Auburn University Soil, Forage and Water Testing Laboratory
AL certified
Homeowner samples
- Arsenic
- Hardness
- Iron and Manganese
- Lead
- Nitrate / Nitrite
Alabama county well guide
Well Water in Macon County, AL: Testing, Contractors and Rules
About 1,124 households in Macon County, 15% 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
0licensed contractors serve the county
24 mito the nearest certified lab, Auburn University Soil, Forage and Water Testing Laboratory
Nostatewide test required when a home is sold
Roughly 15% of Macon County households, about 1,124, 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 Macon County
Private wells in Macon County follow Alabama's statewide rules, administered by Alabama Department of Environmental Management, Water Well Standards Program. 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 the owner. The Water Well Standards Act requires the well to be drilled by an ADEM-licensed water well driller to the 335-9 construction standards (grouted casing, sanitary seal, setbacks from septic tanks, drainfields and other contamination sources), and the driller must notify ADEM before drilling and file a well completion report afterward. The driller is required to disinfect the new well; a few county health departments ask for a bacteria sample before a well serves a new home, and lenders usually do.
Water test when a home is soldNot required statewide
No statewide requirement. Alabama is a caveat emptor state with no mandatory seller's disclosure form, so nothing about the well has to be disclosed unless the buyer asks. FHA, VA and USDA loans normally require a bacteria, nitrate and lead sample from a certified lab before closing.
What the state recommends
The Department of Public Health and the Alabama Private Well Program at Auburn recommend testing a private well every year, preferably in spring, for coliform bacteria, and every few years for nitrate, pH, hardness, iron, manganese, lead and copper (Auburn's W1 Total Water Analysis covers the chemistry). Add radon in the Piedmont, arsenic in the Black Belt and coastal plain, chloride and sodium near the coast and in deep Black Belt wells, PFAS in the Tennessee Valley around Decatur and near airfields, and test again after flooding, well work or a change in taste, color or smell.
Free or low-cost testingAvailable
No statewide free program, but two cheap routes. Every county health department sells the Department of Public Health bacteria kit (total coliform and E. coli, a few dollars per sample, results in a few days from the Mobile or Prattville branch laboratory), and any county Extension office will take a sample for Auburn University's W1 Total Water Analysis for a small fee, with the county agent explaining the result. The Alabama Private Well Program at Auburn (888-844-4785) runs periodic free screening events.
Getting your water tested near Macon County
2 certified labs within 40 miles serve Macon County, starting with Auburn University Soil, Forage and Water Testing Laboratory in Auburn (about 24 miles from the county center). Each card below shows whether the lab takes homeowner samples and which tests it is certified for.
2 certified labs within 40 miles
Environmental Resource Analysts
AL certified
- Arsenic
- Coliform Bacteria
- Full Homeowner Panel
- Hardness
- Iron and Manganese
- Lead
- Nitrate / Nitrite
Licensed well contractors serving Macon County
No licensed contractor lists Macon County as a home base or service area yet. The finder below searches the whole state; most drillers travel several counties for a job.
No listings yet for this area. Try widening your search.
Well depth and water chemistry
Wells in Macon County typically reach 100 to 400 ft in the sands of the Coastal Plain across the southern half of the state, deeper (300 to 800 ft) where the Black Belt's chalk has to be drilled through to reach the Eutaw and Gordo sands; 100 to 400 ft in the fractured granite, gneiss and schist of the east-central Piedmont, where yields are modest; 50 to 300 ft in the limestone, sandstone and shale of the Tennessee Valley, Cumberland Plateau and Valley and Ridge in north Alabama, where karst makes depth and yield unpredictable. What comes up with the water depends on the aquifer, and across Alabama the usual suspects are coliform bacteria (the most common failure statewide, worst in north alabama karst wells and shallow coastal plain wells), iron and manganese (coastal plain sands and the plateau, nearly universal). 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 (the most common failure statewide
- Worst in north Alabama karst wells and shallow Coastal Plain wells)
- Iron and manganese (Coastal Plain sands and the Plateau
- Nearly universal)
- Acidic corrosive water that pulls lead and copper from plumbing (Piedmont and Coastal Plain sands)
- Hardness (limestone across north Alabama)
- Nitrate (shallow wells in the Wiregrass
- Sand Mountain poultry country and farm bottoms)
- Hydrogen sulfide (deeper Coastal Plain and Black Belt wells)
- Radon and uranium (Piedmont granite)
- Arsenic (locally in the Black Belt and coastal plain)
- Saltwater and chloride (Baldwin and Mobile counties near the coast
- Deep Black Belt wells)
- PFAS (Tennessee River corridor around Decatur and near airfields)
Neighboring counties: Bullock County, Lee County, Montgomery County, Elmore County.
What well work costs in Macon County
Bacteria test (coliform and E. coli)$15published Alabama lab fees
Nitrate test$25published Alabama lab fees
Broad panel (metals and minerals)$85 to $450state and university lab packages
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 department bacteria test ($30 more if staff collect it); nitrate is an Auburn University screening, not a certified test. Installed costs are national 2026 ranges; local quotes vary with depth, access and materials. Sources, checked September 2026: ADPH Houston County, Auburn University Water Resources Center, HomeGuide cost guides, Angi: cost to shock a well.
Questions Macon County well owners ask
How many homes in Macon County are on a well?
About 1,124, or 15% 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 Macon County?
Auburn University Soil, Forage and Water Testing Laboratory in Auburn, about 24 miles away. It accepts homeowner samples.
Do I need a permit to drill a well in Macon County?
No statewide water test and no state permit for the owner. The Water Well Standards Act requires the well to be drilled by an ADEM-licensed water well driller to the 335-9 construction standards (grouted casing, sanitary seal, setbacks from septic tanks, drainfields and other contamination sources), and the driller must notify ADEM before drilling and file a well completion report afterward. The driller is required to disinfect the new well; a few county health departments ask for a bacteria sample before a well serves a new home, and lenders usually do.
What does a well test cost near Macon County?
Published lab fees in Alabama: $15 for a bacteria test and $25 for nitrate. County health department bacteria test ($30 more if staff collect it); nitrate is an Auburn University screening, not a certified test. Mail-in kits cost about the same as walking in.