KY · wells & permits

Water wells in Kentucky

Real drilling records, county depth medians, active contractors, and exactly what it takes to pull a well permit in Kentucky.

The permit, in plain language

No pre-drill permitgeneric

EEC DOW

401 KAR 6:310

Pre-drill gate: None — report after drilling
Fee: —
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.
No statewide pre-drill permit for typical domestic wells — confirm local/district overlays.
Still complete post-drill filing (registration / well log) on the deadline below.

After drilling: Uniform KY Well Construction Record DOW6010 within 60 days → EEC DOW · filing link ↗

Forms: KY well application · Uniform KY Well Construction Record DOW6010

Open the filing portal ↗

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

Contractor	Wells	Median depth
Patrick T Frary	3,896	16 ft
Alger Bentley	2,556	110 ft
Larry R Rhodes	2,463	17 ft
Todd W Mills	2,001	22 ft
Dennis G Samsel	1,946	17 ft
Gus E Naranjo Jr	1,850	150 ft
Chad M Kelley	1,588	15 ft
Pre-law Driller	1,555	60 ft
James H Wharton	1,515	15 ft
Steven D Cox	1,275	222 ft

Get a depth estimate anywhere in Kentucky

County by county

Depth statistics across Kentucky

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
Jefferson	6,506	5,770	23 ft	9–90 ft
Letcher	3,350	2,779	100 ft	14–220 ft
Graves	3,287	2,773	165 ft	40–235 ft
Pike	3,177	2,418	62 ft	14–200 ft
Fayette	3,136	2,789	16 ft	9–100 ft
McCracken	2,709	2,402	65 ft	16–160 ft
Marshall	2,568	1,850	50 ft	20–160 ft
Calloway	2,540	2,035	100 ft	29–200 ft
Hardin	2,456	1,766	44 ft	14–250 ft
Floyd	2,231	1,784	45 ft	15–185 ft
Perry	2,191	1,848	82 ft	15–225 ft
Harlan	2,176	1,821	105 ft	13–330 ft
Meade	1,928	1,541	190 ft	20–413 ft
Daviess	1,855	1,451	25 ft	15–118 ft
Knott	1,795	1,467	82 ft	13–225 ft
Whitley	1,719	1,473	105 ft	12–250 ft
Ballard	1,699	1,417	125 ft	50–241 ft
Christian	1,466	1,014	60 ft	15–200 ft
Lawrence	1,401	1,090	87 ft	20–310 ft
Pulaski	1,321	1,130	71 ft	12–175 ft
Breckinridge	1,304	993	182 ft	15–381 ft
Henderson	1,295	878	30 ft	14–134 ft
Breathitt	1,274	1,006	80 ft	15–164 ft
Boyd	1,232	1,106	32 ft	15–102 ft
Johnson	1,223	815	55 ft	15–226 ft
Hickman	1,168	860	146 ft	30–244 ft
Logan	1,080	725	22 ft	9–151 ft
Grayson	1,052	852	33 ft	10–350 ft
Madison	1,047	953	14 ft	6–35 ft
Kenton	1,046	940	20 ft	11–56 ft
Boone	1,043	901	20 ft	9–95 ft
Morgan	1,041	758	105 ft	13–305 ft
Greenup	1,032	853	60 ft	16–125 ft
Bell	950	716	97 ft	15–285 ft
Leslie	926	764	100 ft	18–225 ft
Laurel	924	738	16 ft	8–161 ft
Clay	899	727	55 ft	10–140 ft
Wayne	870	629	97 ft	21–175 ft
Fulton	867	662	89 ft	20–155 ft
Bullitt	852	730	24 ft	7–150 ft
Knox	847	655	28 ft	10–200 ft
Ohio	827	636	30 ft	10–190 ft
Casey	812	642	75 ft	11–150 ft
Carlisle	796	630	180 ft	100–331 ft
Franklin	780	694	15 ft	7–47 ft
Todd	771	501	90 ft	25–202 ft
Hopkins	725	514	44 ft	10–303 ft
Fleming	709	554	14 ft	5–30 ft
Scott	685	461	22 ft	7–150 ft
Muhlenberg	681	542	36 ft	12–161 ft
Barren	672	468	19 ft	9–81 ft
Woodford	658	409	48 ft	10–190 ft
Campbell	640	542	22 ft	13–83 ft
Russell	637	565	22 ft	14–112 ft
Nelson	626	477	17 ft	10–117 ft
Bourbon	619	467	45 ft	8–169 ft
Carter	618	520	22 ft	10–142 ft
Magoffin	594	442	29 ft	12–145 ft
Adair	572	433	25 ft	12–105 ft
Webster	570	399	60 ft	13–272 ft