NE · wells & permits

Water wells in Nebraska

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

The permit, in plain language

No pre-drill permitgeneric

DWEE

domestic registration

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: Register ≤60d online within 60 days → DWEE · filing link ↗

Forms: NE well application · Register ≤60d online

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

No contractor statistics for Nebraska yet — several states publish drilling records without contractor names, and a few aren't in bulk form at all. See data & methodology.

Get a depth estimate anywhere in Nebraska

County by county

Depth statistics across Nebraska

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
Hall	9,726	2,730	50 ft	20–140 ft
Lancaster	9,520	3,612	130 ft	60–200 ft
Buffalo	8,954	3,614	130 ft	40–220 ft
Dawson	8,604	2,752	100 ft	40–200 ft
Lincoln	8,335	3,961	123 ft	27–240 ft
Merrick	8,077	2,532	35 ft	20–70 ft
Douglas	7,111	1,194	60 ft	20–252 ft
Holt	7,046	3,179	80 ft	20–220 ft
Platte	6,437	2,761	92 ft	35–200 ft
Dawes	6,417	4,902	323 ft	160–586 ft
Cherry	5,736	4,117	42 ft	20–190 ft
Saunders	5,522	2,272	100 ft	30–190 ft
Custer	5,291	2,484	150 ft	64–300 ft
Adams	5,208	1,766	140 ft	100–170 ft
York	5,018	1,429	140 ft	80–220 ft
Hamilton	4,723	1,541	140 ft	40–160 ft
Dodge	4,252	1,512	42 ft	20–140 ft
Madison	4,244	1,500	120 ft	30–200 ft
Antelope	4,169	1,913	150 ft	80–260 ft
Kearney	4,129	1,647	120 ft	40–220 ft
Scotts Bluff	4,092	1,310	60 ft	24–140 ft
Fillmore	3,946	1,382	160 ft	120–220 ft
Clay	3,931	1,122	140 ft	110–160 ft
Seward	3,886	1,795	160 ft	65–300 ft
Sarpy	3,880	1,173	97 ft	25–220 ft
Keith	3,788	1,758	120 ft	40–315 ft
Phelps	3,676	1,347	140 ft	58–240 ft
Butler	3,277	1,478	120 ft	25–280 ft
Sheridan	3,222	1,787	75 ft	20–180 ft
Gage	3,190	917	120 ft	50–210 ft
Polk	3,145	1,172	137 ft	35–240 ft
Boone	3,105	1,337	200 ft	80–300 ft
Howard	3,057	1,519	70 ft	38–200 ft
Pierce	3,005	1,337	120 ft	50–220 ft
Cedar	2,820	1,593	110 ft	50–220 ft
Red Willow	2,806	925	94 ft	35–210 ft
Thayer	2,799	946	130 ft	80–180 ft
Box Butte	2,751	1,006	180 ft	80–285 ft
Saline	2,729	988	130 ft	60–200 ft
Morrill	2,577	992	60 ft	20–199 ft
Knox	2,504	1,369	135 ft	40–280 ft
Colfax	2,500	843	76 ft	25–240 ft
Garden	2,488	1,288	40 ft	20–170 ft
Nance	2,200	920	80 ft	20–230 ft
Chase	2,138	472	160 ft	100–290 ft
Nuckolls	2,092	692	100 ft	39–185 ft
Brown	2,040	1,208	50 ft	20–160 ft
Washington	2,020	781	180 ft	60–300 ft
Furnas	2,015	887	90 ft	35–200 ft
Cuming	2,005	707	100 ft	30–190 ft
Harlan	1,949	792	130 ft	40–250 ft
Cass	1,927	721	65 ft	20–140 ft
Franklin	1,890	765	180 ft	40–270 ft
Jefferson	1,879	824	160 ft	96–205 ft
Dundy	1,822	430	120 ft	39–205 ft
Cheyenne	1,815	609	195 ft	70–320 ft
Greeley	1,717	882	198 ft	90–300 ft
Perkins	1,634	552	280 ft	184–380 ft
Webster	1,622	713	120 ft	30–180 ft
Rock	1,592	605	40 ft	20–160 ft