A Landowner Water Well Permit allows you to construct, alter, or abandon a water well on your own property. Any work you complete on the well must be in compliance with Oregon Ground Water Law and the Administrative Rules for Water Well Construction and Maintenance in Oregon (OAR Chapter 690, Divisions 200 through 230). The landowner must also obtain a bond or an irrevocable letter of credit in the sum of $5,000. A start card is a "notice of beginning of well construction" and must be submitted prior to constructing, altering, deepening, abandoning, or converting a well.
Application must be accompanied by a $25 permit fee. A well construction "start card" and fee of $125 is also required for construction of a new well, deepening of a well, or conversion of a well.
$5,000 Landowner's Water Well Bond or $5,000 Irrevocable Letter of Credit
Insurance Requirements:
N/A
Prerequisites:
The Water Resources Commission requires a permit, permit fee and bond or irrevocable letter of credit for each water well constructed, altered, converted, or abandoned by a landowner.
Only the owner of record, a member of the immediate family of the owner of record, or a full time employee of the owner of record (whose main duties are other than the construction of wells), may operate a well drilling machine under a landowner's permit. A water well report shall be submitted within 30 days of the expiration of the landowner permit, or within 30 days of completion of the well, whichever occurs first. If the landowner permit expires, a landowner may reapply for a new landowner permit by complying with the requirements listed above. The Department may deny a landowner permit if it is determined that the construction, alteration, abandonment, or conversion of the proposed well is a health threat, a health hazard, a source of contamination, or a source of waste of the ground water resource.
To receive a Landowner Well permit, a person must submit the following to the Director: a completed application form provided by the Commission containing: The property owner's name, address, and telephone number; The surety company's name, address and telephone number; The proposed location of the well by township, range, section, tax-lot number if assigned, and street address; The proposed use of the well; The type of proposed work; and Well design on a form approved by the Department; a properly executed landowner's water well bond or irrevocable letter of credit for $5,000 to the State of Oregon; and a $25 permit fee.
Agency Information
Please refer to the Agency Website for further details and additional information.
