Estimates
What does it cost to drill a well in Idaho?
The honest answer is that it depends on your site, and we won't put a number on a well we haven't seen. Here's what actually shapes the job in Idaho, and how our free estimates work.
It's the first question almost everyone asks, and it's a fair one. The honest answer is that no two well sites are the same, so anyone who gives you a flat number over the phone before seeing your ground is guessing. What we can do here is walk you through what actually shapes the job, so when we come out and give you a free estimate, none of it is a surprise.
Most of the domestic wells we drill land between 100 and 400 feet, with mountain sites running deeper, and depth is only one of the things that shapes a well. The rest comes down to the ground itself and what your property needs. We look at all of it, on site, before we tell you anything.
Whatever the job, the estimate is free. See residential and agricultural & irrigation drilling for how we approach each, or the service area for where we work.
What moves the number
What actually shapes a well job.
Depth
This is the big one, because you drill until you reach reliable water. A site where water sits shallow is a different job than one where we have to go deep. We estimate depth before we drill using neighboring well logs and local geology, so we're not walking in blind.
Geology
Soft ground drills quickly; hard rock and fractured bedrock are slower going. The country we work runs the gamut, from valley bottom to timbered mountain ground, and the rock under your particular place sets the pace of the work.
Casing and construction
A well has to be cased and sealed to protect the water and meet state standards. Deeper wells and certain formations call for more casing, and that's not a place to cut corners, so how your site is built factors into the job.
How much water you need
A house well and a farm well are different animals. Higher-volume agricultural and irrigation wells often need larger casing and a bigger pump, so a stock or irrigation well is sized to the gallons-per-minute your operation actually needs.
The pump and pressure system
The hole in the ground is only part of it. The pump, pressure tank, and wiring that turn a well into water at the tap are sized to the depth and the household, and they're part of what we spec out for your site.
Access and site
How easily we can get the rig onto the spot, and the lay of your particular property, factors into the work. Most of our range is a manageable run from Midvale, and we'll tell you honestly if anything about your site changes the picture.
The Idaho paperwork
Before a well is drilled, Idaho requires a drilling permit, and the state's domestic well permit is a modest fixed fee, currently $75, set by the state rather than by us. Idaho also requires that the work be done by a licensed driller, and there's no drill-it-yourself option here. As a licensed Idaho outfit we handle that permit and the state-filed driller's log as part of the job, so the paperwork isn't something you have to chase.
One thing worth knowing: a strictly domestic well (one home, up to half an acre of irrigation, and under 13,000 gallons a day) is generally exempt from needing a separate water right. Newer state rules can narrow that for new subdivisions in areas flagged for groundwater stress, so we'll tell you if your situation is one of them. Step past the domestic exemption, into real irrigation, commercial, or larger use, and the state requires a water right, which is a different process we'll point you toward before we drill.
Is a well worth it?
For a lot of the properties we work, a well isn't really optional, since there's no city main to tie into, so the question isn't well-versus-city, it's having your own reliable water versus hauling it in for the life of the property. A well you own, drilled and cased right, gives you water that's yours to count on for decades.
Where you do have a choice, we're happy to talk it through honestly, including the times when a well isn't the right call for your place. We'd rather tell you that up front than sell you a hole in the ground you don't need.
Good to know
Common questions about well estimates.
What does it cost to drill a well in Idaho?
It depends on the site. Depth, geology, and the system all shape it, so we don't put a number on a well we haven't seen. Most Idaho domestic wells land between 100 and 400 feet. We come out and give you a free estimate rather than a guess over the phone.
How much does a new well cost?
It depends on your site. Depth, geology, and the system all shape the job, so rather than guess over the phone, we come look and give you a free estimate. Call us and we'll walk through it together.
How deep will my well need to be?
Depth varies across the range we work, and we estimate before we drill using local knowledge, neighboring well logs, and geology data when we need it. Most domestic wells in southwest and central Idaho land between 100 and 400 feet, with mountain sites running deeper.
Do I need a water right for my well?
A strictly domestic well (one home, up to half an acre of irrigation, under 13,000 gallons a day) is generally exempt from a water right in Idaho, though newer state rules can narrow that for new subdivisions in areas flagged for groundwater stress. Irrigation, commercial, or larger use needs a water right from the state, and we'll point you the right direction on that before we drill.
The only real answer for your place comes after we've looked at the site and the neighboring well logs. That estimate is free, and there's no pressure attached to it. Call us and we'll walk through it.
The fastest way to get water sorted is a phone call.
Tell us about your property and we'll walk through what it can support. Free estimates, straight answers, and a Langer on the other end of the line.