Texas is a big state with very different groundwater, so a single average hides a lot. A shallow well in sandy East or Southeast Texas ground and a deep well through Hill Country limestone can differ by tens of thousands of dollars. This page collects the prices Texas drillers and local sources publish, explains why they vary, and lists the groundwater district fees that national cost guides leave out. Published prices are planning figures, not quotes.
Texas well drilling cost per foot
Most published Texas figures for drilling fall between about $25 and $65 per foot. Bob Vila's national cost guide lists Texas at $30 to $55 per foot in its state table. Bob Vila: Well Drilling Cost Texas drillers publish similar or wider ranges: [BOBVILA-WELL source note]
| Source | Area | Drilling price per foot |
|---|---|---|
| Bob Vila cost guide | Texas (state table) | $30 to $55 |
| Stevens Drilling | South-central Texas | $25 to $65 |
| DFW Well Service | North Texas | $30 to $55 |
| DFW Well Service | Sandy or alluvial ground (Hunt, Kaufman, Rockwall, Grayson) | $28 to $40 |
| DFW Well Service | Hard limestone (Parker, Hood) | $48 to $65 |
| Hill Country Well & Pump | Texas Hill Country | $35 to $60 |
Sources: Stevens Drilling: Water Well Installation Texas, DFW Well Service: Water Well Drilling Cost Per Foot in Texas, Hill Country Well & Pump: How Much Does a Water Well Cost in Texas?. Per-foot prices usually cover the borehole only. DFW Well Service lists 6-inch steel casing separately at $18 to $28 per foot. [STEVENS-COST source note] [DFW-WELL-COST source note] [HCWP-COST source note]
Complete well cost by region
The total is what matters, and it is driven by depth. These are published totals for a working residential system, from the sources above and a Southeast Texas driller:
| Area | Typical depth stated | Published total |
|---|---|---|
| South-central Texas (La Vernia, Boerne, San Antonio area) | 100 to 500 ft (general range) | $7,500 to $17,000+ |
| Southeast and Central Texas (Harris, Waller, Bastrop counties) | 150 to 400 ft | $10,000 to $30,000 |
| Boerne, Comfort, Kendall County | 350 to 650 ft | $19,000 to $29,000 |
| Marble Falls, Burnet County | 300 to 650 ft | $18,000 to $28,000 |
| Dripping Springs, Hays County | 300 to 900 ft | $20,000 to $34,000 |
| Fredericksburg, Gillespie County | 500 to 800 ft | $24,000 to $38,000 |
Sources: Stevens Drilling, Texas Southern Drilling: Harris County Water Wells, Hill Country Well & Pump. The Hill Country figures come from a referral network's planning ranges, and Texas Southern Drilling uses the same range on each of its county pages, so treat all of them as starting points. DFW Well Service also publishes a worked example of a 300-foot well in Wise County with steel casing, pump, tank and district permit totaling $25,200, which it labels an example only. DFW Well Service [STEVENS-COST source note] [TXSOUTHERN-HARRIS source note] [HCWP-COST source note] [DFW-WELL-COST source note]
Why do Texas well costs vary so much?
- Depth. In Parker County, one driller describes Paluxy wells at 200 to 400 feet and Trinity wells at 500 to 800 feet. Legacy Water Well: Weatherford, TX Every extra hundred feet adds drilling, casing, wire and pipe.
- Rock. Hard limestone costs more per foot to drill than sand or alluvium, as the North Texas ranges above show.
- Casing and pump. Steel casing costs more than PVC, and deeper pumping levels need larger pumps. Texas licenses pump installers separately from drillers, so the pump may be a separate contract. TDLR: Water Well Driller and/or Pump Installer License
- Local rules. Groundwater district registration fees, spacing rules and meter requirements differ by district.
Nearby well reports are the best predictor of your depth. Search them before you get quotes: see how to find water well logs in Texas.
What do groundwater districts charge for a new well?
National cost guides rarely mention them, but many Texas groundwater conservation districts charge a fee to register a new well. Texas Water Code §36.117 exempts wells used solely for domestic or livestock purposes on a tract larger than 10 acres, and incapable of producing more than 25,000 gallons a day, from district permits, but districts must require exempt wells to be registered. Texas Water Code §36.117 Published fees for a new domestic or exempt well in five districts: [TX-WC-36117 source note]
| District | Counties | Fee for a new domestic or exempt well |
|---|---|---|
| Hill Country UWCD | Gillespie | $100 registration |
| Lone Star GCD | Montgomery | $500 registration |
| Northern Trinity GCD | Tarrant | $500 registration plus $200 report deposit |
| Upper Trinity GCD | Parker, Wise, Montague, Hood | $600 registration plus $100 refundable deposit |
| Hays Trinity GCD | Hays | $1,000 for a new exempt well |
Sources: Hill Country UWCD, Lone Star GCD, Northern Trinity GCD, Upper Trinity GCD, Hays Trinity GCD. Not every county has a district, and fees change; TCEQ maintains the list of districts. TCEQ: Groundwater Conservation Districts [HCUWCD-FORM source note] [LSGCD-FEES source note] [NTGCD-FEES source note] [UTGCD-FORMS source note] [HTGCD-FEES source note] [TCEQ-GCD source note]
How do you get an accurate Texas well quote?
- Look up nearby wells in TWDB's records to see depths, yields and water levels near your property.
- Call your groundwater district for registration, spacing and fee rules before you hire.
