Private well guide

Well Water in Indiana: Testing, Rules, Labs and Licensed Contractors

670,935 households in Indiana get their water from a private well. Here is what the state requires, where to get it tested, and who is licensed to work on it.

Find a certified labLicensed contractorsPick my county
327Licensed contractorschecked against state records
47Certified labsfrom the state certified list
92Counties covered
670,935Households on wells25% of households (est.)

A quarter of Indiana households drink from a private well, one of the highest shares in the country, and in the northern lake counties it is closer to three in four. Indiana’s glacial sands give up water easily, which is why so many homes have wells, and they carry arsenic and iron often enough that the state’s advice to test every year is worth taking seriously.

Who is in charge of an Indiana well

The Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Water licenses the water well drillers and pump installers, writes the construction standards in 312 IAC 13 and receives a well record for every well drilled, which it publishes in its online water well record database. The DNR does not permit individual wells; that job belongs to the county health department, and most counties require a well permit under their own ordinance, with an inspection or a bacteria sample before the well is approved. The Department of Health certifies the laboratories and runs the state lab in Indianapolis, which still tests private well samples for bacteria and nitrate at cost.

What is required, and what is left to you

A licensed driller, construction to the state standard, the well record, and whatever your county health department asks for on its permit. After that, nothing: Indiana does not require a test of private well water at any point, including when a house is sold. The Department of Health’s advice is coliform bacteria and nitrate every year, plus arsenic at least once, because the glacial aquifers that supply most of the state’s wells carry arsenic above the federal limit in a surprising share of them.

At a glance

Water test for a new wellNot required statewide

No statewide water test. The state requires the well to be drilled by a DNR-licensed water well driller to the 312 IAC 13 construction standards (setbacks of 50 ft from septic tanks and drainfields, grouted casing, disinfection) and a well record filed with the Division of Water within 30 days. Most county health departments require a well permit under the county ordinance before drilling and many ask for a bacteriological sample before the well is approved for use, so check with the county first.

Water test when a home is soldNot required statewide

No statewide requirement. The Indiana seller's disclosure form asks whether the water supply is a well and whether there are known problems, nothing more. 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 Indiana Department of Health recommends testing a private well for coliform bacteria and nitrate every year and running a broader panel every few years or when something changes: arsenic (common in Indiana's glacial aquifers), iron, manganese, hardness, sulfate, sodium, lead and copper. Add radon, uranium and fluoride in south-central Indiana bedrock wells and PFAS near airfields and industrial sites, and test again after flooding, well work or a change in taste, color or smell.

Free or low-cost testingAvailable

No statewide free program. The Indiana Department of Health laboratory and most county health departments test private well samples for bacteria and nitrate for a small fee (typically $20 to $40 a sample), and several counties run periodic free testing days or arsenic screening. The IDOH lab finder below lists the certified labs that take samples from the public.

What the water is like

North of Indianapolis almost every well draws from glacial sand and gravel, usually within 150 feet of the surface. The water is hard, high in iron and manganese, and in a band across the northern and central counties it carries naturally occurring arsenic; hydrogen sulfide and even methane turn up where the glacial deposits sit on shale. Shallow wells in the farm counties pick up nitrate. South of the glacial boundary, in the hills of south-central and southwestern Indiana, wells go into limestone, sandstone and shale bedrock: yields drop, dry holes are common, and the water can bring sulfate, sodium, fluoride and radon. Bacteria is the test most Indiana wells fail; arsenic is the one most owners never think to run.

IDOH-certified labs

Indiana certifies drinking water labs through the Department of Health, and IDOH keeps a finder of the in-state certified labs that accept samples from the public. Every lab below comes from that list, with the tests each is certified to run. County health departments and the state lab handle the yearly bacteria and nitrate check cheaply; the commercial labs run arsenic, metals, VOCs and PFAS, and most mail bottles anywhere in the state.

47 certified labs

See all 47 certified labs in Indiana

DNR-licensed drillers and pump installers

Indiana licenses the individual driller or pump installer, and the Division of Water publishes the list of businesses that employ them rather than the licensees themselves, with the primary services each business reports. The profiles below come from that list. The DNR confirms an individual’s license status by phone, and each profile says which services the business declared to the state: home water supply drilling, pump installation, geothermal, irrigation or commercial work.

327 licensed contractors

See all 327 licensed contractors in Indiana

By county

Well use runs from under 5% of homes in Floyd, Clark and Monroe counties to two thirds or more in Warren, Pulaski, Jasper, Steuben, Kosciusko and Carroll, and more than 80% in LaGrange. Each county page carries its well population, the nearest certified labs and the licensed contractors based there.

Indiana well water questions

Do I need a permit to drill a well in Indiana?

Not from the state, but almost certainly from your county health department, which permits residential wells under the county ordinance and usually wants a bacteria sample before the well is approved. Your licensed driller normally pulls the permit.

Is a water test required when I sell my house?

No. Indiana has no statewide requirement. Government-backed mortgages require a bacteria, nitrate and lead test before closing, and a few counties require a well inspection at transfer.

How do I find the record for my well?

Search the DNR Division of Water’s online water well record database by address, county or reference number. Wells drilled since the late 1950s often have a record, and the record shows depth, casing, static water level and the driller.

Which lab should I use?

Any lab on the IDOH certified list. Use your county health department or the state lab for the yearly bacteria and nitrate check and a commercial lab for arsenic, metals, VOCs or PFAS.