No standard specified. |
| Delaware | Pump Pits | Pump Pits - General |
Pump Pits, a hole or depression in the ground in which the well and external pumping equipment is contained and which is not protected from freezing, are prohibited. |
| Delaware | Plumbness & Alignment | Plumbness & Alignment - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Delaware | Plumbing Connection | Plumbing Connection - General |
Water service piping from the well to the structure (s) shall be installed in accordance with the requirement of the \"State of Delaware Regulations Governing a Detailed Plumbing Code\", administered by the Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Public Health. |
| Delaware | Abandonment | Pitless Adapters, Units, & Tees - General |
Pitless Units or adapters to be approved by NSF, Water Systems Council, or the Department. Shall be installed on all potable wells having a submersible pump or deep well ejector jet pump. A standard plumbing tee connector and extension pipe with cap may be used in place of a pitless well adapter or pitless well unit on suction lift systems if extension meets requirements of subsection 5.11. Connections must be watertight. Shall be installed in conformance with depth of water service piping requirements pursuant to subsection 3.21. |
| Delaware | Permitting | Permitting - General |
Not required for repair or rehabilitation. Permit required prior to construction. Required if there are any changes in physical dimensions of the well. |
| Delaware | Packers | Packers - General |
Lead packers and lead swedges are prohibited. |
| Delaware | Meters | Meters - General |
All wells with a design capacity greater than fifty thousand gallons per day shall be permanently equipped with a meter. |
| Delaware | Abandonment | Maintenance & Repair - General |
All Materials shall meet the requirements for new construction. Repair of any well having a wellhead terminating below ground surface shall include modification of the upper terminus to comply with regulations, unless the below ground terminus was previously approved by the Department. A well construction permit is not required for the repair of a well providing no physical dimensions are changed. |
| Delaware | Location | Underground Sewage Force Main |
Wells shall be located at least 50 ft. from any gravity sewer line, but no less than 10 ft. if the well is constructed in a confined aquifer or can be cased and grouted at least 100 feet below land surface. |
| Delaware | Location | Septic Tank |
Wells shall be located at least 50 ft. from septic tank. |
| Delaware | Location | Property Line |
At least 10 ft. from a property line. If approved by the Department, can be less than 10 ft. to maximize other required separation distances. |
| Delaware | Location | Location - General |
All wells shall be sited to achieve maximum separation distance along the entire well, but no less than the required distances. If required separation distance cannot be met, shall be maximized but no less than 50 ft. if well is screened in a confined aquifer and pressure grouted from either the top of the gravel pack to the ground surface, or from the bottom of the casing to the ground surface. If no confined aquifer within 150 ft. of ground surface, must be cased and grouted to minimum 100 ft below ground surface unless otherwise requested by the Department. All wells shall be located so as to be accessible for cleaning, treatment, repair, testing, inspection, and any other work. Shall be protected from surface water runoff and flooding pursuant to subsection 5.11. |
| Florida | Development | Development - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Florida | Construction | Construction - General |
Must prevent interchange of water between water bearing zones. Only water from a potable water source shall be used in the construction, repair or abandonment of a water well, including water for cleaning of well materials, drilling equipment, and water used to mix drilling fluids. |
| Florida | Casing | PVC Pipe |
Must meet Schedule 40 or Standard Dimension Ratio, SDR 21. |
| Florida | Casing | Joints |
May be threaded couplings or be welded electrically. PVC to be joined by solvent bonded couplings, threaded couplings, or by heat welding. |
| Florida | Casing | Drive Shoe |
Required for casing or pipe installed by driving. |
| Florida | Casing | Casing - General |
If seated in unconsolidated material shall extend from the upper terminus of the well to the well screen, if seated in consolidated or rock layer shall be continuous and extend from upper terminus of well to no less than top of the uppermost consolidated unit. All caving zones below the uppermost consolidated unit shall be cased. Welded or seamless black or galvanized steel pipe or casing, or stainless steel pipe or casing, or approved types of nonmetallic pipe shall be used for well casing or liner pipe. All well casing shall conform to one of the following standards: ASTM A53/A53M-99b (1999), A135-01 (2001), A252-98 (1998), A589-96 (1996), or API 5L-2000 (2000). Shall also conform to the 2000 ANSI/ASME B36.10M-2000, NSF/ANSI 14-2008e or NSF/ANSI 61-2008. The Department can approve a well casing or liner pipe not otherwise specified. Shall extend from the upper terminus of the well to the well screen. |
| Florida | Caps | Caps - General |
To be steel or reinforced concrete cover or valve. To be tamper proof. |
| Florida | Blasting | Blasting - General |
The use of dynamite or other high-grade explosives in the construction or repair of water wells is prohibited. |
