IL · wells & permits
Water wells in Illinois
Real drilling records, county depth medians, active contractors, and exactly what it takes to pull a well permit in Illinois.
The permit, in plain language
Local health department
415 ILCS 30; 77 Ill. Adm. Code 920
- Instrument
- permit
- Fee
- Call to confirm
- Who files
- Driller or owner may file
- Timeline
- Varies
Confirm current fee with authority
Before the rig arrives
- Confirm parcel allows a private well (vs required public water connection).
- Select a licensed well contractor; obtain owner authorization as required.
- File permit with Local health department (PDF/email/mail — WellMap prepares the packet; lawful submitter files).
- Do not drill until authorization is issued (or notification accepted, per regime).
After drilling: Completion per LHD within 30 days → Local health department
WellMap prepares estimate-backed quote packets and dual-party approvals. It does not issue permits and never auto-submits to government systems. The licensed driller (and/or owner where required by law) is the submitter of record. Verified 2026-07-14.
Top drillers on record
No contractor statistics for Illinois yet — several states publish drilling records without contractor names, and a few aren't in bulk form at all. See data & methodology.
County by county
Depth statistics across Illinois
Medians from wells with verified total depth. Click a county for its permit authority, fee and filing channel.
| County | Wells | With depth | Median | p10–p90 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake | 32,155 | 0 | — | — |
| Cook | 31,954 | 0 | — | — |
| Crawford | 28,981 | 0 | — | — |
| Will | 26,642 | 0 | — | — |
| McHenry | 25,481 | 0 | — | — |
| White | 19,098 | 0 | — | — |
| Lawrence | 18,730 | 0 | — | — |
| Wayne | 15,980 | 0 | — | — |
| Peoria | 15,438 | 0 | — | — |
| Kane | 14,147 | 0 | — | — |
| Marion | 12,495 | 0 | — | — |
| Winnebago | 12,493 | 0 | — | — |
| Clay | 12,027 | 0 | — | — |
| DuPage | 11,809 | 0 | — | — |
| Fayette | 11,582 | 0 | — | — |
| St. Clair | 11,499 | 0 | — | — |
| Clark | 11,096 | 0 | — | — |
| Wabash | 10,950 | 0 | — | — |
| Madison | 10,393 | 0 | — | — |
| Champaign | 9,889 | 0 | — | — |
| LaSalle | 8,698 | 0 | — | — |
| Kankakee | 8,467 | 0 | — | — |
| Jo Daviess | 8,184 | 0 | — | — |
| Richland | 8,128 | 0 | — | — |
| Sangamon | 8,124 | 0 | — | — |
| Clinton | 8,106 | 0 | — | — |
| Hamilton | 7,082 | 0 | — | — |
| Jasper | 6,722 | 0 | — | — |
| Gallatin | 6,693 | 0 | — | — |
| Ogle | 6,511 | 0 | — | — |
| Vermilion | 6,425 | 0 | — | — |
| Randolph | 6,313 | 0 | — | — |
| Christian | 6,262 | 0 | — | — |
| Saline | 6,240 | 0 | — | — |
| Franklin | 6,176 | 0 | — | — |
| Jefferson | 6,114 | 0 | — | — |
| Tazewell | 5,899 | 0 | — | — |
| Kendall | 5,752 | 0 | — | — |
| Edwards | 5,665 | 0 | — | — |
| Effingham | 5,544 | 0 | — | — |
| Washington | 5,343 | 0 | — | — |
| McLean | 5,311 | 0 | — | — |
| Boone | 5,244 | 0 | — | — |
| Perry | 5,010 | 0 | — | — |
| Fulton | 4,865 | 0 | — | — |
| Grundy | 4,821 | 0 | — | — |
| Coles | 4,773 | 0 | — | — |
| Whiteside | 4,650 | 0 | — | — |
| Lee | 4,490 | 0 | — | — |
| Rock Island | 4,478 | 0 | — | — |
| Cumberland | 4,406 | 0 | — | — |
| Shelby | 4,205 | 0 | — | — |
| Montgomery | 4,162 | 0 | — | — |
| Macon | 3,995 | 0 | — | — |
| Bond | 3,991 | 0 | — | — |
| DeKalb | 3,934 | 0 | — | — |
| Macoupin | 3,894 | 0 | — | — |
| Monroe | 3,858 | 0 | — | — |
| Bureau | 3,799 | 0 | — | — |
| Henry | 3,747 | 0 | — | — |