SC · wells & permits
Water wells in South Carolina
Real drilling records, county depth medians, active contractors, and exactly what it takes to pull a well permit in South Carolina.
The permit, in plain language
Files onlineverified landing
SCDES (ex-DHEC) Private Wells
R.61-71; R.61-44
- Instrument
- notice_of_intent
- Fee
- $70
- Who files
- Driller or owner may file
- Timeline
- DES reviews within 48h; 48h drilling notice
Residential $70 / irrigation $50
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 notice_of_intent online via the authority portal (deep-link below).
- Do not drill until authorization is issued (or notification accepted, per regime).
After drilling: Well record via ePermitting within 30 days → SCDES (ex-DHEC) Private Wells
Forms: SC well application
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 |
|---|---|---|
| AAA Well Drilling | 640 | 320 ft |
| Breland | 498 | 400 ft |
| Layne-Atlantic | 389 | 656 ft |
| Heater Well Co. | 195 | 190 ft |
| Shumpert | 189 | 160 ft |
| Sharpe Well Drilling | 170 | 142 ft |
| Ackerman | 151 | 400 ft |
| Welch | 151 | 150 ft |
| Booth | 127 | 300 ft |
| USGS | 125 | 30 ft |
County by county
Depth statistics across South Carolina
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beaufort | 1,935 | 235 | 120 ft | 20–602 ft |
| Lexington | 1,535 | 920 | 165 ft | 60–385 ft |
| Aiken | 1,076 | 342 | 240 ft | 101–559 ft |
| Horry | 850 | 484 | 346 ft | 70–780 ft |
| Colleton | 748 | 485 | 460 ft | 360–580 ft |
| Charleston | 684 | 313 | 330 ft | 20–638 ft |
| Richland | 653 | 307 | 200 ft | 25–488 ft |
| Barnwell | 630 | 237 | 320 ft | 90–889 ft |
| Berkeley | 587 | 193 | 260 ft | 81–665 ft |
| Orangeburg | 551 | 292 | 300 ft | 120–551 ft |
| Sumter | 461 | 307 | 288 ft | 90–730 ft |
| Florence | 440 | 280 | 330 ft | 130–739 ft |
| Jasper | 433 | 56 | 205 ft | 150–522 ft |
| Georgetown | 323 | 178 | 590 ft | 33–849 ft |
| Dorchester | 317 | 120 | 393 ft | 211–817 ft |
| Kershaw | 308 | 201 | 145 ft | 70–260 ft |
| Hampton | 297 | 141 | 200 ft | 113–870 ft |
| Chesterfield | 285 | 224 | 150 ft | 51–350 ft |
| Williamsburg | 274 | 201 | 230 ft | 47–790 ft |
| Clarendon | 254 | 189 | 420 ft | 146–760 ft |
| Allendale | 221 | 187 | 300 ft | 155–848 ft |
| Darlington | 219 | 144 | 233 ft | 80–521 ft |
| Lee | 215 | 172 | 315 ft | 50–518 ft |
| Calhoun | 207 | 192 | 299 ft | 100–467 ft |
| Marlboro | 177 | 75 | 190 ft | 74–416 ft |
| Dillon | 159 | 91 | 314 ft | 150–542 ft |
| Marion | 158 | 108 | 357 ft | 139–660 ft |
| Bamberg | 114 | 59 | 300 ft | 160–707 ft |
| Lancaster | 9 | 0 | — | — |
| Edgefield | 3 | 0 | — | — |