Pennsylvania: State rules

Pennsylvania licenses water well drillers through the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Geological Survey. The department's application page says drilling companies must get a license and permits to drill a well, and that the license year runs from June 1 to May 31. The page says this does not apply to farmers or homeowners who drill their own wells on their own or leased land. A first license starts by emailing PaGWISDriller@pa.gov or calling (717) 702-2017. The page states the license cost as $60 each year and rig permits as $20 each. The licensed-drillers page says a license does not mean the driller has been found to know proper construction practice, and that Pennsylvania has no statewide construction or siting standards for private water wells. Some municipalities do have standards.

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

The licensed-drillers page says the bureau lists license holders and does not endorse a driller based on voluntary certification. Protection of a private well is described as the homeowner's responsibility. The page points owners to a database that can be searched by name, county served, or service type. This record does not copy names from that database. DEP's page for drillers who work on noncommunity water systems says those drillers provide the water well completion report that is submitted to the Pennsylvania Geological Survey, plus well construction and risk forms in DEP's module for source approval. A household well and a public noncommunity well are not the same paperwork.

Because there is no statewide private-well construction code, the driller license and the local ordinance are different questions. The DCNR page says some municipalities have standards. A property owner should ask the municipality and, where a county health department regulates wells, that department, whether a permit or siting rule applies. The state license is still the credential the application page describes for companies that drill for others. Homeowners and farmers drilling on their own or leased land are the exception the application page states. The $60 and $20 amounts are printed on the application page and are not stored in the fee field.

Renewals are done online. The bureau requires an email address for the driller. Completion reports describe the rock that was actually drilled, and the department warns that county rock-type maps are only a regional guide. Ask for the completion report and for the rig permit as well as the driller license. The contact on the licensed-drillers page for database questions is the Bureau of Geological Survey at 717-702-2017. Use that official search rather than a copied list.

Official resources in Pennsylvania

Apply for a water well driller license and rig permit

License year, the homeowner exception, and the $60 license and $20 rig permit amounts.

Pennsylvania licensed water well drillers

Official search, and the statement that there is no statewide private-well construction code.

DEP information for licensed well drillers

Extra reports when a licensed driller works on a noncommunity water system.

EPA private drinking water wells

Federal context for private well households.

Key facts for Pennsylvania

DCNR licenses water well drillers and permits drilling rigs.
The license year runs from June 1 to May 31.
The application page states a $60 annual license and a $20 rig permit.
Farmers and homeowners drilling on their own or leased land are excepted on that page.
DCNR says there are no statewide private-well construction or siting standards.
Some municipalities have their own standards.
The bureau phone printed on the pages is (717) 702-2017.

What to do next

Ask for the DCNR driller license and the rig permit.
Ask the municipality whether it has well standards even though the state does not.
Use the licensed-drillers database instead of a copied list.
Ask for the completion report that goes to the Geological Survey.

Looking for your city or county in Pennsylvania?

We haven't found official program-level pages for Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania, 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.
Pennsylvania
Website →
Phone: (717) 702-2017
Your city or county office: Local governments →
Not sure who handles it locally? USAGov's free help line, 1-844-872-4681, or the Pennsylvania 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.

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