Private Water Well Construction Permit

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Iowa law requires that anyone planning to construct a private water supply well obtain a private well construction permit before drilling or construction begins. Construction permits are issued by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) or the local county permitting authority. Examples of wells requiring construction permits include: household-domestic, industrial, livestock, irrigation, recreational-use, monitoring, heat pump water supply wells, and geothermal heat exchange loop boreholes, and dewatering wells.  Some wells, like irrigation and other high capacity wells are subject to additional permitting by the department. Code Citation IAC 567 – Chapter 38 455B.172, 455B.187, 455B.190A Who Applies The application can be completed and submitted by the landowner, the landowner\\\\’s agent, or an Iowa DNR Certified Well Contractor. When To Apply A well construction permit must be obtained before any well construction or reconstruction services are performed. You should apply as soon as you begin planning for future installation of a well. Application Review Process The application needs to be reviewed and approved by the permitting authority, prior to any drilling and well/GHEX construction. If a proposed location is in near proximity to historical contamination, then an environmental review must be performed by the DNR as part of the “Well near Contaminated Sites” procedure. This full review may take up to 8 weeks. Please note that commercial systems that contain many boreholes require a Phase 1 type pre-drilling site audit to determine that drilling area is subject to any environmental covenants or contaminated sites. In addition, some local county governments may have longer waiting periods before a permit can be issued. Initial Requirements Please make sure that your water supply does not meet public water supply thresholds for number of customers and days served. Public water supply wells require additional review, design standards, engineering approval, construction standards, and water testing requirements. Please notify Iowa One Call for a utility audit for the proposed well location. Minimum separation distances apply between well location and potential sources of contamination. The use of an Iowa DNR Certified Well Contractor is required and the certified contractor must be on-site at all times well services are being performed. All counties have been given authority to issue new private well construction permits and some have more stringent permit criteria than the Department of Natural Resources. Duration The permit is valid for a term of one year from the date the permit was originally issued. If one or more additional wells are needed after the initial wells have been constructed, a new permit must be issued for the new construction. Processing Time A minimum of several days, but others may take several months if the site is near historical contamination or if there are other factors that could pose a threat to the environment or human health. Fee Structure Construction permitting fees include a local county permit fee set by the county the borehole construction will take place in.  As of 2024, that fees ranges from $100-$350 depending on the county. The county fee includes $25 state well tracking system permit fee that is paid to the Iowa DNR for the purposes of database maintenance and technical support from the DNR. Please contact your local county well permitting authority for additional information. County Sanitarian Contact List: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSN9_vM3stj69X3-4qojMfxrkIGuP4dkCfZYo1DI9g8FSyJrs4SbfRYuDRPulMxStPClHPxdB1io1GR/pubhtml Renewal Requirements Does not pertain. Exam Does not pertain. Additional Information The application can be completed and submitted by the landowner, the landowner’s agent, or an Iowa DNR Certified Well Contractor.