Can I drill a well on my own land in Missouri without a permit?

Yes, but the rules still apply. The DNR well installation FAQ says landowners drilling on their own property are exempt from permit requirements but must follow the rest of the well rules, including construction and plugging standards. Anyone paid to drill a well or set a pump must hold a DNR permit.

Who files the paperwork for a new well with DNR?

We do. Wells drilled in Missouri after July 31, 1987 are reported to DNR, and the owner pays a processing fee on the new well. Keep a copy of what is filed with the deed, since it records depth and casing for future buyers.

How deep are household wells in Webster County?

DNR records show that the median household well in Webster County is about 345 feet deep, and the middle half fall between about 275 and 425 feet. That is shallower than Greene County at about 470 feet and Christian County at about 520 feet.

What happens to an old well when a new one is drilled?

An unused well should not be left open. Missouri exempts wells drilled before 1987 from most well rules, but plugging and major reconstruction are covered even for those older wells. We can plug and record the old well when the new one goes in.

Water Well Drilling in Springfield, Missouri

Homes beyond the reach of City Utilities and the town water systems need their own water, so water well drilling around Springfield, MO happens mostly on rural land in Greene, Christian and Webster counties. Based on DNR well records through 2016, the median household well is about 470 feet deep in Greene County, about 520 feet in Christian and about 345 feet in Webster. We drill and case the well, set the pump and tank, and file the well record with DNR.

Truck-mounted drilling rig with a mast and water tank parked in a snowy field

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How deep will a new well be near Springfield?

In the same DNR records, half of Greene County household wells finish between about 405 and 550 feet, with Christian County a little deeper and Webster County shallower. WellDrillingCosts.com publishes an estimate of $10,000 to $34,000 for a complete well 200 to 500 feet deep, and the Springfield pricing guide explains what moves a quote past it. We set steel casing through the loose ground into solid rock, then drill open hole until the well yields enough water for the home.

When a Property Needs a New Well

City Utilities serves Springfield from lakes, the James River and Fulbright Spring, and towns such as Nixa, Ozark, Republic and Marshfield run their own city well systems. Homes outside those service areas need a private well, so new wells around Springfield go in on rural lots and acreage. A new well is also the answer when an old one has failed, was drilled too shallow, or sits where surface water can reach it.

Plenty of household wells in the area draw from the shallow Springfield Plateau aquifer, which Missouri DNR describes as a common target for private wells even though it yields only about 15 to 30 gallons per minute. USGS finds most of the area's karst features in that same shallow layer, including the sinkholes and losing streams that let surface water reach groundwater fast. A well cased deeper into solid rock draws from below the most exposed part of that system.

A new well also becomes a matter of record. Every well drilled in Missouri after July 31, 1987 is reported to DNR, and the owner pays a processing fee on the new well. That record of depth and construction stays with the property for future buyers and inspectors.

Benefits of Water Well Drilling

Water where city lines do not reach: A private well serves rural lots in Greene, Christian and Webster counties that sit outside City Utilities and the town systems.
Casing sealed into solid rock: Steel casing set through loose ground and into rock helps keep out surface water, which moves fast through karst.
A well record on file with DNR: We report the new well to DNR, which documents its depth and construction for a future sale.
Sized for the household: Depth, pump and pressure tank are matched to how many people live in the home and how much water they use.
A realistic depth to plan around: Nearby DNR records show how deep neighbors went, so the likely range is clear before drilling starts.
No monthly water bill: Once the well is paid for, the water itself carries no monthly charge, though the pump uses electricity.

Our Water Well Drilling Process

Site and records check. We look at where the well can sit on the lot, away from the septic system and buildings, and check DNR records for nearby wells to estimate depth.
Written quote. Before work starts, you get a written quote that lists drilling, casing and the pump package on separate lines.
Drilling through the overburden. The rig bores through the soil and broken rock near the surface until it reaches solid rock.
Setting and sealing the casing. Steel casing goes down into solid rock and the space around it is sealed; in Greene County and parts of Christian County, DNR's Drilling Area 9 rules require it to reach at least 10 feet below the Ozark Confining Unit. According to DNR well records, the median casing length is about 145 feet in Greene County and about 105 feet in Christian and Webster.
Drilling to water. We continue as open hole into the water-bearing rock, measure the static water level and check how much water the well yields.
Pump, tank and paperwork. We set the pump, wiring and pressure tank, flush and test the system, and file the well record with DNR.

Cost of Water Well Drilling

The figure to start from is WellDrillingCosts.com's published estimate: $10,000 to $34,000 for a complete well 200 to 500 feet deep. That is a published estimate, not a price list, and it is built around depth. Set it against the county depth figures below to see where a typical well falls.

County	Median well depth	Middle half of wells
Greene	About 470 ft	About 405 to 550 ft
Christian	About 520 ft	About 450 to 605 ft
Webster	About 345 ft	About 275 to 425 ft

Depth figures come from the same DNR records. Against the 200 to 500 foot estimate, the Greene and Webster medians fall inside it and the Christian County median falls just past it. A well that goes past 500 feet is outside the published estimate, so we price the extra footage on its own line.

New Well, Deeper Well or a Pump Fix?

A new well is not always the first answer. When water stops suddenly, the cause is often the pump, the pressure switch or the tank, and well pump repair or a new pressure tank is a much smaller job than drilling.

If the well still has water but has lost flow, picked up sediment or was drilled too shallow, well rehabilitation can clean or deepen it. Drilling new makes sense when the old well cannot be saved, sits in the wrong spot, or the property has no well at all.

Local Water Well Drilling Considerations

Greene County sits on karst. A 1993 USGS study mapped about 2,500 sinkholes in the county and treated them as possible entry points for contaminants into groundwater. In 1968 a sinkhole opened under Republic's sewage lagoon and contaminated at least two household wells, which is why casing depth and the seal around it matter here. The Missouri Geological Survey recorded that collapse in its Engineering Geology Series 5 report.

Below the shallow aquifer, USGS describes a confining layer and then the deep Ozark aquifer, more than 900 feet of dolomite and sandstone. Long-term pumping has drawn that deep aquifer down into a cone of depression under Springfield. Town wells reach far deeper than household wells: Strafford's run 1,089 to 1,400 feet and Marshfield's at least 1,300 feet.