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Private wells in Oregon: labs, drillers and who to call
One place for Oregon well owners, buyers and the pros who work with them: the state's private well program, how to find a state-certified lab and a licensed well driller, and every Oregon page on this site. Every fact links to its source.
Oregon at a glance
- Who's on a well: USGS estimates about 632,000 people in Oregon supplied their own household water in 2015, about 16% of the state's population. Most of them use private wells.1
- Who tests: EPA rules for public water systems don't apply to private wells, so testing is up to the owner. CDC says to test at least once a year for total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH, use a state-certified lab, and ask your health department what else to test for where you live.2
- Selling or buying a home: Yes. After accepting an offer, the seller has the well tested for arsenic, nitrate and total coliform. Results go to the buyer and to the Oregon Health Authority within 90 days, and the tests can't be waived.3
Who to contact
- State private well information: Oregon Health Authority: Domestic Well Safety.4
- Licensed well drillers and pump installers: Oregon Water Resources Department: Well Construction and Compliance. Check a contractor's license before you hire.
- State-certified labs: the Oregon Health Authority (ORELAP) certifies labs for drinking water testing. Find a certified drinking water lab (search, matrix: drinking water). Many certified labs are city or industry labs that only test their own samples, so call before you send a sample.5
- Local help: CDC says local or state health or environmental departments often test for nitrates and coliform bacteria, should have a list of certified labs, and can help you understand your results.2
- EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline: (800) 426-4791.2
County pages
We haven't published a Oregon county page yet. Until we do, the state contacts above and the guides below apply statewide.
Find a pro in Oregon
Our directory doesn't cover Oregon yet. Use the official driller and lab lookups above.
Guides for Oregon well owners
- Buying a home with a well (offer contingencies, which tests to order, and home-sale rules by state)
- Who regulates private wells?
- How often to test a private well
- Best way to test well water
- How to read your well water test results
- Arsenic in well water, nitrate, uranium and radon
- Getting a new well drilled
- Shock chlorinating a well
- For professionals: selling a home with a well (realtors) and homes with a well (home inspectors)
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Dieter, C.A., and others, 2018, Estimated Use of Water in the United States County-Level Data for 2015 (ver. 2.0), U.S. Geological Survey data release (state totals of the county self-supplied domestic population). https://doi.org/10.5066/F7TB15V5 ↩
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CDC, "Guidelines for Testing Well Water" (July 1, 2024). https://www.cdc.gov/drinking-water/safety/guidelines-for-testing-well-water.html ↩↩↩
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ORS 448.271; Oregon Health Authority. https://www.oregon.gov/oha/ph/healthyenvironments/drinkingwater/sourcewater/domesticwellsafety/pages/testing-regulations.aspx ↩
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U.S. EPA, "Private Drinking Water Well Programs in Your State" (state links; we updated links that had moved). https://www.epa.gov/privatewells/private-drinking-water-well-programs-your-state ↩
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U.S. EPA, "State Certification Programs Certify Laboratories to Conduct Drinking Water Analyses" (August 2025). https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2023-03/state-cert-programs-certify-labs-to-conduct-drinking-water-analyses.pdf ↩