Well Water in Catoosa County, GA: Testing, Contractors and Rules
About 1,274 households in Catoosa County, 5% of the county, rely on a private well. Nobody tests that water unless the owner does.
Most of Catoosa County is on public water, but an estimated 1,274 households still rely on a private well. This page covers the rules, labs and licensed contractors that serve them.
Local rules for wells in Catoosa County
Private wells in Catoosa County follow Georgia's statewide rules, administered by Georgia Environmental Protection Division and the State Water Well Standards Advisory Council. No water test is required by the state when a new well is completed. There is no statewide test requirement when a home is sold, though lenders often ask for one. The cards below show the details and the official sources.
At a glance
No statewide water test and no state permit for an individual household well. The Water Well Standards Act requires the well to be drilled by a licensed water well contractor to the state construction standards (grouted casing, 10 ft from property lines, 50 ft from septic tanks and 100 ft from drainfields), and the contractor must disinfect it and give you a well record. Several counties, mostly in north Georgia and around Atlanta, require a well permit and a bacteriological test through the county environmental health office before the well is used, so check with your county.
No statewide requirement. The seller's disclosure only says whether the property is on a well. FHA, VA and USDA loans normally require a bacteria, nitrate and lead sample from a certified lab before closing, and a few county health departments require a well inspection at transfer.
The Department of Public Health and UGA Extension recommend testing a private well for coliform bacteria every year and running the UGA basic water test (pH, hardness, nitrate and about 20 metals including iron, manganese, lead, copper and arsenic) every two to three years. Add radon and uranium in the Piedmont and the mountains, sodium and chloride near the coast, and test again after flooding, well work or a change in taste, color or smell.
Every county has a UGA Cooperative Extension office that sells the UGA water test kits at cost: the basic chemistry test (W1) and the bacteria test (W33) run roughly $30 to $50 each, with results explained by the county agent. Extension and the county health departments also run periodic free or discounted testing days, and several county environmental health offices test bacteria for a small fee.
Getting your water tested near Catoosa County
1 certified lab within 40 miles serves Catoosa County, starting with AIRL, Inc. in Cleveland (about 24 miles from the county center). Each card below shows whether the lab takes homeowner samples and which tests it is certified for.
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Licensed well contractors serving Catoosa County
No licensed contractor lists Catoosa County as a home base or service area yet. The finder below searches the whole state; most drillers travel several counties for a job.
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Well depth and water chemistry
Wells in Catoosa County typically reach 200 to 500 ft in the fractured granite and gneiss of the Piedmont and north Georgia mountains, where yields are modest; 100 to 400 ft in the Floridan and Claiborne aquifers of the Coastal Plain south of the fall line, deeper (400 to 800 ft) in the southwest; shallow surficial wells of 30 to 100 ft along the coast and in the flatwoods. What comes up with the water depends on the aquifer, and across Georgia the usual suspects are coliform bacteria (statewide, worst in shallow and older wells), acidic corrosive water that pulls lead and copper from plumbing (piedmont and mountains), iron and manganese (piedmont and coastal plain). A first full panel tells you which of them apply to your well.
Varies by location. Check the state well record search for logs of nearby wells.
- Coliform bacteria (statewide
- Worst in shallow and older wells)
- Acidic corrosive water that pulls lead and copper from plumbing (Piedmont and mountains)
- Iron and manganese (Piedmont and Coastal Plain)
- Radon and uranium (Piedmont granite
- North metro Atlanta counties)
- Hardness and hydrogen sulfide (Floridan aquifer in south Georgia)
- Nitrate (southwest Georgia farm country
- Shallow Coastal Plain wells)
- Arsenic (locally in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain)
- Saltwater intrusion (Brunswick and the coastal islands)
- PFAS near carpet mills in northwest Georgia and near airfields
Neighboring counties: Walker County, Whitfield County, Dade County, Murray County.
What well work costs in Catoosa County
County health departments ($30 bacteria) or the UGA lab through your extension office ($40 bacteria, $12 nitrate, $60 expanded test). Installed costs are national 2026 ranges; local quotes vary with depth, access and materials. Sources, checked September 2026: Southeast Health District, UGA Agricultural and Environmental Services Lab, HomeGuide cost guides, Angi: cost to shock a well.
Questions Catoosa County well owners ask
How many homes in Catoosa County are on a well?
About 1,274, or 5% of households, based on Census housing data and state well surveys. The share is highest outside the towns with public water.
Where is the closest certified lab to Catoosa County?
AIRL, Inc. in Cleveland, about 24 miles away. Call first to ask whether they accept homeowner samples.
Do I need a permit to drill a well in Catoosa County?
No statewide water test and no state permit for an individual household well. The Water Well Standards Act requires the well to be drilled by a licensed water well contractor to the state construction standards (grouted casing, 10 ft from property lines, 50 ft from septic tanks and 100 ft from drainfields), and the contractor must disinfect it and give you a well record. Several counties, mostly in north Georgia and around Atlanta, require a well permit and a bacteriological test through the county environmental health office before the well is used, so check with your county.
What does a well test cost near Catoosa County?
Published lab fees in Georgia: $30 to $40 for a bacteria test and $12 for nitrate. County health departments ($30 bacteria) or the UGA lab through your extension office ($40 bacteria, $12 nitrate, $60 expanded test). Mail-in kits cost about the same as walking in.