costtodrillawell.com

Cost to drill a well in South Carolina: $6,800–$42,500

A drilled, finished water well in South Carolina typically costs $6,800–$42,500, with a midpoint of $22,300. Depth sets most of that price. South Carolina does not publish its well completion reports as a bulk download, so this estimate uses the national depth model of 100 ft to 300 ft, priced at national driller rates.1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9

South Carolina has no bulk well-record download we could use, so this page shows statewide estimates from the national depth model and no county figures.

Key figures for South Carolina

ItemFigure
Finished well, typical range (midpoint $22,300) $6,800–$42,5001,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9
Drilling and casing only (no pump, tank, or hookup) $4,200–$31,4001,2,3,4,5,6
Drilling rate (national rates) $25–$75/ft3

Estimate a well in South Carolina

Typical total: $6,800–$42,500, midpoint $22,300.1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9

No usable well records for this area, so depths use the national model (100 ft to 300 ft).

Low uses the 25th percentile depth at low rates; high uses the 75th percentile at high rates.
Line itemLowMidHigh
Drilling (per foot of depth) (200 ft × $50/ft)$2,500$10,000$22,5003
Casing, installed (130 ft × $28/ft)$1,000$3,600$5,9004
Rig mobilization and setup ($550–$2,500)$600$1,500$2,5005
Well permit ($50–$500)$100$300$5006
Pump, wire, and drop pipe, installed ($1,000–$4,000)$1,000$2,500$4,0007
Pressure tank and switch, installed ($500–$1,800)$500$1,200$1,8007
Trench, water line, and electrical to the house ($1,000–$5,000)$1,000$3,000$5,0008
Water quality test ($50–$250)$100$200$3009
Total$6,800$22,300$42,500

Casing depth of 130 ft is a model assumption; the records for this area do not report casing.2

No state rate survey yet, so national driller rates are used.

Get quotes from licensed drillers in South Carolina

Tell us your ZIP code and what you need. We pass it to drillers who work in your part of South Carolina.

Submitting sends your request to Cost to Drill a Well. We reply by email and may pass it to well contractors who serve your ZIP code. See the privacy policy.

Where the money goes on a South Carolina well

Drilling is billed by the foot at $25–$75/ft, so the hole alone runs $2,500–$22,500 at the depths above. Casing, the steel or PVC pipe that lines the upper borehole, adds $1,000–$5,900 at $10–$45/ft. Rig setup is a flat $600–$2,500.

The pump, pressure tank, and trench to the house add $2,500–$10,800 on top of the hole. A quote that looks low next to the range above often leaves those three out, so ask for it itemized.

Sources3,4,5,6,7,8,9

Permits and driller licensing in South Carolina

Water wells in South Carolina fall under South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (formerly DHEC), Bureau of Water. The well owner or driller must get a permit from the state environmental agency before installing a well. Regulation 61-44 holds the permitting requirements for individual drinking water wells. Regulation 61-71 requires wells to be drilled, constructed and abandoned by a South Carolina certified well driller. The contractor must submit the Water Well Record form to the Department within thirty days after the well is completed.

Sources10,11

Groundwater and well construction in South Carolina

Well cap Submersible pump Casing to about 130 ft Total depth about 200 ft Soil and loose rock Open hole in rock
Cross-section of a 200 ft well with casing to 130 ft, the South Carolina median

Crystalline-rock aquifers of the Piedmont lie in western South Carolina, where reported well yields average about 15 to 20 gallons per minute. The Coastal Plain has sand and gravel aquifers.

A well at the South Carolina median reaches 200 ft with casing to about 130 ft, a model assumption because the records here do not report casing. Regulation 61-71 requires a well to be at least 75 feet from a septic tank and tile field.

Sources12,2,10

South Carolina compared with neighboring states

StateMedian depthTypical finished well
South Carolinano records$6,800–$42,500
Georgiano records$7,300–$29,000
North Carolinano records$4,900–$25,600

Sources1,2,13,4,5,14,7,8,15,16,17

Common questions

How much does it cost per foot to drill a well in South Carolina?

Drilling alone runs $25–$75/ft on the rates we compiled. Spread across a whole finished well, including casing, pump, tank, and hookup, the midpoint estimate works out to about $112/ft at a depth of 200 ft. Per-foot quotes rarely include the pump.

Do you need a permit to drill a well in South Carolina?

The well owner or driller must get a permit from the state environmental agency before installing a well. Regulation 61-44 holds the permitting requirements for individual drinking water wells. The driller usually files the paperwork, but the permit is tied to your property, so ask for a copy.

How much do a well pump and pressure tank add in South Carolina?

An installed submersible pump with wire and drop pipe runs $1,000–$4,000, and a pressure tank with its switch runs $500–$1,800. Together they are often the line items missing from a drilling quote, so a quote for the hole alone will look $3,700 cheaper than a finished well.

Related pages

For every state side by side and the national range, see costtodrillawell.com.