- Check the license. Texas drillers and pump installers are licensed by TDLR; confirm the license and endorsements, or browse Texas driller license records by county.
- Ask for itemized quotes that separate drilling per foot, casing, grout, pump, tank, electrical, district fees and a written maximum depth. The well drilling quote checklist helps you compare two offers.
- Run your numbers through the well drilling cost calculator with a high scenario for extra depth.
For national prices and what a complete system includes, see well drilling cost and complete well installation cost.
Common questions
How much does it cost to drill a well in Texas?
Published Texas prices put drilling at about $25 to $65 per foot. One south-central Texas driller publishes $7,500 to $17,000 or more for a complete system, and a Hill Country referral network puts typical turnkey wells at $18,000 to $35,000. Get itemized quotes from licensed local drillers.
Why are Hill Country wells so expensive?
Mainly depth and rock. Wells in the Fredericksburg area are described as often running 500 to 800 feet, and drilling through limestone costs more per foot than sandy formations; one North Texas driller lists hard limestone at $48 to $65 per foot against $28 to $40 in sandy ground.
Do I need a permit to drill a water well in Texas?
Usually not a production permit for a household well. Texas Water Code §36.117 exempts domestic and livestock wells on tracts larger than 10 acres that cannot produce more than 25,000 gallons a day from district permits, but districts must still require the well to be registered, and many charge a fee. Check your groundwater conservation district.
What do Texas groundwater districts charge to register a well?
It varies widely. In the districts we checked, a new domestic or exempt well costs $100 to register in Hill Country UWCD, $500 in Lone Star and Northern Trinity GCDs (Northern Trinity adds a $200 report deposit), $600 plus a $100 deposit in Upper Trinity GCD, and $1,000 in Hays Trinity GCD.
Does a Texas well quote include the pump?
Not always. Per-foot prices usually cover the hole, while turnkey prices add casing, pump, pressure tank, electrical work and hookup. Texas also licenses pump installers separately from drillers, so ask who installs the pump and what it costs.
Find a driller
Then see who serves your area.
The directory lists only source-checked provider records. Use it alongside the vetting questions, never instead of them.
Open the well driller directorySources & claim context
Citations mark where guidance is grounded. They are general resources dated on retrieval, not guarantees for any property, project, price, licensure, permit or yield. No expert, attorney or reviewer signoff is claimed by this site.
TCEQ: Groundwater Conservation Districts · Texas Commission on Environmental Quality · accessed 2026-10-10
https://www.tceq.texas.gov/groundwater/groundwater-planning-assessment/districts.html/
District rules (permits, registration, spacing) vary; check the district
TDLR: Water Well Driller and/or Pump Installer License · Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation · accessed 2026-10-10
https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/wwd/apply-driller-installer.htm
Licensing details only; not a license lookup
Bob Vila: Well Drilling Cost · Bob Vila · accessed 2026-10-23
https://www.bobvila.com/articles/well-drilling-cost/
Published consumer cost-guide figures dated 2023, not quotes
Stevens Drilling: Water Well Installation Texas · Stevens Drilling (La Vernia, TX) · accessed 2026-10-23
https://stevensdrilling.com/water-well-installation-complete-guide-cost-and-tips-for-success/
One contractor's published ranges; inclusions not itemized
Texas Southern Drilling: Harris County Water Wells · Texas Southern Drilling LLC (Columbus, TX) · accessed 2026-10-23
https://www.texassoutherndrilling.com/service-area/harris-county-water-wells
Same template text on the company's county pages; undated
Hill Country Well & Pump: How Much Does a Water Well Cost in Texas? (2026 Guide) · Hill Country Well & Pump (referral network) · accessed 2026-10-23
https://hillcountrywellandpump.com/blog/water-well-cost-texas
Referral network's planning ranges, not a driller's quotes
DFW Well Service: Water Well Drilling Cost Per Foot in Texas · DFW Well Service · accessed 2026-10-15
https://dfwwellservice.com/questions/water-well-drilling-cost-per-foot-texas/
One contractor's published ranges; example is not a quote
Texas Water Code §36.117 (Texas Public Law reproduction) · Texas Public Law (reproducing Texas Water Code) · accessed 2026-10-23
https://texas.public.law/statutes/tex._water_code_section_36.117
Reproduction of statute text; confirm on statutes.capitol.texas.gov
Hays Trinity GCD: District Fee and Settlement Schedule · Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District · accessed 2026-10-23
District fee schedule; subject to change
Hill Country UWCD: Exempt Well Registration Form · Hill Country Underground Water Conservation District · accessed 2026-10-23
District form; subject to change
Upper Trinity GCD: Forms and Documents · Upper Trinity Groundwater Conservation District · accessed 2026-10-23
https://uppertrinitygcd.com/forms-documents/
District fees; subject to change
Lone Star GCD: Administrative Fee Schedule (Resolution 25-004) · Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District · accessed 2026-10-23
District fee schedule; subject to change
Northern Trinity GCD: District Fees · Northern Trinity Groundwater Conservation District · accessed 2026-10-23
https://ntgcd.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/District-Fees-Revised-9-24-25.pdf
District fee schedule; subject to change
Legacy Water Well: Weatherford, TX · Legacy Water Well · accessed 2026-10-23
https://www.legacywaterwell.com/service-areas/weatherford-tx
One contractor's description of local depths
Claims are grounded in the dated source notes above; project-specific price, yield, licensure and permit answers require site-specific and local verification.