# How to choose a water well driller

Check the licence, local experience, written scope and completion records.

Updated 2026-11-10. Also on the [web page](https://welldrillers.fyi/guides/how-to-choose-a-well-driller).

## Verify the right licence

Ask for the business name, licence holder, licence number and licensing agency. Look the record up yourself. Check status, scope and any public conditions. A matching name in a member directory is not a licence check. A directory badge is not a technical qualification.

Texas TDLR identifies drilling and pump installation as licensed activities. Ontario says contractors must use technicians with the right licence class. Use the agency for the property's jurisdiction. If the record is unclear, contact the agency before agreeing to work.

## Ask about comparable jobs

Describe your intended use and site access. Ask which nearby ground conditions the contractor has worked in. Request references with permission to contact them. Ask who will attend the site, whether any work is subcontracted and who is responsible for the final records.

For a farm, list irrigation and livestock uses as well as household demand. Ask the contractor to explain proposed yield testing and storage. Do not accept a verbal promise of water based only on a neighbour's well.

## Compare the written offers

Have each contractor price the same scope. Ask what is included in drilling, casing, sealing, development, pump work and tests. Record exclusions, taxes, currency and travel. Ask how extra depth or a dry hole is charged. Agree who can approve a change before work starts.

Ask who confirms the construction paperwork and right to use water. Washington Ecology specifically warns that a Notice of Intent is not a water right. Use the responsible authority to resolve this question for your property.

## Plan the handover

Request the well record, pump details, laboratory report, warranty and maintenance instructions. Ask when each document will be delivered. Keep a service contact and the licence lookup URL with the contract.

The Water Systems Council's well owner manual covers contractor selection and maintenance. Use it as a question list. This directory records source facts and lets owners update details after claiming. We do not recommend or certify a contractor.

## Sources

- [Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, Water Well Drillers and Pump Installers](https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/wwd/wwd.htm). Fetched 2026-11-10.
- [Ontario, Wells on your property](https://www.ontario.ca/page/wells-your-property). Fetched 2026-11-10.
- [Washington Department of Ecology, Wells](https://ecology.wa.gov/water-shorelines/water-supply/wells). Fetched 2026-11-10.
- [Water Systems Council, Water Well Help](https://www.watersystemscouncil.org/well-owners/). Fetched 2026-11-10.

## Questions

### Does this replace local advice?

No. Confirm the work with the responsible agency and a qualified contractor.