Do You Need a Permit to Drill a Well in North Carolina?
Yes. Every new private drinking water well in North Carolina needs a construction permit from the county health department. You get it before drilling starts. After the well is built, the county inspects it. It issues a certificate of completion before the water goes into use. Within 30 days after that certificate, the county tests the water.
That is the core of North Carolina’s private well rules. State law, G.S. 87-97, has every county run a well permitting, inspection and testing program through its local health department. The program covers wells constructed, repaired or abandoned on or after July 1, 2008. The construction standards sit in the state rules at 15A NCAC 02C.
Core Well Drilling is based in Pacolet, SC, and is licensed to drill in North Carolina. We do well drilling in the North Carolina border counties, about 80 to 90 miles from our shop.
Who issues a well permit in North Carolina?
The county does, through its local health department. G.S. 87-97 bars building a private well “unless a construction permit has been obtained from the local health department.”
Cleveland County makes a good worked example. Its Environmental Health office sits at 1333 Fallston Rd. in Shelby. To apply, the county sends you to the Cleveland County Permits Office at that same address. If your land is in that county, our page on well drilling in Shelby, NC covers the area.
In Cleveland County, the owner signs the application or names a legal representative in writing. The county’s form for naming one covers well construction, repair and abandonment permits. It has a line for a person or a company name. The owner keeps full responsibility for meeting the permit conditions either way.
What does a well permit cost in North Carolina?
It depends on the county. The state’s private well FAQ says “each county has the authority to set its own permitting fee.” Here is Cleveland County’s schedule, effective July 1, 2025.
| Cleveland County permit | County fee |
|---|---|
| Well construction permit, water samples included | $500 |
| Well repair or upgrade permit | $225 |
| Well abandonment permit | $100 |
These are fees the county charges, and they are not a driller’s price. The state FAQ says there is generally no cost to the well owner for an abandonment permit. Cleveland County lists one at $100, so the county’s own schedule is the one to check.
How long does it take to get a well permit?
The law gives the health department 30 days. It acts “within 30 days of receipt of an application to construct or repair a well.” If it does not act in that time, “the permit shall automatically be issued.”
Once issued, a construction or repair permit is valid for five years. The statute adds one protection for owners. A well that meets the rules may not be denied a permit because of a local policy. That covers a local government policy that discourages or prohibits new wells.
How far does a well have to be from a septic system in North Carolina?
For a single-family home, the rule text reads 50 feet. The well construction rule, 15A NCAC 02C .0107, lists 50 feet from the home’s septic tank and drainfield. That distance includes the drainfield repair area. The state’s septic rule uses the same 50 feet for a private well serving a single-family home.
The same well rule lists other distances that come up on rural land.
| Keep a new well at least | Away from |
|---|---|
| 50 feet | a single-family home’s septic tank and drainfield |
| 100 feet | a single-family home’s septic tank and drainfield in a saprolite system |
| 100 feet | a septic tank and drainfield serving any other facility |
| 100 feet | animal barns, feedlots and manure piles |
| 100 feet | fertilizer, pesticide or other chemical storage areas |
| 50 feet | ponds, lakes and reservoirs |
| 50 feet | gravesites |
| 25 feet | brooks, creeks, streams and rivers |
| 25 feet | the house and attached garages, patios or decks that need a building permit |
On a single-family lot too small for these numbers, an animal barn may sit as close as 50 feet. If the home’s drainfield is a saprolite system, the septic distance is 100 feet instead. Some counties with their own well rules also enforce stricter setbacks. The county health department sets the distances on your permit.
What does the new well water test cover?
Within 30 days after the certificate of completion, the health department tests the water or has a lab do it. The statute lists arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, copper, fluoride, lead, iron, magnesium and manganese. It adds mercury, nitrates, nitrites, selenium, silver, sodium, zinc, pH and bacterial indicators.
In Cleveland County, the $500 construction permit includes the water samples. Keep the results with your well papers.
Do you need a permit to repair a well or replace a pump?
Repairing the well itself takes a repair permit under G.S. 87-97. The same section says “a permit shall not be required for the repair or replacement of a pump or tank.”
The county program also covers abandoned wells. Cleveland County lists a well abandonment permit on its fee schedule. When a new well replaces one that ran dry, ask the county how it wants the old well handled.
Who is allowed to drill a well in North Carolina?
State law requires anyone who performs, manages or supervises well contractor work to hold state certification. That work means “the construction, installation, repair, alteration, or abandonment of any well.” The Well Contractors Certification Commission oversees the program.
There is one exemption worth knowing. A person who builds, repairs or abandons a well on land that person owns or leases falls outside that rule. The county permit rules in G.S. 87-97 still cover that well.
Core Well Drilling is licensed to drill in North Carolina. Our drillers bring more than 40 years of drilling experience.
What if your land is on the South Carolina side?
South Carolina handles well permits its own way. If your land sits across the state line, read our guide to well permits in South Carolina.
When should you call about a North Carolina well?
Call before you set the house site. The setbacks decide where a well can go, and the county sets them on the permit. We do a site survey before anything gets scheduled, and the estimate comes in writing with a quoted minimum depth.
The rig comes over from our shop in Pacolet, SC. For Cleveland County land, see our Shelby, NC well drilling page. Call Core Well Drilling at (864) 768-5688 for a free estimate and we will get back to you.