OFFICIAL SITE OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEYWell Permitting Section
Learn more about well permits
The Well Permitting Section is part of the Bureau of Water Allocation and Well Permitting, which is in the Division of Water Supply and Geoscience. The Well Permitting Section consists of two units: the Well Permitting Unit and the Technical Assistance & Licensing Unit.
The Well Permitting Unit reviews electronically submitted well permit applications, which are submitted by New Jersey licensed well drillers. After careful review of the permits, this Unit issues well permits for the construction and installation of residential, public, commercial, industrial, geothermal, and monitoring and remediation wells. The Well Permitting Unit also reviews submitted Individual Well Search Questionnaires and conducts in-depth searches of our database for documentation of wells.
The Technical Assistance & Licensing Unit provides technical assistance to the Well Permitting Unit for construction deviations requested by well drillers. This Unit reviews electronically submitted well records, well decommissioning reports, and conducts site inspections of well drilling operations. This Unit, in conjunction with the New Jersey State Well Drillers & Pump Installers Examining and Advisory Board, oversees the licensing of well drillers and pump installers throughout the State. This Unit also acts as the CEP manager for well drillers and pump installers.
Staff Information
Get to know the staff.
Michael Schumacher – Administrative Analyst 4
Imani McGowan – Administrative Analyst 3
Rebecca McCullic – Agency Services Representative 3
Michelle Herbert – Agency Services Representative 1
Vacant – Administrative Analyst
Mark Miller – Environmental Specialist 4
Mark Ortega – Environmental Specialist 3
Vacant – Environmental Specialist 3
Jeremy Wick – Environmental Specialist 2
Steve Vargo – Environmental Specialist 2
Jillian Walker – Environmental Specialist 1
Gina Fernandes – Environmental Services Trainee
Steve Domber – State Geologist/Assistant Director
Kat Burkhard – Bureau Chief
Steve Reya – Section Chief
Infiniti Harris – Clerk
Well Permits
A “well” is a hole or excavation larger than four inches in diameter or a hole or excavation deeper than 10 feet in depth that is drilled, bored, cored, driven, jetted, dug, or otherwise constructed for the purposes of removal or emplacement of, or investigation of, or exploration for, fluids, water, oil, gas, minerals, soil, or rock, or for the installation of an elevator shaft. If the definition of a well is met then a well permit will need to be obtained by a New Jersey licensed well driller of the proper class before construction of the well occurs.
Approximately 20,000 new permits to drill wells in New Jersey are issued and tracked per year. Once a well is constructed, the driller is required to submit a well record, which is the as-built description of the well. Well drillers also submit a well decommissioning report whenever a well has been decommissioned.
There are approximately 530 licensed well drillers and 150 licensed pump installers in New Jersey; only properly licensed individuals are permitted to install, service and decommission wells and pumps. General provisions for each license type can be found in N.J.A.C. 7:9D-1.7. A list of general provisions, by license type, can also be found on Well Permitting’s Licensing and Exams page.
Well Permitting has construction standards for eight different categories of wells. These categories account for approximately 40 different well uses.
Includes wells which are used to provide potable water to people. Some examples of well uses include:
- Public Community
- Public Non-Community
- Domestic
- Non-Public
- Aquifer Storage and Recovery (potable)
Includes all wells that are used for water withdrawal, injection, or recharge, which are not for potable use. Some examples of well uses include:
- Irrigation
- Agricultural
- Fire Protection
- Industrial
- Livestock
- Open Loop (Standing Column) Geothermal
Cased Environmental Resource and Geotechnical Well
Includes all cased non-water supply wells that are used for environmental engineering and remediation, or geotechnical investigation. Some examples of well uses include:
- Monitoring
- Air Sparge
- Soil Vapor Extraction
- Cathodic Protection
- Inclinometer
- Piezometer
Includes all uncased non-water supply wells that are used for environmental engineering and remediation, or geotechnical investigations. Some well uses include:
- Soil Borings
- Borros Anchors
- Wick Drains
Closed-loop geothermal wells are wells which a continuous closed loop of pipe is inserted for the purpose of non-contact thermal energy transfer from a fluid in the loop to or from the earth.
