Charles Andrew & Son Inc.
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Georgia county well guide
Well Water in Houston County, GA: Testing, Contractors and Rules
About 3,250 households in Houston County, 5% of the county, rely on a private well. Nobody tests that water unless the owner does.
of households on a private well
Share on wells, county vs state
1licensed contractors serve the county
40+ mito a certified lab; mail-in kits recommended
Nostatewide test required when a home is sold
Roughly 5% of Houston County households, about 3,250, get their water from a private well rather than a utility. They are concentrated in the rural parts of the county, and they are on their own for testing.
Local rules for wells in Houston County
Private wells in Houston 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
Water test for a new wellNot required statewide
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.
Water test when a home is soldNot required statewide
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.
What the state recommends
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.
Free or low-cost testingAvailable
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 Houston County
No state-certified lab sits within 40 miles of the center of Houston County. That is common in rural Georgia, and the practical answer is a mail-in kit: the lab ships bottles, you sample at the kitchen tap and ship them back cold. The finder below widens the search to the whole state.
No listings yet for this area. Try widening your search.
Licensed well contractors serving Houston County
1 licensed contractor serve Houston County, including Charles Andrew & Son Inc. Each profile carries the state license number and the date we checked it, and the filters below sort them by drilling, pump work or treatment.
1 licensed contractors
Well depth and water chemistry
Wells in Houston 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.
Typical well depth
Varies by location. Check the state well record search for logs of nearby wells.
Contaminants to test for
- 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: Peach County, Twiggs County, Crawford County, Bibb County.
What well work costs in Houston County
Bacteria test (coliform and E. coli)$30 to $40published Georgia lab fees
Nitrate test$12published Georgia lab fees
Broad panel (metals and minerals)$60published Georgia lab fees
Well inspection$250 to $550$350 to $900 with water testing
Submersible pump replacement$1,000 to $2,500installed; deep wells cost more
Pressure tank replacement$800 to $1,500installed
One treatment unit$700 to $3,500softener, iron filter or UV, installed
Multi-stage whole-house treatment$2,500 to $10,000+several units or whole-house RO, installed
New well, complete$6,000 to $16,000typical 200 ft well with pump; drilling alone about $20 to $30 per foot; deeper wells cost more
Shock chlorination$80 to $200by a contractor; under $30 to do yourself
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 Houston County well owners ask
How many homes in Houston County are on a well?
About 3,250, 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 Houston County?
There is no certified lab within 40 miles. Use a mail-in kit from a Georgia certified lab, or the county health department if it collects samples.
Do I need a permit to drill a well in Houston 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 Houston 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.