Getting a water well driller license in Pennsylvania

Getting licensed in Pennsylvania

Drillers do not have to show knowledge of good drilling or well construction practice to get a Pennsylvania license, so a license alone does not prove a well will be built well.

A Pennsylvania water well driller license costs $60 a year, and each drilling rig needs a $20 permit.

Driller licenses run on a license year from June 1 to May 31 and are renewed online through the state's GreenPort site.

The licensing rule does not apply to farmers or homeowners drilling their own wells on land they own or lease.

A licensed driller must file a notice of intent to drill with the state within 24 hours of signing a contract to drill a well.

By law, the driller must send the well's construction details to the state and give the owner a copy of the water well completion report.

Sources: Driller license from DCNR; No skills test for a license; License and rig permit fees; Notice of intent to drill within 24 hours

Who needs a license

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

How owners check a 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