Water Well Permits in Texas — A Homeowner's Guide

Everything North Texas homeowners need to know before drilling a private water well.

If you're building a home on acreage in Wise, Denton, Cooke, Parker, Montague, or any of the surrounding counties, chances are you've thought about putting in your own water well. It's one of the best long-term investments you can make in a rural property, no city water bill, no usage restrictions, and water that's truly your own.

But before the first inch of pipe goes in the ground, there's paperwork. And in Texas, where you drill matters just as much as how you drill. This guide walks you through what permits you actually need, who issues them, and how to avoid the most common mistakes we see homeowners make.

Who regulates water wells in Texas?

Texas water wells are governed by a few different agencies, and it helps to know who does what:

• Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) licenses the people who drill wells and install pumps. Every legitimate drilling contractor in Texas carries a TDLR license number.

• Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) is the state's water data agency. They maintain the Submitted Driller's Reports Database, the Groundwater Data Viewer, and statewide maps of major and minor aquifers. You can explore all of it on the TWDB Data, Apps and Maps page.

• Groundwater Conservation Districts (GCDs) are the local authority that issues well registrations and production permits in their jurisdiction. This is where most of your paperwork happens.

• Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) handles water quality and reporting alongside TDLR.

Most North Texas homeowners deal mainly with their local GCD and their well driller. The other agencies operate behind the scenes.

Does Texas require a permit to drill a private well?

Here's the part that surprises a lot of people: Texas does not have a single statewide permit for residential water wells. Whether you need one depends entirely on whether your property sits inside a Groundwater Conservation District.

Roughly two-thirds of Texas is now covered by a GCD, and almost every county in our North Texas service area is. If you're in a GCD, you must register your well with the district before drilling begins — not after. Drilling first and registering later is one of the most common (and expensive) mistakes we see.

The two North Texas GCDs you should know

If you're a homeowner in our service area, you'll fall under one of these two districts:

Upper Trinity Groundwater Conservation District

Covers Wise, Hood, Montague, and Parker counties. Their rules for a new residential well include:

• Your property must be at least 2 acres

• The well must be drilled at least 50 feet from the nearest property line

• The well must be drilled at least 150 feet from any other registered well

• You must register the well before drilling

Phone: 817-523-5200 — uppertrinitygcd.com

North Texas Groundwater Conservation District

Covers Collin, Cooke, and Denton counties. Created in 2009, this district requires:

• All new wells must be registered before construction begins

• Wells producing less than 17.36 gallons per minute are exempt from metering, production fees, and production permits (but still must be registered)

• Wells over that threshold require a Production Permit and may be metered

Phone: 855-426-4433 — northtexasgcd.org

A quick note on that 17.36 gpm number: it's not arbitrary. Texas law defines an "exempt" domestic well at that rate, and most single-family homes, even with irrigation, a couple of horses, and a guest house, sit comfortably below it. If you're not sure what your household will pull, ask your driller before you commit to a pump size.

What about city permits?

If your land is inside city limits or an ETJ (extraterritorial jurisdiction), you may also need a city permit on top of your GCD registration. Cities like Decatur, Aubrey, and Denton each have their own building and water rules, and some require an inspection before the well can be tied into the home's plumbing.

If you hire a licensed drilling company, this is something they should be handling for you — not something you should be figuring out on a Saturday morning. At Triangle J, we submit both the GCD registration and any city paperwork as part of every job we do.

What happens after the well is drilled?

Within 60 days of completion, your driller is required to file a Well Report (sometimes called a "driller's log") with both TDLR and the TWDB. That report goes into the state's Submitted Driller's Reports Database, which is publicly searchable.

The well report includes:

• Total depth and casing details

• Static water level and pump rate

• Aquifer the well draws from (in North Texas, most often the Trinity or Woodbine aquifer)

• Driller's license number and signature

Keep a copy of that report with your home records. It's important documentation if you ever sell the property, if the well needs servicing years later, or if you decide to install a larger pump.

Do you have to hire a licensed driller?

Under Texas law, a private landowner is technically allowed to drill or plug a well on their own property without a license. But practically speaking, almost no homeowner has the rig, the experience, or the reporting access to do it correctly, and an unlicensed well can become a serious problem at resale, at refinance, or when something goes wrong 200 feet down.

Hiring a TDLR-licensed driller protects you. Verify any contractor's license at tdlr.texas.gov/www before you sign a contract.

Common mistakes homeowners make

In our years drilling wells across North Texas, these are the slip-ups we see most often:

1. Drilling before registering. GCDs can assess penalties and require costly remediation. Always register first.

2. Picking a well location too close to the septic system. Most GCDs and counties require at least 50–100 feet of separation. Locate the septic field first, then the well.

3. Choosing a pump size before knowing the aquifer. A 25 gpm pump on a Trinity well that yields 12 gpm will burn out fast. Have your driller advise on pump sizing after the test pump runs.

4. Forgetting the city paperwork. Even on rural lots, if you're inside an ETJ you may still need a city permit. Don't assume "country property" means "no city involvement."

5. Losing the well report. Keep it filed with your closing documents. You'll thank yourself in 15 years.

How Triangle J handles permits for you

Permits and registrations are part of every well we drill in North Texas. We submit the GCD registration before we ever bring a rig on site, file the city paperwork where required, complete the well report with TDLR and TWDB within the 60-day window, and hand you a clean folder with everything at the end of the job.

If you're thinking about a well on your property, whether it's a brand-new build or you're replacing an old, failing well, we're happy to walk your site, talk through what aquifer you'll likely be drilling into, and give you a turnkey price that covers everything from drilling through pump installation, including the permits.

Give us a call or send us a note at info@trianglejwaterwells.com. We've been serving North Texas families and ranches for years, and our standing offer holds: if you have an itemized estimate from another licensed, reputable Texas well driller, we'll match it.

Triangle J Water Wells — serving Wise, Denton, Cooke, Montague, Parker, and surrounding counties. Licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

Sources & further reading:

• Texas Water Development Board — Data, Apps and Maps

• TWDB Groundwater Conservation Districts directory

• TWDB Submitted Driller's Reports Database

• Upper Trinity GCD

• North Texas GCD

• TDLR Water Well Drillers & Pump Installers