NH · wells & permits
Water wells in New Hampshire
Real drilling records, county depth medians, active contractors, and exactly what it takes to pull a well permit in New Hampshire.
The permit, in plain language
Water Well Board
RSA 482-B
- 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: Completion report ≤90d online within 90 days → Water Well Board
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 New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockingham | 27,062 | 0 | — | — |
| Hillsborough | 22,551 | 0 | — | — |
| Merrimack | 13,423 | 0 | — | — |
| Carroll | 10,232 | 0 | — | — |
| Grafton | 8,979 | 0 | — | — |
| Belknap | 8,783 | 0 | — | — |
| Strafford | 7,025 | 0 | — | — |
| Cheshire | 5,474 | 0 | — | — |
| Coos | 3,831 | 0 | — | — |
| Sullivan | 3,502 | 0 | — | — |