Alabama county well guide

Well Water in Winston County, AL: Testing, Contractors and Rules

About 3,450 households in Winston County, 36% of the county, rely on a private well. Nobody tests that water unless the owner does.

Labs within 40 milesLicensed contractors
36%of households on a private well
Share on wells, county vs state
Winston County36%
Alabama average11%
1licensed contractors serve the county
37 mito the nearest certified lab, Southern Environmental Testing (Decatur)
Nostatewide test required when a home is sold

Winston County has an estimated 3,450 households on private wells, 36% of the county. If you are one of them, testing, treatment and repairs are yours to arrange.

Local rules for wells in Winston County

Private wells in Winston 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 Winston County

2 certified labs within 40 miles serve Winston County, starting with Southern Environmental Testing (Decatur) in Decatur (about 37 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

Licensed well contractors serving Winston County

1 licensed contractor serve Winston County, including Vickery’s Well Drilling. 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.

Well depth and water chemistry

Wells in Winston 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: Walker County, Marion County, Lawrence County, Franklin County.

What well work costs in Winston County

Basic bacteria and nitrate test$25 to $75lab fee, homeowner sample
Full panel lab test$150 to $400metals, VOCs, radiologicals
Well inspection$250 to $550flow, pressure, visual, water test
Submersible pump replacement$1,200 to $4,500parts and labor
Pressure tank replacement$400 to $1,200installed
Whole-house treatment system$800 to $6,000softener, iron filter, UV, RO
New well drilled$5,500 to $25,000about $25 to $65 per foot
Shock chlorination$80 to $300or about $20 as a DIY job

National ranges from published 2025 to 2026 contractor pricing. Local quotes vary with depth, access and materials.

Questions Winston County well owners ask

How many homes in Winston County are on a well?

About 3,450, or 36% 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 Winston County?

Southern Environmental Testing (Decatur) in Decatur, about 37 miles away. Call first to ask whether they accept homeowner samples.

Do I need a permit to drill a well in Winston 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 Winston County?

A bacteria and nitrate test runs $25 to $75 at most certified labs; a full panel with metals is $150 to $400. Mail-in kits cost about the same as walking in.