TX · wells & permits
Water wells in Texas
Real drilling records, county depth medians, active contractors, and exactly what it takes to pull a well permit in Texas.
The permit, in plain language
No pre-drill permitgeneric
TDLR / GCD layer
16 TAC 76
- Pre-drill gate
- None — report after drilling
- Fee
- —
- Who files
- Driller or owner may file
- Timeline
- Varies
State: no pre-drill for exempt domestic; district overlay may require registration
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: TWRSRS well report within 60 days → TDLR / GCD layer · filing link ↗
Forms: TX well application · TWRSRS well report
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Vortex Drilling, Inc. | 15,984 | 15 ft |
| Envirotech Drilling Services LLC | 10,989 | 25 ft |
| Vortex Drilling Inc. | 9,744 | 15 ft |
| BEST DRILLING SERVICES, INC. | 8,402 | 25 ft |
| MagnaCore Drilling & Environmental Services | 7,961 | 14 ft |
| Hydro Resources Mid Continent Inc. | 7,808 | 560 ft |
| Best Drilling Services, Inc. | 6,658 | 25 ft |
| Sunbelt Industrial Services | 6,638 | 20 ft |
| WEST Drilling | 5,813 | 20 ft |
| Wheeler Drilling | 5,640 | 124 ft |
County by county
Depth statistics across Texas
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harris | 40,200 | 40,191 | 32 ft | 16–310 ft |
| Bexar | 24,759 | 24,749 | 20 ft | 5–258 ft |
| Dallas | 24,593 | 24,553 | 20 ft | 8–39 ft |
| Tarrant | 23,007 | 22,990 | 25 ft | 10–390 ft |
| Parker | 15,963 | 15,959 | 222 ft | 140–397 ft |
| Midland | 15,349 | 15,339 | 95 ft | 35–160 ft |
| Montgomery | 14,252 | 14,246 | 215 ft | 40–385 ft |
| Gaines | 13,908 | 13,900 | 200 ft | 125–270 ft |
| Brazoria | 12,933 | 12,932 | 305 ft | 25–540 ft |
| Travis | 12,324 | 12,312 | 35 ft | 8–620 ft |
| Lubbock | 11,711 | 11,706 | 160 ft | 60–235 ft |
| Ector | 11,096 | 11,096 | 125 ft | 30–210 ft |
| Fort Bend | 8,616 | 8,616 | 232 ft | 28–362 ft |
| Wise | 7,896 | 7,896 | 200 ft | 100–400 ft |
| Randall | 7,388 | 7,386 | 320 ft | 180–519 ft |
| Nueces | 7,244 | 7,233 | 25 ft | 10–280 ft |
| Denton | 6,749 | 6,742 | 80 ft | 15–770 ft |
| Burnet | 6,543 | 6,524 | 300 ft | 80–540 ft |
| Martin | 5,966 | 5,965 | 100 ft | 58–190 ft |
| Tom Green | 5,691 | 5,686 | 115 ft | 30–200 ft |
| Howard | 5,438 | 5,438 | 90 ft | 50–177 ft |
| Gillespie | 5,240 | 5,238 | 224 ft | 100–483 ft |
| Comal | 4,988 | 4,986 | 450 ft | 17–680 ft |
| Victoria | 4,962 | 4,962 | 124 ft | 20–222 ft |
| Galveston | 4,957 | 4,957 | 120 ft | 15–628 ft |
| Hays | 4,853 | 4,848 | 450 ft | 18–820 ft |
| Williamson | 4,693 | 4,688 | 500 ft | 15–830 ft |
| Terry | 4,637 | 4,637 | 157 ft | 100–278 ft |
| Hartley | 4,527 | 4,527 | 540 ft | 330–970 ft |
| Lavaca | 4,458 | 4,458 | 185 ft | 93–342 ft |
| Washington | 4,447 | 4,443 | 240 ft | 130–445 ft |
| Erath | 4,356 | 4,355 | 355 ft | 99–460 ft |
| Collin | 4,276 | 4,273 | 20 ft | 6–855 ft |
| Harrison | 4,169 | 4,140 | 260 ft | 25–460 ft |
| DeWitt | 4,159 | 4,157 | 202 ft | 45–470 ft |
| Hidalgo | 4,144 | 4,139 | 30 ft | 14–325 ft |
| Jefferson | 4,136 | 4,134 | 25 ft | 12–220 ft |
| Llano | 4,115 | 4,114 | 160 ft | 60–275 ft |
| Smith | 4,080 | 4,080 | 75 ft | 16–576 ft |
| Waller | 4,025 | 4,024 | 240 ft | 130–370 ft |
| Fayette | 3,951 | 3,948 | 255 ft | 30–520 ft |
| Colorado | 3,927 | 3,927 | 166 ft | 99–302 ft |
| Potter | 3,861 | 3,857 | 233 ft | 5–335 ft |
| Kendall | 3,815 | 3,814 | 400 ft | 180–740 ft |
| Dallam | 3,813 | 3,811 | 520 ft | 350–800 ft |
| Wharton | 3,812 | 3,812 | 200 ft | 85–342 ft |
| Panola | 3,730 | 3,727 | 220 ft | 40–380 ft |
| Yoakum | 3,650 | 3,648 | 180 ft | 120–288 ft |
| Webb | 3,572 | 3,572 | 30 ft | 10–1115 ft |
| Austin | 3,555 | 3,554 | 204 ft | 116–350 ft |
| Sherman | 3,554 | 3,553 | 480 ft | 400–580 ft |
| Rusk | 3,484 | 3,482 | 340 ft | 25–540 ft |
| Johnson | 3,468 | 3,468 | 280 ft | 14–900 ft |
| Bell | 3,357 | 3,354 | 25 ft | 3–850 ft |
| Montague | 3,298 | 3,297 | 200 ft | 35–400 ft |
| Liberty | 3,289 | 3,288 | 205 ft | 24–370 ft |
| Grimes | 3,264 | 3,264 | 280 ft | 50–460 ft |
| Jim Wells | 3,249 | 3,248 | 320 ft | 26–542 ft |
| Matagorda | 3,225 | 3,222 | 275 ft | 20–520 ft |
| Andrews | 3,214 | 3,212 | 108 ft | 17–200 ft |