Maryland private well rules
Maryland's State Board of Well Drillers licenses everyone who drills, repairs or seals wells or installs well pumps and water conditioning equipment. It was created by Title 13 of the Environment Article.
Who licenses well work in Maryland
Local health departments and other local permitting agencies act as Approving Authorities. The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) delegates to them the job of enforcing the state well construction rules in COMAR 26.04.04.
The state well construction rules in COMAR 26.04.04 are the only procedures and standards for building wells in Maryland, so every county enforces the same code.
A new well may not be built until the Approving Authority has issued a permit to drill it. The permit is valid for 12 months and can be extended in 6 month steps on the driller's written request.
A well construction permit is not needed when an existing well is only reworked or repaired. Deepening a well is handled differently.
MDE says nearly 900,000 Marylanders get their drinking water from wells.
Sources: State Board of Well Drillers; County Approving Authorities enforce well rules; One statewide well construction code
Who may work on a well pump
Maryland law defines practicing well drilling to include installing, altering, repairing or disconnecting well system equipment for profit, so paid pump work falls under the Board's licensing law.
Well system equipment includes casing, grout, screens, water tanks, water pumps and water conditioning (treatment) equipment.
A person may not practise, try to practise or offer to practise well drilling in Maryland without a Board license. The definition covers this work when it is done for profit; the statute prints no separate homeowner exemption.
A Maryland master plumber may install or repair a water pump, a water tank or water conditioning equipment without a license from the Board of Well Drillers.
Pump installers, water conditioner installers, electricians and master plumbers who work on a well or drinking water system are each responsible for their part of the work meeting the law.
Selecting and installing pumping equipment must meet the state plumbing code (COMAR 09.20) or the local plumbing code, whichever is stricter.
Sources: Pump work counts as well drilling; License required to practise or offer well work; Master plumbers may do pumps, tanks and treatment; Each trade answers for its own phase
Does the state require well testing?
MDE tells well owners they are responsible for the safety of their own drinking water.
MDE advises sampling a private well at least once a year, and again whenever the water's odor, taste or look changes.
MDE recommends the yearly test cover total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH.
A new well that will supply drinking water needs a Certificate of Potability from the Approving Authority before it is put into service. It is issued after lab tests show the water is safe.
For a Certificate of Potability, a private well must test negative for coliform bacteria in two samples taken at least 24 hours apart, and also meet the nitrate and turbidity limits.
A contract to sell property with a private well must require the buyer to make sure the well water is tested. Settlement cannot happen until both sides have received and reviewed the results.
Sources: Owners are responsible for their water; Certificate of Potability before use; New well bacteria test; Testing is a condition of a home sale
Getting your water tested in Maryland
MDE's Laboratory Certification Program accredits every certified drinking water laboratory in Maryland.
MDE tells owners to contact the local health department or a certified private lab to have a well sampled.
The Maryland Department of Health laboratory's well water fee list shows bacteriology at $41.00 and nitrate at $18.00.
The Maryland Department of Health Water Microbiology Laboratory mails private well results to the local health department that submitted the sample.
The Approving Authority may accept results from a Maryland certified water lab in place of results from a state operated lab.
For a property sale, the state certified lab must send the water test results to MDE within 5 business days of finishing the test.
Sources: MDE certifies drinking water labs; Where owners get a well sampled; State lab well water fees; State lab reports go to the health department; Certified lab results can be accepted; Labs report sale tests to MDE
Disinfecting a well
Whoever installs the pumping equipment must disinfect the well, pump and water system when the installation is finished.
After the driller's first disinfection, any person who later works on the well is responsible for disinfecting the well and water system.
The standard procedure puts enough chlorine in the well for a concentration of at least 100 mg/l.
After chlorine is added and mixed, the well must stand without further agitation for at least 12 hours.
MDE recommends that a Maryland licensed well driller or a master plumber disinfect a well after flooding.
If bacteria persist after repeated disinfection, the Approving Authority may require the well to be abandoned and sealed.
Sources: Pump installer must disinfect; Flooded wells: use a pro
Plugging an unused well
An abandoned well may be sealed only by a well driller licensed by the Maryland State Board of Well Drillers, or under the supervision of the Approving Authority.
MDE says only a licensed well driller may build a new well, modify one or properly abandon an existing well.
A well is abandoned when it is too run down to use, is permanently disconnected from any water or irrigation system, or is unsuccessful.
Wells built before April 1, 1969 that are not in use must be abandoned and sealed.
The person who seals a well must file a Water Well Abandonment Sealing Report with the Approving Authority within 45 days.
Sources: Who may seal a well; MDE: hire a licensed driller to abandon
Checking a contractor's license
The Board publishes a roster of active licensees by name and by company, updated monthly, showing each person's license type.
The Board advises consumers to confirm with a licensee that the license is active before hiring.
The Board lists active licensees as a resource only and does not endorse or guarantee any of them.
MDE says building a well starts with hiring a Maryland licensed well driller; the Board's roster lists those qualified to get permits.
The State Board of Well Drillers can be reached at 410-537-4466.
Sources: Board roster of active licensees; Roster is not an endorsement; New wells start with a licensed driller; Board contact
Common questions
Does Maryland require private well owners to test their water?
At two points: a new well needs a Certificate of Potability based on lab tests before use, and a contract to sell a property with a private well must require the buyer to have the water tested, unless the buyer waives it in writing. MDE also advises testing at least once a year.