Sources

  1. National depth distribution, median of state percentiles , Cost to Drill a Well. Accessed November 9, 2026. Median across states with records of each state's 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile depth.
  2. Default casing share of well depth , Cost to Drill a Well. Accessed November 9, 2026. Median of state casing_p50 / depth_p50 across states that report casing. Used only where no local casing median exists.
  3. Water Well Installation: Complete Guide, Cost and Tips for Success , Stevens Drilling (La Vernia, TX). Accessed November 8, 2026. Published 2025-10-27. Drilling $25-$65/ft; pumps $500-$2,000; pressure tank $300-$1,500; permit/licensing $100-$750; total $7,500-$17,000+.
  4. Cost to Drill a Water Well in Northern California , Weeks Drilling & Pump Co. (Sebastopol, CA). Accessed November 8, 2026. Published 2026-04-30. Drilling $35-$130/ft; steel casing $20-$45/ft; pump and pressure tank $3,500-$9,000; permitting $500-$2,500.
  5. D-203(5) Statewide Drilling Services, Exhibit D Price Schedule (Thein Well Co., contract 226711) , Minnesota Office of State Procurement. Accessed November 8, 2026. 2023 state-contract unit rates from a licensed MN driller: 6-in borehole $30-$31/ft (mud rotary/auger), $75/ft air rotary in rock; 6-in casing $28/ft (code) to $48/ft (black steel); mobilization $1,000/project; 34-gal pressure tank installed $1,000, 62-gal $1,450; submersible pump 3/4-1 hp $1,250-$1,350 each; drop pipe $7/ft; pitless and lateral $2,000; trench $20/LF. Agency-buyer rates, not retail quotes.
  6. Compilation of fetched state and county well permit fees (research/rates/NOTES.md, section permit) , costtodrillawell.com research. Accessed November 8, 2026. Internal compilation used only for the national permit fallback. Component sources: ok-owrb-well-driller-fact-sheet ($0), fl-nwfwmd-well-fees through fl-manatee-water-wells-2026 ($35-$265), ny-dutchess-dbch-fees ($45), wi-dnr-well-notification ($50.50), ga-pierce-well-permit-2024 ($70), idaho-code-42-235 ($75), crs-37-92-602 ($100), az-ars-45-596 ($100-$150), nmac-19-27-5 ($125), wa-rcw-18-104-055 ($200), nc-wayne-private-wells through nc-gaston-eh-fees ($225-$450), mi-grand-traverse-fees-2026 and mi-delta-menominee-fees-2025 ($240-$334), mt-dnrc-form-613-2025 ($250-$400), pa-chester-county-health-fees ($300), mn-stat-103i-208 ($325), oh-logan-fees-2024 through oh-summit-fees-2025 ($350-$594), or-hb2808-2025 ($490), blanco-pedernales-gcd-fees-2025 ($500), ca-calaveras-fees-2026 ($693), ny-nyc-well-water-permit ($1,090 outlier).
  7. How Much Does a Well Pressure Tank Cost? , Mid Atlantic Water LLC (water-system supplier, nationwide). Accessed November 8, 2026. Updated 2026-10-14; prices live as of 2026-09. Tank replaced by plumber $800-$1,800 all-in (20-44 gal); labor $200-$500; submersible pump job $1,000-$2,500; tank plus pump $2,500-$5,000+. Supplier, not an installer.
  8. What Are the Cost Factors of Drilling a Santa Fe Water Well? , Boylan Water Well Service (Santa Fe, NM). Accessed November 8, 2026. Published 2026-06-25. Drilling incl. PVC casing $28-$65/ft; submersible pump $850-$2,500; casing and grouting $1,500-$4,000; pressure tank and controls $500-$1,800; electrical hookup and trenching $1,000-$3,500; permits and lab testing $300-$1,000; turn-key $12,000-$30,000+.
  9. DSHS Austin Laboratory Fee Schedule, effective 2026-09-01 , Texas Department of State Health Services. Accessed November 8, 2026. Potable Water (coliform) MZZ0441A $18.39; Nitrate-N EZZ0048A $30.00; Routine Water Mineral Group $155; All Metals $165; VOCs $150.
  10. Regulation 61-71 Well Standards , South Carolina Department of Environmental Services. Accessed November 9, 2026.
  11. Individual Water Supply Wells , South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. Accessed November 9, 2026.
  12. Ground Water Atlas of the United States, Segment 6 (HA 730-G), Piedmont and Blue Ridge aquifers , USGS. Accessed November 9, 2026. Page not directly fetched; content taken from search excerpts.
  13. Well Services FAQs , Well Watchers / Expert Well Drilling & Well Pump Services (Milner, GA). Accessed November 8, 2026. 2026 footer. Central Georgia drilling $25-$35/ft; pump system $1,500-$3,000; pump replacement $1,200-$2,500; permits and testing $300-$600; total $5,000-$12,000.
  14. Well Permit application (Well_Permit_24.pdf) , Pierce County Board of Health / Planning & Codes (Blackshear, GA). Accessed November 8, 2026. 2024. Well permit fee $70.00 under the Water Well Standards Act (O.C.G.A. 12-5-120 et seq.). County boards of health set fees in Georgia.
  15. Testing Services (UGA AESL water tests via county office) , University of Georgia Extension, Harris County. Accessed November 8, 2026. Undated. W35 total coliform/E. coli $36; W6 nitrate-N $16; W1 basic water test $24; W2 expanded $64; W33B home loan closing kit $85.
  16. How much does it cost to drill a well? , Merrill Drilling & Water Systems (Penrose, NC). Accessed November 8, 2026. Undated (site 2023; images 2018). Drilling about $10/ft low end up to $30/ft; casing $5-$20/ft; permits $200-$500 residential; drilling alone from $2,000.
  17. Fee Schedule , Gaston County Environmental Health (NC). Accessed November 8, 2026. Undated. Well installation permit $450; state-required water test for new wells $150; bacteriological only $80; inorganic only $80; both $150.

How these figures are built: methodology. Updated November 2026.