| Florida | Bases | Bases - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Florida | Access Ports & Tubes | Access Ports & Tubes - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Florida | Abandonment | Abandonment - General |
Plug by filling well from bottom to top with neat cement grout or bentonite and capped with a minimum of one foot of neat cement grout. |
| Delaware | Well Pits or Vaults | Well Pits Or Vaults - General |
Well pits, pump pits and buried well seals are prohibited. Upon approval by the Department, potable wells may be terminated below finished ground surface if above grade completion is not feasible. The engineered design of the enclosure must be included with the application or submitted prior to modification of an existing well. |
| Florida | Packers | Packers - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Florida | Meters | Meters - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Florida | Maintenance & Repair | Maintenance & Repair - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Florida | Location | Location - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Florida | Licensing | Licensing - General |
Must be at least 18 years old and have had 2 years experience to apply. Must pass water well contractor examination. |
| Florida | Identification | Identification - General |
Under the program, water wells are assigned a unique alphanumeric code called the FLUWID ID (example: AAA0000). The alphanumeric code is printed on a weather resistant adhesive tag/label and attached to a wellhead or pump house to identify a well. |
| Florida | Grout | Grout - General |
If not able to install grout in one continuous operation, tremie pipe to be installed. One in. to be used when O.D. is < 4 in. To be neat cement. Two in. of neat cement grout needed when casing O.D. is 4 in. or greater and bore hole is > than the O.D. Grouting and sealing of water wells shall be accomplished by the practices and methods recommended by Appendix C of American Water Works Association (AWWA) Standard A100-97 (1997), AWWA Standard for Water Wells. |
| Florida | Gravel/Sand-Packed Wells | Gravel/Sand-Packed Wells - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Florida | Fracturing | Fracturing - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Florida | Electrical Connection | Electrical Connection - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Florida | Disinfection | Disinfection - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Georgia | Access Ports & Tubes | Access Ports & Tubes - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Georgia | Abandonment | Abandonment - General |
Must be filled, sealed, & plugged within 30 days of excavation or disuse. To be filled, sealed, & plugged by present owner of well or borehole. Wells considered to be permanently abandoned when it has not been used for > 3 years. Wells considered to be temporarily abandoned when it has not been used for >1 year and < 3 years. |
| Florida | Well Pits or Vaults | Well Pits Or Vaults - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Florida | Well Head Completion | Well Head Completion - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Florida | Vents | Vents - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Florida | Abandonment | Upper Terminus - General |
Shall project at least 12 inches above finished grade. May be placed in an appropriate enclosure terminating at finished grade where traffic, physical, or public health hazards exist, enclosure must allow access for maintenance and inspection and provide for gravity drainage. Must be watertight. |
| Florida | Testing | Testing - General |
Test for suspected contamination in areas of known contamination, as a prerequisite for clearance of a water well for drinking purposes by the Department of Health. |
| Florida | Seals | Seals - General |
All well casings seated into a consolidated formation shall be seated or sealed with neat cement grout. Wells with driven casing into natural earth or a bore hole equal to or smaller in diameter than the outside diameter of the casing shall be sealed by adding dry bentonite to the casing string at land surface and allowing that material to be carried down the outside of the casing as the casing is driven to completion. Dry bentonite shall be applied to maintain a grout seal around the casing. grouting and sealing of water wells shall be accomplished by the practices and methods recommended by Appendix C of American Water Works Association (AWWA) Standard A100-97 (1997), AWWA Standard for Water Wells. |
| Florida | Screens | Screens - General |
Attach to casing with watertight seal. |
| Florida | Pumps | Pumps - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Florida | Pump Pits | Pump Pits - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Florida | Pressure Relief Valve | Pressure Relief Valve - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Florida | Plumbness & Alignment | Plumbness & Alignment - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Florida | Plumbing Connection | Plumbing Connection - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Florida | Pitless Units | Pitless Units - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Florida | Pitless Adapters | Pitless Adapters - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Florida | Permitting | Permitting - General |
Required for Water Well Construction, Repair, or Abandonment. Each permit shall be valid for a period of one year. |
| Georgia | Gravel/Sand-Packed Wells | Gravel/Sand-Packed Wells - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Georgia | Gravel | Gravel - General |
Be clean, disinfected, and free of organic matter. Consist of siliceous, well-rounded, smooth, uniform grain particles. |
