Oklahoma Water Well Guide
Oklahoma · New well

Water well drilling Oklahoma: licensed drillers, state rules, and your area

Water well drilling Oklahoma is the job when the land needs a new water well and a city tap will not serve it. This page covers the Oklahoma Water Resources Board license, the completion report, the septic setback, and how many licensed firms this roster lists by area. It does not drill the well, quote a price, or book the job.

Drillers by area Find your mailing city Well record search
Before you call

A new water well is a licensed drilling job.

Call a licensed water well driller when you need a new borehole, you cannot find the old well, the well will not make water, or you are planning a house that city water will not reach. A pump that worked last month and then stopped is a different first call. Start with pump repair versus a new well if the well itself still exists.

Water well drillers on this Oklahoma roster come from the public Water Resources Board finder. The city on a card is a mailing city, not a promise the firm covers your land. Geotechnical firms and agency names stay on the list because they are on the finder. Ask if the firm takes a private domestic well at your address. Read how we check the list.

Hiring around Oklahoma City? Use the water well drilling Oklahoma City guide for that metro, then come back here for the statewide rules. The water well drilling service page is the longer company list. This page does not copy it.

Oklahoma Water Resources Board

The license is a category, not a rating.

The Oklahoma Water Resources Board Wells and Licensing page says the Board licenses well drilling and pump installation so well construction protects groundwater. The rule is Oklahoma Administrative Code 785:35-3-1. This is general information, not legal advice.

The license states the categories on its face. For a homeowner, three of them matter first:

  • Category 1 is commercial drilling or plugging of groundwater wells, including test drilling, and fresh water observation wells. A new house well starts here. On this directory the tag is groundwater.
  • Category 3 is commercial installation of water well pumps. A pumps tag is the pump. It is not, by itself, a new borehole.
  • Category 2 is monitoring wells, site assessment wells, and geotechnical borings. That is why soil and test firms share the finder with house-well shops. Ask before you treat that row as a drinking-water driller.

The same rule says each licensed firm has at least one operator, and an operator certification by itself is not authority to do the work. The operator is limited to what the firm license covers. Ask which firm holds the license for your job. The program phone on the Board's licensing page is 405-530-8800.

Before the rig moves

A household well is not the same paperwork as a commercial well.

The Board's Wells and Licensing page says any contractor who intends to drill a groundwater well for non-domestic use has to apply and receive approval before drilling. Authorization is not issued for a location that does not have an active groundwater use permit.

On that page, a Notice of Intent to Drill is required for public water supply, industrial use, medical marijuana grow operations, poultry operations, irrigation of more than 3 acres, oil and gas recovery, and any other commercial use. It is not required for a domestic groundwater well used for household purposes, livestock up to the land's grazing capacity, and irrigation of less than 3 acres. The page says to see OAC 785:30-1-1 and OAC 785:35-13-1 for the complete definitions. This page does not restate those two sections.

The same Board page says failure to submit an intent-to-drill application when one is required may result in a penalty of up to $5,000 per day per violation. That figure is the Board's published penalty. It is not a drilling price. If the use is not one of the domestic uses named on that page, ask the driller whether the authorization is already approved before anyone schedules the rig.

After the hole is drilled

The completion report is the record that stays with the house.

Oklahoma Administrative Code 785:35-5-3 says completion and plugging reports are filed on Board forms within 60 days after completion or plugging. For a groundwater well, the operator files the report. The Board's e-filing policy describes that duty as the licensed well driller's, for each newly constructed well, each plugged well, and each reconditioned well, within 60 days after the work.

For a groundwater well, the rule says the completion report has to include, among the construction details, the depth of the static water level, the depth at which groundwater was encountered, the estimated yield, the proximity to the nearest potential pollution source and the type of that source, the well disinfection procedure, and a certification from the operator that the information is accurate. It also asks for the location, the owner's name, casing and screen details, and the intended use. Ask who files it and ask for a copy for the house file.

The e-filing policy says information submitted through the e-filing system will be public record. It also says that, unless the Board decides otherwise in certain limited situations, there is no expectation of privacy for documents submitted by mail, fax, or e-file. You can look older wells up yourself before you call. That search is below.

Septic and other pollution sources

The setback depends on what the source is and which way the ground slopes.

Oklahoma Administrative Code 785:35-7-1(b) says every new groundwater well, fresh water observation well, and water well test hole has to sit a minimum distance from possible pollution sources, unless the Executive Director grants a variance. The rule names septic tanks, sewer lines, absorption fields or beds, seepage pits, building foundations, waste pits, lagoons, oil or gas wells, and landfills. Other agencies may require a greater distance. The distances in that subsection include:

  • 10 feet from a closed or tight sanitary sewer line, 25 feet from aerobic (above ground) sprinkler spray, and 50 feet from an aerobic sprinkler head.
  • 300 feet from the outside perimeter of an existing or proposed waste lagoon for a feedlot or confined animal feeding operation.
  • 50 feet from all other pollution sources. If the well is 50 to 75 feet away and is down-gradient or level with a possible pollution source, the rule requires a 20-foot surface seal.
  • The next line of the same rule says 75 feet from all other pollution sources if the well is level with the source, and 100 feet if the well is down-gradient from the source.

