Hiring someone to drill a water well on your property is one of the bigger decisions you'll make as a rural Texas landowner. It's expensive, it's permanent, and if it goes wrong — wrong casing, contaminated aquifer access, a pump sized for the wrong depth — the fix isn't cheap. The single best thing you can do to protect yourself is start with a licensed driller.
In Texas, that's not just good advice. It's the law.
The Texas Legislature passed the Water Well Drillers Act requiring all water well drillers and pump installers to hold an active license through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). The law exists for practical reasons: improperly constructed wells can contaminate aquifers, allow surface water intrusion, and create structural hazards on your property. A licensed driller has passed competency exams, carries the required bonding, and is subject to state oversight if something goes wrong.
Unlicensed drillers operate outside that system entirely. If they disappear after a bad installation, or if their well damages a neighbor's water supply, your options are limited. And in some cases, the property owner can be held liable for violations committed by an unlicensed contractor they hired.
Red flag: Any driller who can't immediately provide their TDLR license number — or who tells you licensing "doesn't apply" to their type of work — should be crossed off your list.
TDLR maintains a public license lookup at tdlr.texas.gov. You can search by name or license number and confirm whether a driller's license is active, expired, or has any disciplinary history. This takes about 90 seconds and should be non-negotiable before you sign anything.
What you're looking for:
You can also use Texas Well Finder, which indexes active TDLR-licensed drillers by county and is updated regularly from state data.
Once you've confirmed licensing, the conversation turns to fit. Not every driller works every part of Texas — a driller based in Lubbock probably doesn't have firsthand experience with the Trinity aquifer in Wimberley, and that local knowledge genuinely matters.
If one quote comes in 40% below the others, something is being left out. Ask exactly what's excluded. A low per-foot drilling rate with no pump, no casing, and no pressure tank isn't a deal — it's an incomplete job.
Some drillers will suggest skipping the groundwater district permit to save time or money. This is illegal, and it also means your well won't be registered — which can create problems when you sell the property or make an insurance claim.
Verbal agreements are fine for handshakes. They're not fine for $15,000 construction projects on your private water supply. A contract should include depth estimate, casing specs, pump model and horsepower, total price, and payment schedule.
An experienced driller will have customers in your area. Ask for two or three recent references in your county and actually call them. Ask how the project went, whether the final cost matched the quote, and whether they'd hire the same driller again.
Note on timing: In fast-growing counties like Williamson, Hays, and Comal, good drillers book out months in advance. If you're planning a well for a new build, start the conversation well before you break ground.
If you have a dispute with a licensed driller, you can file a complaint with TDLR at tdlr.texas.gov. The agency can investigate, issue fines, and suspend or revoke licenses. What they can't do is get your money back directly — that's a civil matter. This is another reason why a detailed written contract matters: it gives you the documentation to pursue civil remedies if something goes badly wrong.
For straightforward disputes about workmanship, many drillers will make it right rather than face a TDLR complaint. The license is their livelihood, and they know it.
Texas Well Finder lists TDLR-verified water well drillers across all 195 Texas counties. Every driller shown holds an active state license.
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