Use a lab North Carolina certifies, or a mail-in kit. Across the state, the ones worth testing for are radon, nitrate and manganese, plus bacteria every year.
About 1,735,000 people in North Carolina get their water from a private well, about 2 in 10 residents.
North Carolina doesn't run a statewide free testing program that we know of. Some county health departments still test wells or sell kits, so call yours first.
Department of Health and Human Services: private well testingThe state's list of labs certified for drinking water. Many sell bottles you pick up or get by mail, and their results count for a home sale or loan.
Labs certified by North CarolinaOrder online, fill the bottles at your kitchen tap and get results by email in about a week. Full well tests run about $210 to $220.
Compare kits for North CarolinaAll newly constructed private wells must be tested for bacterial and chemical contaminants within 30 days of completion by the State Laboratory of Public Health or a state-certified lab.
Share of tested wells over the limit, from lab tests the USGS, EPA and state agencies collected since 2000. Your own well needs its own test.
Rare: under 5%Worth checking: 5 to 15%Widespread: 15%+
Lab results: Water Quality Portal (USGS and EPA)
5 counties have a full report with local test results and well depths.
No full report for that county yet. The statewide results above still apply, and so do the three ways to get tested.
| County | People on private wells | Share of residents | Typical well depth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wake County | 106,361 | 9% | – |
| Johnston County | 98,622 | 46% | – |
| Rowan County | 68,713 | 47% | – |
| Guilford County | 65,595 | 12% | – |
| Randolph County | 64,231 | 45% | – |
| Iredell County | 51,328 | 27% | – |
| Gaston County | 47,410 | 21% | – |
| Surry County | 47,097 | 66% | – |
| Alamance County | 44,439 | 26% | – |
| Buncombe County | 43,799 | 16% | – |
| Sampson County | 43,078 | 73% | – |
| Nash County | 39,290 | 41% | – |
| Orange County | 37,232 | 25% | – |
| Rockingham County | 36,003 | 40% | – |
| Granville County | 33,263 | 55% | – |
| Pender County | 29,060 | 48% | – |
| Catawba County | 28,218 | 18% | – |
| McDowell County | 27,916 | 63% | – |
| Yadkin County | 27,843 | 75% | – |
| Cumberland County | 27,528 | 8% | – |
| Henderson County | 26,652 | 23% | – |
| Watauga County | 26,497 | 49% | – |
| Chatham County | 26,396 | 35% | – |
| Jackson County | 25,951 | 60% | – |
| Person County | 24,871 | 64% | – |
| Macon County | 24,636 | 67% | – |
| Wilkes County | 24,348 | 37% | – |
| Rutherford County | 23,912 | 37% | – |
| Lincoln County | 23,843 | 27% | – |
| Columbus County | 23,815 | 47% | – |
| Haywood County | 23,065 | 37% | – |
| Stokes County | 22,871 | 51% | – |
| Cabarrus County | 22,477 | 10% | – |
| Union County | 22,467 | 9% | – |
| Ashe County | 21,549 | 81% | – |
| Wilson County | 20,617 | 26% | 275 ft |
| Carteret County | 19,979 | 30% | 222 ft |
| Brunswick County | 19,644 | 14% | – |
| Vance County | 19,493 | 46% | – |
| Caswell County | 19,378 | 85% | – |
| Cherokee County | 19,164 | 67% | – |
| Transylvania County | 18,499 | 56% | – |
| Franklin County | 18,244 | 27% | – |
| New Hanover County | 17,736 | 8% | – |
| Lee County | 16,635 | 26% | – |
| Moore County | 15,827 | 16% | – |
| Caldwell County | 15,761 | 20% | – |
| Madison County | 15,231 | 72% | – |
| Stanly County | 15,147 | 24% | – |
| Yancey County | 14,794 | 80% | – |
| Polk County | 12,573 | 65% | – |
| Alexander County | 12,468 | 34% | – |
| Avery County | 10,899 | 61% | – |
| Durham County | 10,692 | 3% | – |
| Burke County | 9,590 | 11% | – |
| Clay County | 9,408 | 85% | – |
| Mitchell County | 9,238 | 62% | – |
| Swain County | 9,096 | 64% | – |
| Alleghany County | 7,898 | 73% | – |
| Mecklenburg County | 7,639 | under 1% | – |
| Montgomery County | 6,984 | 27% | – |
| Graham County | 6,098 | 76% | – |
| Forsyth County | 5,949 | 2% | – |
| Bladen County | 4,312 | 15% | – |
| Richmond County | 3,090 | 7% | – |
| Davie County | 3,038 | 7% | – |
| Cleveland County | 2,337 | 2% | – |
| Davidson County | 1,703 | 1% | – |
| Currituck County | 1,573 | 6% | – |
| Harnett County | 1,179 | under 1% | – |
| Lenoir County | 899 | 2% | 357 ft |
| Pitt County | 856 | under 1% | 335 ft |
| Onslow County | 292 | under 1% | 194 ft |
| Northampton County | 225 | 1% | – |
| Tyrrell County | 138 | 4% | – |
| Hertford County | 126 | under 1% | – |
| Wayne County | 118 | under 1% | 192 ft |
| Perquimans County | 71 | under 1% | – |
| Scotland County | 49 | under 1% | – |
| Bertie County | 48 | under 1% | – |
| Martin County | 48 | under 1% | 307 ft |
| Hyde County | 33 | under 1% | – |
| Hoke County | 8 | under 1% | – |
| Anson County | 7 | under 1% | – |
| Craven County | 6 | under 1% | 214 ft |
| Dare County | 4 | under 1% | – |
| Beaufort County | 0 | 0% | 250 ft |
| Camden County | 0 | 0% | – |
| Chowan County | 0 | 0% | – |
| Duplin County | 0 | 0% | 300 ft |
| Edgecombe County | 0 | 0% | – |
| Gates County | 0 | 0% | – |
| Greene County | 0 | 0% | 329 ft |
| Halifax County | 0 | 0% | – |
| Jones County | 0 | 0% | 197 ft |
| Pamlico County | 0 | 0% | 318 ft |
| Pasquotank County | 0 | 0% | – |
| Robeson County | 0 | 0% | – |
| Warren County | 0 | 0% | – |
| Washington County | 0 | 0% | 275 ft |
All newly constructed private wells must be tested for bacterial and chemical contaminants within 30 days of completion by the State Laboratory of Public Health or a state-certified lab.
Otherwise, use a lab certified by North Carolina for drinking water. The state's list is linked on this page.