A septic tank or absorption field is not given its own distance line. It falls in "all other pollution sources," so both the 50-foot line (with the 20-foot seal when the well is 50 to 75 feet and down-gradient or level) and the 75-foot and 100-foot line are in the rule. Down-gradient means the well sits lower than the pollution source. Do not stake the well on the 50-foot number alone. Read the section with the driller and say which way the ground slopes.

The rule's exception for putting some wells closer than those minimums does not apply to a subsurface septic system, and it does not apply to a wastewater lagoon. A drinking-water well is not that exception.

The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality fact sheet How to Properly Maintain Your Private Water Well summarizes OAC 785:35 as a 100-foot separation from up-slope pollution sources, 50 feet from down-slope pollution sources, 75 feet from same-elevation pollution sources, and at least 50 feet from buildings. That is DEQ's summary of the chapter. The numbered lines above are the text of 785:35-7-1(b).

Separately, 785:35-7-1(d) says a new groundwater well, other than a sand-point well, is made water-tight around the outside of the production casing with cement grout. The seal is not less than 10 continuous feet, and the rule says those grouting requirements have to be met before the drilling rig leaves the site. The 20-foot surface seal is the extra case in the location rule, not a replacement for that minimum.

Wells already on file

Look up nearby well records before you ask for a price.

The Board's Water Well Record Search is the public lookup. The form on that page can be searched by well ID, by county, by legal location, or with water levels. A legal-location search requires township and range, and you choose a meridian. If you choose a groundwater well, the form also asks for a use. Domestic is one of those uses.

The Board's owner's guide, My Water Well (June 2013), says the well-record search opens completion reports by county or by section, township, and range, and by well type and water use. The same guide says researching that database is a way to estimate the approximate depth and yield of existing wells in the area. This page does not repeat the guide's 2013 count of logs. Use the live search for what is on file now.

A nearby log is a clue, not a promise your hole will match it. Take the legal description of your land, or the county, and ask the driller what those neighboring reports suggest. This directory does not set or publish job prices. Ask for a written quote for that land.

This directory's roster

Licensed firms by mailing area, counted from our own list.

Counts are the company cards on this site, one card per firm. They match the licensed water well companies index. A mailing city is not coverage. Confirm the land when you call.

All firms
405 licensed firms. 236 of those rows include a groundwater tag. The groundwater number is a subset, not 236 extra firms. The water well drilling page starts from that same groundwater set.
Central Oklahoma
81 firms in 23 mailing cities. 40 include a groundwater tag.
Tulsa area
14 firms in 10 mailing cities. 7 include a groundwater tag.
Rest of Oklahoma
168 firms in 108 mailing cities. 125 include a groundwater tag.
Out-of-state mail
142 Oklahoma-licensed firms in 113 mailing cities outside Oklahoma. 64 include a groundwater tag.

Those four areas are 23 + 10 + 108 + 113 mailing cities, which is the 254 mailing cities with directory records on the cities page. The groundwater tag is this site's label for category 1. A row can also carry pumps, geotechnical, geothermal, or another category. A groundwater tag does not prove the firm drills private house wells.

Central Oklahoma mailing cities

Each number is licensed rows with that mailing city, then how many of those rows include a groundwater tag. Del City has a city page and zero firms with a Del City mailing city.

  • Oklahoma City — 20 licensed rows, 7 with a groundwater tag
  • Yukon — 7 licensed rows, 4 with a groundwater tag
  • Edmond — 6 licensed rows, 2 with a groundwater tag
  • Norman — 6 licensed rows, 4 with a groundwater tag
  • Luther — 5 licensed rows, 2 with a groundwater tag
  • Choctaw — 4 licensed rows, 4 with a groundwater tag
  • Harrah — 4 licensed rows, 3 with a groundwater tag
  • Shawnee — 4 licensed rows, 2 with a groundwater tag
  • Nicoma Park — 3 licensed rows, 1 with a groundwater tag
  • Blanchard — 2 licensed rows, 1 with a groundwater tag
  • Chickasha — 2 licensed rows, 2 with a groundwater tag
  • Guthrie — 2 licensed rows, 0 with a groundwater tag
  • Mcloud — 2 licensed rows, 1 with a groundwater tag
  • Meeker — 2 licensed rows, 0 with a groundwater tag
  • Moore — 2 licensed rows, 1 with a groundwater tag
  • Mustang — 2 licensed rows, 2 with a groundwater tag
  • Piedmont — 2 licensed rows, 1 with a groundwater tag
  • Chandler — 1 licensed row, 1 with a groundwater tag
  • Jones — 1 licensed row, 0 with a groundwater tag
  • Lexington — 1 licensed row, 0 with a groundwater tag
  • Midwest City — 1 licensed row, 1 with a groundwater tag
  • Tuttle — 1 licensed row, 0 with a groundwater tag
  • Wellston — 1 licensed row, 1 with a groundwater tag

