Rural Home CompassState guidance
The rules change at the state—and often local—line.
These pages are published only when official state material changes the homeowner’s next action. ZIP codes are never treated as proof that a property has a well or septic system.
Find reviewed guidance
Start with your ZIP code.
We use only the ZIP prefix to suggest a guide. Confirm the state and local authority before acting.
North Carolina
North Carolina has unusually actionable statewide guidance: new private wells require testing tied to completion, existing-well owners receive a tiered testing schedule, and local health departments are central to both well and septic records.
7 official sources · Reviewed 2026-09-07→NYNew York
New York combines a clear recurring water-testing schedule with strong stop-use guidance for suspected chemical contamination. Some counties may also have PFAS testing and treatment support that is not available statewide.
11 official sources · Reviewed 2026-09-07→PAPennsylvania
Pennsylvania differs from many states because DEP does not regulate private homeowner wells at the state level. Local ordinances may apply, while on-lot septic permitting and enforcement are largely administered by municipalities or joint local agencies.
4 official sources · Reviewed 2026-09-05→VAVirginia
Virginia makes the ownership split unusually clear: a new well receives construction-related bacteriological testing, ongoing water quality becomes the owner’s responsibility, and septic permits can reveal design capacity and continuing duties that matter before a purchase.
3 official sources · Reviewed 2026-09-05→MIMichigan
Michigan combines a defined new- and repaired-well coliform step with a state testing schedule and highly local septic administration. The local health department remains central to permits, added water-test choices, and onsite-system rules.
21 official sources · Reviewed 2026-09-16→WIWisconsin
Wisconsin offers unusually concrete homeowner guidance: routine well testing, county- and history-specific arsenic decisions, state well records, and a statewide county-run maintenance tracking system for private onsite wastewater treatment systems.
12 official sources · Reviewed 2026-09-07→OHOhio
Ohio puts the local board of health at the center of private-water construction, alteration, inspection, and sampling. Ordinary one-, two-, and three-family homes are not covered by the state rule’s annual sampling mandate for other private systems, so routine homeowner testing must be separated from regulated work.
8 official sources · Reviewed 2026-09-13→MNMinnesota
Minnesota combines a legally defined three-analyte new-well sample with statewide well disclosure and an official record system whose pre-1974 and sealing-record gaps matter. Current MDH materials use different routine nitrate intervals, while nitrate and PFAS decisions also change by location.
19 official sources · Reviewed 2026-09-13→MEMaine
Maine gives private-well owners an unusually specific testing calendar: bacteria and nitrogen compounds every year, a broader chemical and radiological group every three to five years, and additional testing after household, treatment, or well changes.
15 official sources · Reviewed 2026-09-13→INIndiana
Indiana combines nonbinding statewide private-well standards with a clear annual and five-year health schedule, while county health departments can impose permits, completion samples, or property-transfer tests that do not apply statewide.
15 official sources · Reviewed 2026-09-13→GAGeorgia
Georgia gives private-well owners two unusually specific laboratory paths: annual W35 bacterial testing and a W33C chemical screen every three years, with arsenic and lead added to the private-owner profile.
14 official sources · Reviewed 2026-09-13→TNTennessee
Tennessee explicitly says private-water sampling is not mandated statewide, while current agencies recommend annual pathogen testing and at least biennial chemical testing and publish a useful but location-limited statewide well map.
11 official sources · Reviewed 2026-09-13→SCSouth Carolina
South Carolina separates mandatory residential-well notice and construction rules from owner-directed water-quality testing, while offering unusually specific state laboratory kits and a current private-well PFAS assessment path.
12 official sources · Reviewed 2026-09-14→FLFlorida
Florida combines clear homeowner testing recommendations with a fragmented construction-record system and special rules for delineated contamination areas, where new potable wells can require county sampling and clearance.
15 official sources · Reviewed 2026-09-14→TXTexas
Texas separates statewide driller and construction rules from owner-managed water quality and district-specific groundwater rules. A homeowner must identify any Groundwater Conservation District before treating registration, testing help, or local permits as applicable.
16 official sources · Reviewed 2026-09-14→WVWest Virginia
West Virginia routes private-well construction, modification, abandonment, sampling requests, and records through local health departments while the state certifies drillers and laboratories and publishes an initial chemistry-and-microbiology testing group.
14 official sources · Reviewed 2026-09-14→NJNew Jersey
New Jersey separates new-well acceptance testing, Private Well Testing Act duties for qualifying sales and rentals, and voluntary routine testing. The required panel can change with county, aquifer, and local health rules.
12 official sources · Reviewed 2026-09-22→OROregon
Oregon’s legal water-quality testing trigger centers on a sale or exchange involving a domestic well. Routine annual bacteria and nitrate testing and three-to-five-year arsenic testing are health recommendations, while OWRD separately regulates construction and keeps well reports.
17 official sources · Reviewed 2026-09-22→