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# Some Private Well Water Quality Regulations Exist In Iowa
- URL: https://www.investigatemidwest.org/some-water-quality-regulations-exist-in-iowa/
- Published: 2016-12-20T09:56:01.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-11T02:39:33.000Z
- Description: Iowa law does not require well water quality to meet any drinking water standards but wells fall under a handful of different regulations.
- Author: Lauren Shotwell
- Tags: Health, Environment, iowawatch, Adair County, Adams County, Audubon County, Cass County, Crisis in our Wells, Guthrie County, Iowa water, Iowa well water, Shelby County, water quality, water safety, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-06-18 04:56

###### *Part of a series*

Iowa law does not require private well water quality to meet any drinking water standards but wells fall under a handful of different regulations.

New wells require a permit from either the county where the well exists, usually through a county sanitarian, or from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Some reconstruction or rehabilitation work on wells also may require a permit, although simple repair work doesn’t require a permit. All well services must be done by a state-certified well contractor or by the well owner and must follow well standards and requirements.

[Certified well contractors](http://www.iowadnr.gov/Environmental-Protection/Water-Quality/Private-Well-Program/Contractor-Certification?ref=investigatemidwest.org) fall under three categories: well drillers, pump installers and well pluggers.

###### THIS IOWAWATCH INVESTIGATION WAS SUPPORTED BY A GRANT FROM THE[ FUND FOR INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM](http://fij.org/?ref=investigatemidwest.org)

![FIJ2](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cd/d3/cdd3c059-8898-40b1-bcf7-cb2d3aa89775/content/images/2026/09/FIJ2.jpg)

A certified well plugger can plug only certain types of shallower wells: large-diameter bored or augered wells and sandpoint wells. Pluggers cannot plug small-diameter drilled wells that are 100 feet deep or more.

Certified pump installers and well drillers can plug all wells.

Under [Iowa Administrative Code](https://www.investigatemidwest.org/content/files/www-legis-iowa-gov/docs/iac/rule/07-21-2004-567-49-6.pdf), new wells must be placed certain distances from other wells and from potential sources of contamination, like septic tanks, landfills, feedlots or animal manure storage. The land around the well [must](https://www.investigatemidwest.org/content/files/www-legis-iowa-gov/docs/iac/rule/07-21-2004-567-49-7.pdf) be graded so that water runs away from the well and be cased to at least 12 inches above the ground or, for wells in a flood plain, to 12 inches above the 100-year flood level.

Because abandoned wells can pose a risk of contamination by allowing pollution and other contaminants to flow through the well into the groundwater, owners of abandoned wells are [responsible](https://www.investigatemidwest.org/content/files/www-legis-iowa-gov/docs/iac/rule/04-08-1998-567-39-6.pdf) for making sure that the wells are plugged by a certified well contractor.

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![crisisinourwells_serieslogo](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cd/d3/cdd3c059-8898-40b1-bcf7-cb2d3aa89775/content/images/2026/09/CrisisInOurWells_SeriesLogo.jpg)

OTHER STORIES IN THIS SERIES:

###### [Crisis in Our Wells: Iowa’s Private Well Water Often Goes Untested, Presenting Unknown Heath Risks](http://iawat.ch/TI4r5?ref=investigatemidwest.org)

###### [Potential Contaminants in Your Well Water](http://iawat.ch/KXGrl?ref=investigatemidwest.org)

###### [Arsenic In Drinking Water Tied To Diseases](http://iawat.ch/fn6s9?ref=investigatemidwest.org)

###### [Many Iowans Ignore High Nitrate, Bacteria Threats In Their Well](https://investigatemidwest.org/many-iowans-ignore-high-nitrate-bacteria-threats-in-their-wells/?ref=investigatemidwest.org)  
  
[Building A Database For Iowa’s Wells](https://investigatemidwest.org/building-a-database-for-iowas-wells/?ref=investigatemidwest.org)  
  
[Past Studies Show Contamination Levels in Iowa’s Rural Wells](https://investigatemidwest.org/past-studies-show-contamination-levels-in-iowas-rural-wells/?ref=investigatemidwest.org)  
  
[Lead Present in Some Iowa Wells But At Low Levels](https://investigatemidwest.org/lead-present-a-low-levels-in-some-iowa-wells-but-experts-say-paint-is-larger-concern/?ref=investigatemidwest.org)  
  
[Why You Should Plug An Old Well](https://investigatemidwest.org/why-you-should-plug-an-old-well/?ref=investigatemidwest.org)