| Georgia | Fracturing | Fracturing - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Georgia | Electrical Connection | Electrical Connection - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Georgia | Disinfection | Disinfection - General |
Disinfect following construction, or repair before placing in service. Minimum contact time of 2 hours before pumping of well. Well & equipment to be disinfected with chlorine so that 50 ppm of chlorine is obtained. |
| Georgia | Development | Development - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Georgia | Cross Connection | Cross Connection - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Georgia | Construction | Construction - General |
All wells to be curbed at surface by owner with watertight curbing of concrete. Curbing must be at least 4 in. thick and extend at least 2 ft. in all directions from casing. All drill cuttings and other materials shall be removed from the entire depth of the well. |
| Georgia | Casing | Joints |
To be watertight entire casing length in drilled wells. To be watertight to the point of maximum drawdown in bored or driven wells. |
| Georgia | Casing | Casing - General |
Shall be steel, plastic, or concrete and meet nationally accepted standards for well casing. Shall not use sewer pipe. To be new. |
| Georgia | Caps | Caps - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Georgia | Bases | Bases - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Georgia | Annular Space | Annular Space - General |
To be grouted to prevent entrance of pollutants. For large diameter water wells cased with concrete pipe or other acceptable casing material, if the casing joints are not sealed, the annular space shall be grouted as specified above, and the annular space below the grout shall be filled with sand or gravel. |
| Georgia | Maintenance & Repair | Maintenance & Repair - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Georgia | Location | Sewer Line |
10 ft. |
| Georgia | Location | Septic Tank Absorption Field |
100 ft. |
| Georgia | Location | Septic Tank |
50 ft. |
| Georgia | Location | Seepage Pit |
150 ft. |
| Georgia | Location | Location - General |
Locate as far removed from potential contaminants and in opposite direction of ground-water flow. Wells must not be subject to flooding unless the well casing extends at least two feet above the level of the highest known flood of record. Shall be located so it will be accessible for cleaning, treatment, repair, testing, inspection, and such other maintenance as may be necessary. |
| Georgia | Location | Cess Pool |
150 ft. |
| Georgia | Location | Barnyard |
100 ft. |
| Georgia | Licensing | Licensing - General |
May apply for a trainee license in order to complete 2 years of experience under supervision. May have to complete no more than 4 continuing education hours annually. Must be a licensed water well contractor to construct wells. Pump installers must have certificate as a pump contractor. Must have 2 years of experience & pass an examination administered by the council. |
| Georgia | Identification | Identification - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Georgia | Housing | Housing - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Georgia | Grout | Grout - General |
To be neat or sand-cement grout or other impervious material to minimum of 10 ft below ground surface. |
| Georgia | Well Head Completion | Well Head Completion - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Georgia | Vents | Vents - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Georgia | Testing | Testing - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Georgia | Seals | Seals - General |
Individual wells- 10 ft. Minimum depths below ground surface: Nonpublic wells- 25 ft. in igneous or metamorphic rock. Nonpublic wells- 50 ft. in sedimentary rock. |
| Georgia | Screens | Screens - General |
Shall be of a standard design and manufactured specifically for the purpose of the well construction, shall be of a strength to satisfactorily withstand chemical and physical forces, shall be designed to permit optimum development of the aquifer with minimum head loss consistent with the intended use of the well, shall have openings designed to prevent clogging or jamming, and multi-screened wells shall not connect aquifers or zones which have differences in water quality that would result in deterioration of the water quality in any aquifer or zone. |
| Georgia | Pumps | Pumps - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Georgia | Pump Pits | Pump Pits - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Georgia | Plumbness & Alignment | Plumbness & Alignment - General |
Installation & operation of pump not to be impaired. |
| Georgia | Plumbing Connection | Plumbing Connection - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Georgia | Pitless Units | Pitless Units - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Georgia | Pitless Adapters | Pitless Adapters - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Georgia | Permitting | Permitting - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Georgia | Packers | Packers - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Georgia | Meters | Meters - General |
No Standard Specified. |
| Hawaii | Casing | Thermoplastic |
To meet requirements of ASTM F480. HWCPIS 2.4(e)(3) |
| Hawaii | Casing | Stainless Steel |
To meet provisions of ASTM A409. HWCPIS 2.4 (e) (2) |
| Hawaii | Casing | Reinforced Plastic Mortar Pressure Pipe |
Follow ASTM D3517. HWCPIS 2.4(e)(3) |
| Hawaii | Casing | PVC Pipe |
Various ASTM D1785. HWCPIS 2.4(e)(3) |
