Pennsylvania private well rules

Who licenses well work in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania has no statewide rules for where a private well goes or how it is built. Some municipalities have their own standards, so check locally.

The state health department says Pennsylvania is one of two states with no statewide rules for private well construction, maintenance or water testing.

Pennsylvania sets construction standards for public water supply wells but not for private household wells.

In Pennsylvania the homeowner is responsible for protecting and maintaining a private well.

Sources: DEP does not regulate private wells; No statewide private well standards; One of two states without private well rules; Standards for public wells only; Owner is responsible for the well

Who may work on a well pump

Pennsylvania's Water Well Drillers License Act (Act 610 of 1956) requires a state license to drill a water well, unless the worker is employed by a licensed driller.

The Act defines drilling as the acts needed to construct a well, such as drilling, boring, driving and digging. It does not mention installing or repairing pumps.

The Act's definition of a water well driller covers contractors who drill, construct, alter or repair a water well. Pumps, pressure tanks and controls are not named in the Act.

The state's licensed driller database lets each licensed driller list the services it offers, including pump installation, pump controls and pressure tanks. These are services the firm reports, not separate state licenses.

After a flood, the state health department tells owners to have a well or pump contractor clean and disinfect the well before turning the pump back on.

DCNR advises owners to hire a licensed well driller for new construction, modification or abandonment of a well. This is guidance, not a rule about pump work.

Sources: State license covers drilling; Pump work is a listed service, not a license; Use a well or pump contractor after a flood; State advice: hire a licensed driller

Does the state require well testing?

Pennsylvania does not regulate private wells or require them to be tested. Keeping the water safe is the owner's job.

DEP suggests testing a private well every year for total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH.

DEP advises always using a state certified laboratory for drinking water tests.

The health department says to test when a well is first drilled, when the water's smell, color or taste suddenly changes, and after a flood or septic failure.

The health department's checklist flags any repair or replacement of well parts since the last test as a reason to consider more testing.

Sources: Testing is up to the owner; Yearly tests DEP suggests; When to test beyond the yearly check

Getting your water tested in Pennsylvania

Any environmental lab that tests drinking water in Pennsylvania must be accredited by DEP.

DEP's Laboratory Accreditation Program page links a search tool for accredited environmental labs.

DEP regional and district offices sell bacterial test kits; the DEP water testing page lists each office by county.

Penn State's Agricultural Analytical Services Laboratory is accredited by DEP for drinking water analysis and sells well test packages.

Some private well owners can get free limited water testing through Penn State Extension's Drinking Water Program, funded in part by the CDC.

The Department of Health's Division of Environmental Health Epidemiology answers questions about free private well testing at dehe@pa.gov or 717-787-3350.

Sources: Drinking water labs must be DEP accredited; DEP offices sell bacteria test kits; Penn State lab is DEP accredited; Free limited testing for some owners; Health department contact for free testing

Disinfecting a well

DEP says to disinfect a home well after repair or rebuilding of the well, the pump or attached piping, and after building a new well.

DEP describes shock disinfection as a temporary measure. It is not a permanent fix for a well that keeps getting contaminated because of poor location or construction.

DEP says the chlorine solution should stay in the whole water system for at least four hours, and preferably overnight, before it is pumped out.

After the chlorine is gone, DEP says to wait another two to five days and then test the water for bacteria again.

Penn State Extension recommends a 50 mg/L free chlorine dose for routine disinfection after well or piping work, repair or pump installation.

Sources: Disinfect after pump or well repair; Dose after pump installation

Plugging an unused well

In Pennsylvania the property owner is responsible for filling and sealing abandoned water wells under DCNR's Water Well Abandonment Guidelines.

Under Act 610, the state may require a well owner to seal or fill an abandoned well on the property.

The abandonment guidelines say the owner or consultant must notify the state at least 10 days before an old well is sealed or filled.

Before an old well is sealed, pumps, pipes, wiring and air lines must be pulled out of the borehole.

Every abandoned well must be reported to the state Geological Survey on its Water Well Abandonment Form.

An owner who leaves a well unsealed after the state asks for it to be sealed commits a misdemeanor under Act 610.

Sources: Owner must seal abandoned wells; State may order a well sealed; Notice 10 days before sealing

Checking a contractor's license

DCNR's Licensed Water Well Drillers Database can be searched by driller name, county served and service type.

Questions about the licensed driller database go to the DCNR Bureau of Geological Survey at 717-702-2017.

The National Ground Water Association offers voluntary driller certification. The state says a driller without it is not necessarily unable to build a good well.

Owners can search hundreds of thousands of water well records, mostly from drillers' completion reports, in the Pennsylvania Groundwater Information System.

Penn State Extension advises hiring a driller who submits well logs and gives you a written contract.

Sources: Official licensed driller database; Look up your well's record; Ask for well logs and a written contract