Illinois: State rules

Illinois licenses the people who construct water wells and install pumps, and it uses local health departments to carry much of the permit work. The Department of Public Health says its private water and closed loop systems program licenses water well and pump installation contractors and regulates construction, modification, and sealing of water wells other than community water wells. The program runs through agreements with 90 local health departments. IDPH and those departments review installation plans, issue permits for new construction, and inspect wells. The department says it licenses about 730 people who construct wells or install pumps. Closed loop well contractors are registered under the same program.

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

The department's private-water page says it licenses water well and pump installation contractors and regulates construction, modification, and sealing of water wells other than community water wells. It also registers closed loop well contractors. The same paragraph says the program is conducted through agreements with 90 local health departments. IDPH and those departments review water well installation plans, issue permits for new well construction, and inspect wells. The page says the department licenses approximately 730 people who construct wells or install water well pumps. That figure is the department's own count on the page, not a roster.

The page publishes the forms a project actually uses. There is an application for a permit to construct, modify, or abandon a water well, an examination application for a water well license, a water well construction report, a water well pump installation report, and a water well sealing form. There is also an online renewal path for water well contractors and a water well contractor search. The search link on the page did not return a normal status during this check, so this record does not treat that search address as a working roster. Readers should start from the department page and follow its current search link.

The page links the Water Well and Pump Installation Contractor's License Code, the Water Well Construction Code, and the Water Well Pump Installation Code. Those links are the department's route to the detailed rules. This summary does not restate examination scores or renewal dates from an older printed copy of the code, because the live statute site did not open during this check. A homeowner should ask which license the person holds, which local health department will issue the permit, and who will file the construction report. Community wells are outside the exception the page states.

Official resources in Illinois

IDPH private water and closed loop wells

Licensing, local permits, exam and construction forms, and the contractor search link.

Application for a permit to construct, modify, or abandon a water well

Permit form linked from the department's private-water page.

EPA private drinking water wells

Federal context for private well households.

Key facts for Illinois

IDPH licenses water well and pump installation contractors.
Community water wells are outside this private-water program.
The program runs through agreements with 90 local health departments.
IDPH and local health departments issue permits for new well construction and inspect wells.
The department says it licenses about 730 people who construct wells or install pumps.
The page publishes a permit form, an exam application, a construction report, and a sealing form.
Closed loop well contractors are registered under the same program.

What to do next

Ask which IDPH license covers drilling and which covers the pump.
Ask which of the 90 local health departments will issue the permit.
Ask for the water well construction report and the pump installation report.
Start at the department page for the current contractor search rather than a saved link.

Looking for your city or county in Illinois?

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

General Start with the statewide information above. It applies across Illinois, but cities and counties can add their own steps, fees or deadlines.
Call to confirm Ask the official office. They have the current local rule, fee and form.
Illinois
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 Illinois page on USA.gov can point you to the right office.
Know the current info? Tell us and include a link to the official page. We check every tip before it goes up.

Helpful guides

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