ND · wells & permits
Water wells in North Dakota
Real drilling records, county depth medians, active contractors, and exactly what it takes to pull a well permit in North Dakota.
The permit, in plain language
No pre-drill permitgeneric
ND DWR / Board of Water Well Contractors
domestic exemption
- 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: Well Driller's Report SFN 60273 within 30 days → ND DWR / Board of Water Well Contractors
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Opp Well Drilling | 3,368 | — |
| Kamoni Water Wells | 2,404 | — |
| LTP Enterprises | 2,163 | — |
| Water Supply Inc. | 2,113 | — |
| M & W Drilling | 2,052 | — |
| Thompson Drilling | 1,812 | — |
| Schimelfenig Well Drilling | 1,469 | — |
| Zachmeier Well Drilling | 1,405 | — |
| Traut Wells Inc. | 1,201 | — |
| Gregory Drilling | 1,194 | — |
County by county
Depth statistics across North Dakota
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burleigh | 4,445 | 0 | — | — |
| Williams | 3,720 | 0 | — | — |
| McKenzie | 3,400 | 0 | — | — |
| Morton | 3,168 | 0 | — | — |
| McLean | 3,163 | 0 | — | — |
| Ward | 3,162 | 0 | — | — |
| Kidder | 2,979 | 0 | — | — |
| Stark | 2,934 | 0 | — | — |
| Stutsman | 2,646 | 0 | — | — |
| Mercer | 2,506 | 0 | — | — |
| McHenry | 2,479 | 0 | — | — |
| Richland | 2,234 | 0 | — | — |
| Dunn | 2,145 | 0 | — | — |
| Mountrail | 2,118 | 0 | — | — |
| Ransom | 2,085 | 0 | — | — |
| Bottineau | 1,915 | 0 | — | — |
| Cass | 1,893 | 0 | — | — |
| Dickey | 1,812 | 0 | — | — |
| Grand Forks | 1,710 | 0 | — | — |
| Grant | 1,704 | 0 | — | — |
| Sargent | 1,534 | 0 | — | — |
| Emmons | 1,234 | 0 | — | — |
| Benson | 1,146 | 0 | — | — |
| LaMoure | 1,121 | 0 | — | — |
| Oliver | 1,108 | 0 | — | — |
| Divide | 969 | 0 | — | — |
| Rolette | 943 | 0 | — | — |
| Logan | 893 | 0 | — | — |
| Pierce | 881 | 0 | — | — |
| Billings | 856 | 0 | — | — |
| Burke | 843 | 0 | — | — |
| McIntosh | 818 | 0 | — | — |
| Ramsey | 802 | 0 | — | — |
| Bowman | 792 | 0 | — | — |
| Barnes | 773 | 0 | — | — |
| Wells | 726 | 0 | — | — |
| Foster | 711 | 0 | — | — |
| Adams | 645 | 0 | — | — |
| Hettinger | 609 | 0 | — | — |
| Golden Valley | 570 | 0 | — | — |
| Eddy | 560 | 0 | — | — |
| Slope | 518 | 0 | — | — |
| Griggs | 501 | 0 | — | — |
| Cavalier | 441 | 0 | — | — |
| Nelson | 433 | 0 | — | — |
| Sioux | 421 | 0 | — | — |
| Pembina | 411 | 0 | — | — |
| Towner | 346 | 0 | — | — |
| Traill | 306 | 0 | — | — |
| Sheridan | 301 | 0 | — | — |
| Walsh | 274 | 0 | — | — |
| Steele | 203 | 0 | — | — |
| Renville | 182 | 0 | — | — |