When buying a house with a well in Texas, get the State Well Report, a well inspection (flow, pressure, equipment and wellhead), and a bacteria and nitrate test drawn before any treatment, all during your option period. Confirm the well's groundwater district registration. After closing, file the district's transfer of ownership form.
Water Well Drilling Weatherford inspects wells for buyers across Parker County. Buying a house with a well in Texas comes down to one fact: once you close, the well is entirely yours. No utility maintains it and no agency tests it. So the time to learn about it is the option period, while you can still negotiate.
1. Get the records
- State Well Report. It shows depth, casing, the formation the well taps and the pump setting at completion. Ask the seller. If they don’t have it, the Texas Water Development Board’s database holds driller reports filed since 2001, searchable by location.
- District registration. Parker, Hood, Wise and Montague county wells are registered with the Upper Trinity Groundwater Conservation District. Tarrant County wells, including east Azle, are with the Northern Trinity district. An unregistered older well can usually be registered, and that protects your spacing rights when neighbors drill.
- Service history. Pump and tank replacement dates, water treatment equipment, and any past bacteria problems.
2. Inspect the well itself
A general home inspection confirms water comes out of the faucet. A well inspection checks:
- Sustained flow and pressure, long enough to see how the pump cycles and whether pressure holds.
- Pump, switch, tank and controls. Amp draw against the pump’s rating, tank pre-charge, and switch contacts.
- Wellhead: casing at least 12 inches above ground, a slab, a sanitary cap and a sealed conduit.
- Setbacks: 50 ft to the septic tank, 100 ft to the drain field, 150 ft to livestock pens.
HomeGuide’s 2026 data puts a standard well inspection at $250–$550, and $350–$800 with lab water testing.
3. Test the water
At minimum, test for coliform bacteria, E. coli and nitrate, and ideally total dissolved solids. The Texas Well Owner Network recommends that panel every year for any private well. Draw the sample at the tap closest to the well, before any softener or filter. If you’re planning treatment, add iron, manganese, hardness and sulfide. See well water testing.
4. Know what your lender wants
FHA guidelines require the water to meet local or EPA drinking-water standards. They set well distances of 10 ft from the property line, 50 ft from a septic tank and 100 ft from the drain field (75 ft where local authorities allow). A water test is required when the well is under 100 ft from the septic. Other loan types have their own requirements. Ask your lender early.
5. Look for old wells
Farm properties often have a hand-dug or abandoned well. Under Texas Occupations Code §1901.255, the landowner has 180 days to plug an abandoned or deteriorated well once they know about it. Ask the seller to plug it before closing, or price it into the deal.
6. After closing
File the Upper Trinity district’s transfer of ownership form for a registered well, and keep the inspection report and water results with your property records. Start the yearly habit of a water test and a system check.
Want all of this on one page? Our printable land buyer water well checklist covers the records, inspection, water tests and district rules in order.
Bottom line
Use the option period for three things: the well's records, a real well inspection with a sustained flow test, and a lab water test. They typically cost $350–$800 together, and they're the only way to know whether the well is a feature or a four-figure repair.
Questions about your own well? Call (817) 382-3840. A person answers 24/7.
Sources