Well Driller List

State rules

California

California's statewide trade classification for this work is the Contractors State License Board C-57 Well Drilling Contractor license. The board's classification page says a well drilling contractor installs and repairs water wells and pumps by boring, drilling, excavating, casing, cementing, and cleaning to provide a supply of uncontaminated water. The citation is California Code of Regulations title 16, division 8, article 3, referencing Business and Professions Code sections 7058 and 7059. The C-57 examination study guide lists Department of Water Resources Bulletin 74-81, Water Well Standards, and Bulletin 74-90, California Well Standards, as reference publications, with water.ca.gov as the publisher site. This record does not describe county permit desks, because those Department of Water Resources pages could not be opened during this check.

Checked against official sources on October 11, 2026. Rules and links change; confirm with the office listed before you act.

Try a ZIP like 30303, “Travis County” or “Columbus, OH”
Licensing or permitting agency
Contractors State License Board, C-57 Well Drilling Contractor
Who must hold a credential
C-57 Well Drilling Contractor
Official permit or license page
Official page →

The C-57 study guide divides the closed-book exam into planning and estimating, water well drilling and development, geotechnical borings and environmental wells, water distribution installations, distribution repairs, rehabilitation and destruction, and safety. That outline shows the license covers more than making a hole. It includes pump systems and the destruction of water wells as tested subjects. The guide says questions are written for one best answer and that a calculator is provided. It is a study outline, not a construction manual, and it is not a substitute for the standards themselves.

Bulletin 74-81 and Bulletin 74-90 appear in the guide's resource list under the California Department of Water Resources, with the internet address water.ca.gov. The guide's publisher note is the source for naming those bulletins here. Because the department's own well-standards and permitting-agency pages returned a block when requested for this project, this record does not state which local office issues a construction permit or how a county ordinance relates to the bulletins. A property owner should ask the county or city directly and should not treat the C-57 license as the permit.

Someone hiring a driller can ask for the CSLB license number and can look the classification up on the board's C-57 page. The classification text is short: install and repair water wells and pumps by the methods listed above. The study guide also lists pump and distribution work among exam topics, which is consistent with that sentence. No fee is copied into the fee field of this record. No individual contractor names are listed. The board's published address on the classification page is 9821 Business Park Drive, Sacramento, CA 95827.

Official resources in California

CSLB C-57 Well Drilling Contractor

Official classification: installing and repairing water wells and pumps.

C-57 license examination study guide

Exam outline and the listing of DWR Bulletins 74-81 and 74-90 as references.

EPA private drinking water wells

Federal context for households that use a private well.

Key facts for California

What to do next

  1. Ask for the CSLB license number and confirm the C-57 classification.
  2. Ask the county or city whether a separate well permit is required before work.
  3. Ask which DWR bulletin or local standard the contractor will follow.
  4. Ask who will give you the well completion paperwork.

Looking for your city or county in California?

We haven't found official program-level pages for California we can verify yet, so we don't show local numbers here rather than guess. Here's what to use instead, in order:

  1. General Start with the statewide information above. It applies across California, but cities and counties can add their own steps, fees or deadlines.
  2. Call to confirm Ask the official office. They have the current local rule, fee and form.
    California
    Website →
    Phone not shown: use the contact page on the official website above.
    Your city or county office: Local governments →
    Not sure who handles it locally? USAGov's free help line, 1-844-872-4681, or the California page on USA.gov can point you to the right office.
  3. Know the current info? Tell us and include a link to the official page. We check every tip before it goes up.

Helpful guides

Well permit planner →

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