A dewatering well, or dewatering wellpoint, is a well or wellpoint installed for the removal of groundwater with the intent of temporarily lowering the water table or aquifer level during construction operations.
Includes boreholes or jackholes drilled for the installation of elevator shafts.
Well Searches
The Department manages millions of well permits, well records, and well decommissioning reports for wells throughout the State. If you are looking for documentation for a well on a property, there is a process to follow to see if we have that information on file. An Individual Well Search Questionnaire can be completed and submitted to wellpermitting@njdepwptest.net so a member of our staff can search for the documentation. Alternatively, you can visit the DEP DataMiner and conduct a search independently by using one of several reports under the WS Well Permits header. Instructions for using the DEP DataMiner tools can be found below.
If we have the documentation on file, we will provide you with what we have. If you are conducting a well search via the DEP DataMiner and discover a well permit number that begins with a number (for example – 9900012345), then it is likely that you will need to request this information be sent to you by filling out the Individual Well Search Questionnaire. The DEP DataMiner will only display the finalized documents for well permits, well records, and well abandonment reports which have been submitted electronically via the ePermitting system and approved by Well Permitting staff.
Use the links below to access the Well Search Questionnaire, Well Search Instructions and Procedures, and the a link to the Aerial Receptor Evaluation Search.
Lost/Destroyed Wells
Property owners are responsible for the wells located on their property and for the decommissioning of the well at the end of its life (N.J.S.A. 58:4A-4.1) by a NJ licensed well driller of the proper class. Occasionally, a property owner is unable to find a well that is located on their property. Current regulations require a well driller to use a GPS unit to report the location after the well has been constructed, which makes them easier to locate if they become buried or damaged. However, older methods used to report the well location were often vague and do not help you find the well.
While not guaranteed, it is possible for the Department to accept that a well has been lost or destroyed if it is unable to decommissioned by a NJ licensed well driller of the proper class. Use the Guidance for Damaged, Destroyed, or Lost Wells to aid you in providing the necessary information to the Well Permitting Section. After the case has been reviewed, the Well Permitting Section will either issue a letter agreeing with the findings or will ask for additional information/work to be completed. The well is not considered lost or destroyed until you receive a letter saying that the Department agrees with the findings.
Important Links and Topics for Well Drillers and Pump Installers
New Jersey One Call
Know What’s Below – Call Before You Dig
Contact New Jersey One Call at 811 or 800-272-1000 any time, day or night, before you drill.
Register for Electronic Permitting
If you are a well driller who needs access to the electronic permitting system, you can request access to use the electronic permitting system by emailing wellpermitting@njdepwptest.net with “Request to Register to Use Electronic Permitting” in the subject line. A staff member will work with you to set up your account.
Updating Contact Information
If you need to update your contact information in the Department’s database, email wellpermitting@njdepwptest.net with your corrected address, phone number, and/or email address. It is important to keep this information up-to-date since we send out pertinent information for licensees. If applicable, your information will also need to be updated in your driller profile on NJDEP Online since these services are not linked.
Submitting Continuing Education Information
Well drillers and pump installers can email certificates obtained from approved courses to wdpilicensing@njdepwptest.net. Someone from the Technical Assistance & Licensing Unit will review the information that you submitted. For more information about licensing, exams, and continuing education for well drillers and pump installers, visit our Licensing page.
Well Construction Deviation Form
A well driller may request a deviation from construction standards of N.J.A.C. 7:9D by completing this form and submitting it to wellpermitting@njdepwptest.net with the necessary attachments.
County Health Departments
Use this link to find more information about Local/County Health Departments.
Appeals
Use this form to appeal a well permit denial, special conditions assigned to a permit, license suspension, license revocation, or enforcement orders.
Alternative Materials, Methods, and Technologies
As alternative materials, technologies, and installation methods are approved or revoked by the Department, the information will be added here. All materials, technologies, and installation methods that were approved prior to N.J.A.C. 7:9D being published on January 2, 2018 are located in Appendix A of N.J.A.C. 7:9D.