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The Florida Department of Health works to protect, promote, and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county, and community efforts.

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Private Well Water

Environmental Health

Florida Department of Health in Indian River County (DOH-Indian River) has been delegated local jurisdiction, through an agreement with the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD), to have supervision and responsibility of all water wells less than 6” in diameter located in Indian River County. SJRWMD maintains responsibility for wells 6" in diameter or larger.

Anyone who plans to construct, repair, or abandon a well less than 6” must first obtain a permit from this office. The application can be made and submitted by the owner or by a licensed water well contractor on behalf of the owner. The applicable state laws and rules which govern these activities can be found in Chapter 373, Florida Statutes (Water Resources) and Chapters 62-532 (Water Well Permitting Construction and Requirements), 64E-8 (Drinking Water Systems), and 40C-3 (Water Wells), Florida Administrative Code. These rules contain guidelines for contractor licensing, proper construction methods, and minimum setback distances to sanitary hazards intended to preserve the quality of our groundwater resource.  

Protecting our groundwater now will help to ensure that we have a safe supply of drinking water for our future.  Protection starts at the time of construction and continues for the life of the well. When the well can no longer provide adequate quality or quantity, it is important that the well be properly abandoned by your well contractor. Proper abandonment eliminates the hazards that a non-functioning well presents to the groundwater.  

This office will assist and advise individuals as to what contaminants they may encounter, how they can test for them, and how they may be reduced or eliminated. The responsibility is upon the property owner to ensure that the water produced by their well is safe to consume.  Have your water tested.

For your convenience, the Well Permitting Application and Well Completion Report Form are provided. Existing well construction documents for Indian River County can be found using the free online septic search system Septic SearchTM .

*Note: this page contains materials in the Portable Document Format (PDF). The free Adobe Acrobat Reader may be required to view these files.