Well Driller List

State rules

New Hampshire

New Hampshire licenses water well contractors and pump installers through the Water Well Board at the Department of Environmental Services. The board's licensing page says anyone in the business of water well construction or pump installation must be licensed. RSA chapter 482-B authorizes the board's rules, We 100 through We 1000. The board has seven members, including the department, contractors, pump installers, technical drillers, and the public. A water well contractor license is specific to the type of construction. Pump installer licenses are issued in two categories, domestic up to three horsepower and industrial. Plumbers and electricians may repair pumps, but the page says they need a pump installer license to install or replace a pump. The Concord address on the page is 29 Hazen Drive, Concord, NH 03302-0095, and the phone is (603) 271-3503.

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
New Hampshire Water Well Board, Department of Environmental Services
Who must hold a credential
Licensed water well contractor and licensed pump installer
Official permit or license page
Official page →

The page defines water well construction as any method or operation to obtain water from a well, including drilling, digging, development such as hydrofracturing, and decommissioning. Licenses are issued to contractors and are specific to construction type, so a customer should ask which construction type is on the license. The board reviews applications and decides eligibility for examination and licensure. Meetings and exams are held every eight weeks. Applications may be submitted at any time. The statute, RSA 482-B:5, says a license is not transferable and expires on June 30. After July 31, renewal requires the regular fee plus a $20 late fee stated in the statute.

RSA 482-B:5 says contractors and pump installers must have been actively engaged in the trade for three years before the application, and the experience must relate to the license sought. One year of a drilling contractor's experience must be drilling water wells in crystalline rocks of the Appalachian region. Applicants pass an examination prepared by the board, unless the board issues a license without examination to a person licensed in another state with equivalent standards and a reciprocal exemption. The rules index for chapter We includes license application procedure, qualifications, examinations, reciprocity, renewal, and continuing education, plus standards for construction, maintenance, and abandonment.

A property owner should ask for the water well contractor license that matches the construction method and, separately, the pump installer license if a pump will be installed or replaced. A plumber's license alone does not meet the board's statement that installation or replacement of a pump requires a pump installer license. Decommissioning is included in the page's definition of construction, so closing a well is not outside the license. The board's find-a-contractor materials are the official list. This record does not copy names. The $20 late-fee figure is in the statute and is not stored in the fee field.

Official resources in New Hampshire

Water Well Board licensing

Contractor and pump installer licenses, including the domestic and industrial pump categories.

RSA 482-B:5

Three years of experience, examination, June 30 expiration, and the late fee.

Water Well Board rules index

Rule parts for applications, exams, renewal, and construction standards.

EPA private drinking water wells

Federal context for private well households.

Key facts for New Hampshire

What to do next

  1. Ask which construction type is printed on the contractor license.
  2. Ask for a pump installer license if the pump will be installed or replaced.
  3. Do not treat a plumbing license as a pump installer license.
  4. Ask how an unused well will be decommissioned under the board's rules.

Looking for your city or county in New Hampshire?

We haven't found official program-level pages for New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire, 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.
    New Hampshire
    Website →
    Your city or county office: Local governments →
    Not sure who handles it locally? USAGov's free help line, 1-844-872-4681, or the New Hampshire 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

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