First, establish a Permit Portal account (See Permit Portal Guide).

Then, apply using the permit portal and look for Well Water Sampling – Existing Well.

If you have never had your well water tested, or if it has been more than five years since your last test, Wake County recommends the "First Timer's Package," which includes testing for:

• Coliform Bacteria,
• Inorganics,
• Volatile Organic Compounds and
• Pesticides.
   

In addition, if you live in certain parts of the county, Wake County recommends testing for naturally occurring radiological contaminants. You can determine if you are in the affected area by searching for your address on the map on that page. The "Rads Package" includes:

• Uranium,
• Radon in water,
• Gross alpha activity and
• A kit for testing your indoor air for radon.
   

If you are having a problem with taste, smell, staining or cloudiness, now is a perfect time to find out exactly what is in your water. A complete water test will help you get the most out of the money you invest in your well or a water treatment system by ensuring that you have addressed all the problems – visible and invisible – with your water.

• Iron Bacteria​ – ​Recommended only if your well shows signs of plugging or biofouling
• ​Sulfur Bacteria – Recommended only if your well water smells like rotten eggs
   

Water Test packages and prices available through Wake County

How often you test depends on the specific test.

• Test for bacteria every year.
• If your other test results showed no contamination, you can wait five years to repeat that test.
   

If contamination at any level was found, testing for that contaminant should occur more often.

Trip Fee – $50

• Charged any time Wake County staff collects water samples
   

First Timer's Package – $175

• Coliform Bacteria, Inorganics, Volatile Organic Compounds and Pesticides
   

Rads Package – $140

• Uranium, radon in water, gross alpha activity and a radon in air test kit
   

Water Tests Available Through Wake County

Please refer to the Financial Help page for current information.

Bacteria results are usually ready within 48 hours. Allow plenty of time for other tests. They can take 2–4 weeks.

The wellhead should be in good condition and up to modern standards.

Was the well ever tested? Do you know what it was tested for? Was it tested by a certified drinking water laboratory? Most free test kits do not check for chemicals that can affect your health. Without a complete test by a certified laboratory, you may be drinking water with contaminants that you cannot see, taste or smell.

Allow 4–5 weeks minimum for testing. A private lab may be able to shorten this time, and you may be able to pay extra for a “rush” on tests done by Wake County, but some of these tests take a certain amount of time to complete.

More information may be found here.

Yes, under certain circumstances. For bacteria and inorganics, some private labs accept self-collected samples. Check with the lab.

Watch this video to see a reliable way to collect a water sample from your well. Depending on the lab you use, your kit may vary in size or scope, so be sure to follow the specific instructions provided by your lab.

Wake County accepts only bacteria and inorganics from a private resident. All other tests done by Wake County will be collected by County staff.

If you would like to collect your own samples for bacteria or inorganics testing, you may do so by obtaining sample containers and instructions at the following Wake County locations:

• Water Quality Lab
• Eastern Regional Center
• Northern Regional Center
• Southern Regional Center
• Waverly F. Akins Wake County Office Building
   

Please return samples with payment to the Wake County Lab in Raleigh. The lab accepts samples from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Friday. The Lab does not accept bacteriological samples the day before a holiday.

No, but be sure to use a lab certified by the N.C. Division of Public Health to perform the recommended tests.

For comparison, here is a complete list of tests offered by Wake County and their prices.

You can check your permit in the portal for the status of your request (permit). These are the steps in the process:

• Invoice – Wake County staff will review your request and invoice you for the associated fees. Watch your email for a notice that fees are due. The email will contain the permit number and a link to the Permit Portal, where you can pay the fees with a credit card or from a bank account/e-check. You can also mail in a check for the fees after you receive the invoice.
• Scheduling – The well specialist who will collect the samples will contact you to schedule sample collection or to let you know if any further information is needed.
• Sample collection – Samples can only be collected on certain days of the week, and it may take a week until samples are collected.
• Lab analysis – depending on the test, lab analysis can take two to four weeks. Allow plenty of time.
• Results – Once your testing is completed, you will receive an email from Wake County with the results and guidance about the safety of your well water.
   

If Wake County did your water testing, you can find your complete results are on the Permit Portal. Use these instructions to find them.

You can also find a simplified version of your test results by searching by address in our Well Water Analysis Results page.

Once you’ve had your water tested by a certified lab, use the links below to help determine whether your water requires treatment for certain contaminants. If Wake County did your testing, we’ll tell you if there is a problem.

• Be Well Informed: Enter your results into this tool, which generates a report of recommendations based on your test results. Pay attention to the measurement units in your lab report when entering your result numbers. Depending on which lab you used, your test results will be in different units or measurement. For instance, your uranium test may be listed in μg/L, mg/L or pCi/L.
• Bacteria: Well Disinfection page
• Inorganics: Be Well Informed page
• Radionuclides: Be Well Informed page
• Pesticides: "ND" indicates the compound was not detected. If there is a number in the Results column on the Analytical Results page, feel free to contact our Well Water Information Specialist at 919-856-7482 or wellwater@wake.gov for further assistance. "Surrogates" are part of the lab's quality control process and do not affect your water.
• Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): "ND" indicates the compound was not detected. If there is a number in the Results column on the Analytical Results page, feel free to contact our Well Water Information Specialist at 919-856-7482 or wellwater@wake.gov for further assistance. "Surrogates" are part of the lab's quality control process and do not affect your water.
• Technical Assistance Meetings: Wake County Environmental Services holds technical assistance meetings to help well users understand their test results and options for addressing problems.
   

As you read your results, you may also find the following terms and abbreviations:

• Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) – A standard set by the US Environmental Protection Agency for drinking water quality.
• Reporting Limit (RL) – The smallest concentration of a contaminant that the laboratory can detect.
• Not Detected (ND) – Indicates the contaminant was not found to be greater than the lab's reporting limit.
   

My well is contaminated with bacteria:
Well Disinfection page

Find a well contractor
All persons, firms or corporations engaging in well contractor activities involving wells for irrigation, private or semi-public domestic use, as well as for geothermal heat exchange injection wells in Wake County, shall register annually with the Department, per Section III of the Regulations Governing Well Construction and Groundwater Protection In Wake County.

View a list of well contractors registered in Wake County.

You may contact our Well Water Information Specialist at 919-856-7482 or wellwater@wake.gov and ask for assistance.

As you explore treatment options for your water, you may come across the following terms and abbreviations:

• Point of Entry (POE) – Also commonly called a whole house system, this type of system treats all water that enters the home.
• Point of Use (POU) – Usually placed on the kitchen sink tap or the refrigerator, this type of system only treats the water at the tap where the system is placed.
• Aeration – A treatment system that can be used to fix radon contamination. It is effective for treating all levels of radon, especially high levels.
• Granulated Activated Carbon (GAC) – A treatment system that can be used to fix organic compounds and/or radon contamination. The treatment media must be specific to the contaminants you intend to remove. GAC is not recommended if radon levels exceed 4,000 pCi/L.
• Whole-House Ion Exchange – A treatment system that can be used to fix uranium and/or radium contamination. It treats all water that enters the house. Uranium requires anion exchange, and radium requires cation exchange.
• Reverse Osmosis (RO) – A treatment system that can be used to fix uranium and/or radium contamination. It only treats the water at the tap where the system is placed.