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

A drilled, finished water well in Virginia typically costs $6,800–$42,500, with a midpoint of $22,300. Depth sets most of that price. Virginia 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

Virginia 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 Virginia

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 Virginia

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.

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Where the money goes on a Virginia 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 Virginia

Water wells in Virginia fall under Virginia Department of Health, Private Well Program. A written construction permit from the health department is required to construct, alter, abandon or deepen a private well. Drilling is done by a water well systems provider certified by the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation. Within 30 days of finishing a well, the owner, the owner's agent or the provider must give the health department a completed uniform water well completion report.

Sources10,11

Groundwater and well construction in Virginia

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 Virginia median

In the Piedmont and Blue Ridge, wells draw water from fractures in bedrock, and yields depend on rock type, soil thickness and fracture density.

In the Coastal Plain, a 2025 USGS study of 8,264 private-domestic well records found that the Yorktown-Eastover, Potomac and surficial aquifers supply 80 percent of self-supplied household water, and private-domestic use makes up nearly 40 percent of all groundwater pumped in the region.

A well at the Virginia median reaches 200 ft with casing to about 130 ft, a model assumption because the records here do not report casing. A well must be at least 50 feet from a septic tank, and 50 feet from a drainfield for most well classes. For Class IIIC and IVC wells the drainfield distance is 100 feet.

Virginia's private well rules require a coliform test of a newly constructed well. The health department recommends annual bacteria and nitrate testing after that.

Sources12,13,2,14,15

Virginia compared with neighboring states

StateMedian depthTypical finished well
Virginiano records$6,800–$42,500
Kentucky140 ft$6,500–$32,800
Marylandno records$6,800–$42,500
North Carolinano records$4,900–$25,600
Tennessee220 ft$7,900–$44,800
West Virginia150 ft$6,500–$40,200

Sources16,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,1,17,18,19,20

Common questions

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

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 Virginia?

A written construction permit from the health department is required to construct, alter, abandon or deepen a private well. 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 Virginia?

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 what drilling a well costs.

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. Private Well Program , Virginia Department of Health. Accessed November 9, 2026. Content taken from search excerpts.
  11. 12VAC5-630, Private Well Regulations , Virginia Administrative Code. Accessed November 9, 2026.
  12. HA 730-L Piedmont and Blue Ridge aquifers , U.S. Geological Survey. Accessed November 9, 2026. Content taken from search excerpts.
  13. Estimated hydrogeologic, spatial, and temporal distribution of self-supplied domestic groundwater withdrawals in the Virginia Coastal Plain (SIR 2025-5051) , U.S. Geological Survey. Accessed November 9, 2026. Fetched abstract (Kearns and Pope, 2025): 8,264 well records; Yorktown-Eastover, Potomac and surficial aquifers account for 80 percent of self-supplied domestic withdrawals; private-domestic nearly 40 percent of total groundwater withdrawals.
  14. 12VAC5-630-380, Well location , Virginia Administrative Code. Accessed November 9, 2026.
  15. Guidance on testing your private well water , Virginia Department of Health. Accessed November 9, 2026. Content taken from search excerpts.
  16. Kentucky Groundwater Data Repository, water wells , Kentucky Geological Survey. Accessed November 8, 2026. Well completion records used for depth, casing, and yield distributions.
  17. 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.
  18. 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.
  19. Water Well Program, well locations , Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. Accessed November 8, 2026. Well completion records used for depth, casing, and yield distributions.
  20. Monitoring locations: West Virginia groundwater sites (Water Data API) , U.S. Geological Survey. Accessed November 9, 2026. All groundwater sites in the USGS inventory for West Virginia; no water-use field. Used: wells with a construction year 1980 to 2025 and a depth of 20 to 3,000 ft (n=747).

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