Tulsa-area mailing cities

  • Tulsa — 4 licensed rows, 2 with a groundwater tag
  • Muskogee — 2 licensed rows, 1 with a groundwater tag
  • Bixby — 1 licensed row, 0 with a groundwater tag
  • Claremore — 1 licensed row, 1 with a groundwater tag
  • Collinsville — 1 licensed row, 0 with a groundwater tag
  • Glenpool — 1 licensed row, 1 with a groundwater tag
  • Hulbert — 1 licensed row, 0 with a groundwater tag
  • Inola — 1 licensed row, 1 with a groundwater tag
  • Owasso — 1 licensed row, 0 with a groundwater tag
  • Sand Springs — 1 licensed row, 1 with a groundwater tag

The other 108 Oklahoma mailing cities, and the out-of-state mailing cities, are on the city index. Find your mailing city there, or open the full list of licensed water well companies. For the Oklahoma City hire path, stay with water well drilling Oklahoma City.

Water well drilling Oklahoma: quick answers

Who licenses a water well driller in Oklahoma?

The Oklahoma Water Resources Board. Oklahoma Administrative Code 785:35-3-1 says a person who commercially drills or plugs a groundwater well, or who commercially installs a water well pump, has to hold a Board license for that activity. A new house well is category 1, groundwater. The pump is category 3. An operator certification by itself is not a firm license.

Does a new household well need a Notice of Intent to Drill?

The Board's Wells and Licensing page says a Notice of Intent to Drill is not required for a domestic groundwater well used for household purposes, livestock up to the land's grazing capacity, and irrigation of less than 3 acres. It is required before drilling for public water supply, industrial use, medical marijuana grow operations, poultry operations, irrigation of more than 3 acres, oil and gas recovery, and any other commercial use. Authorization is not issued for a location that does not have an active groundwater use permit. The same page says failing to submit a required intent application may result in a penalty of up to $5,000 per day per violation. Complete definitions are in the rules the Board cites, OAC 785:30-1-1 and OAC 785:35-13-1.

What has to be filed after the well is drilled?

Oklahoma Administrative Code 785:35-5-3 says the operator files a completion or plugging report within 60 days after completion or plugging. For a groundwater well, the report includes the static water level, the estimated yield, how close the well is to the nearest potential pollution source and what that source is, and the disinfection procedure, plus construction details and the operator's certification. The Board's e-filing policy says information submitted through e-filing will be public record, and that mail, fax, and e-file submissions have no expectation of privacy unless the Board decides otherwise in a limited case. Ask for a copy for the house file.

How far does a new well have to be from a septic system?

Oklahoma Administrative Code 785:35-7-1(b) lists septic tanks, sewer lines, and absorption fields as possible pollution sources. The rule sets 10 feet from a closed or tight sanitary sewer line, 25 feet from aerobic above-ground sprinkler spray, 50 feet from an aerobic sprinkler head, and 300 feet from the outside perimeter of a feedlot or confined-animal waste lagoon. Other pollution sources, which is where a septic tank or absorption field falls, are 50 feet, and a well 50 to 75 feet away that is down-gradient or level with the source needs a 20-foot surface seal. The next line of the same rule says 75 feet if the well is level with the source and 100 feet if the well is down-gradient. The closer-than-minimum exception does not apply to a subsurface septic system. Read the section and ask the driller before the rig is sited.

How do I look up wells already drilled near my land?

Use the Oklahoma Water Resources Board Water Well Record Search. The live form can be searched by well ID, by county, by legal location, or with water levels. A legal-location search asks for township and range, and a groundwater search asks for a use such as domestic. The Board's 2013 owner's guide says those completion reports are a way to estimate approximate depth and yield of existing wells in the area. Records describe wells already on file. They are not a quote for a new hole.

How many licensed drillers does this roster list by area?

This directory lists 405 firms from the Water Resources Board finder, one page per firm. Of those, 236 rows include a groundwater tag, the category this site uses for commercial groundwater drilling. By mailing address: Central Oklahoma 81 firms in 23 cities (40 with a groundwater tag); Tulsa area 14 firms in 10 cities (7 with a groundwater tag); the rest of Oklahoma 168 firms in 108 cities (125 with a groundwater tag); Oklahoma-licensed firms with an out-of-state mailing address 142 firms in 113 cities (64 with a groundwater tag). A mailing city is not a coverage promise, and a groundwater tag does not prove the firm takes a private house well.

Does this directory quote a drilling price or book the job?

No. This directory does not set or publish job prices. Depth, casing, access, a dry hole, and whether a pump is included change the quote. Ask the company for a written quote for that land. Using the directory never creates a booking, and these pages are not reviews.

Licensed water well companies Find your mailing city What to ask before you book

General information for Oklahoma homeowners, not legal advice and not a booking. Questions that belong on the call are in what to ask before you book.

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