Alabama Well Rules and the Driller's ADEM Filing

In Alabama, a homeowner does not pull a well permit. Well construction is governed by the ADEM Water Well Standards, and only a licensed driller may drill. That driller files a Notification of Intent before drilling and a Certification of Completion within 30 days after. Your job is to hire a licensed driller and know the basic setbacks.

If you are planning a new well or a new pump on a property around Birmingham, the rules in Alabama are simpler for the homeowner than most people expect. You do not pull a well permit yourself. The paperwork and the drilling both belong to a licensed driller. Your part is hiring the right person and knowing the basics of how a well is supposed to be placed.

Who is in charge of the rules

Well construction in Alabama is governed by the ADEM Water Well Standards (Administrative Code Division 335-9), backed by the Water Well Standards Act of 1988. Those standards set who may drill, how a well must be built, and where it can go. Only a licensed driller may legally drill a well, so the first and most important step is hiring one.

What the driller files, and when

The filings sit with the driller, not with you:

• Before drilling, the licensed driller files a Notification of Intent with ADEM (Form 060).
• Within 30 days after the well is finished, the driller files a Certification of Completion.

You do not submit either one. What you can do is confirm the driller is licensed and that the paperwork was filed, so your well is on record and built to standard. That record matters later, for resale and for any future work on the well.

Setbacks and siting

The Water Well Standards also govern where a well can go, to keep the water clean. As a general guide, that includes setback distances such as roughly 150 feet from livestock, feed, and pesticide or fertilizer storage, a secure well cap to keep contamination out, and specific rules for properly sealing a well that is being abandoned. These matter more than they sound in the karst country around Birmingham, where surface water can move into the aquifer quickly. A licensed driller sites the well to meet these standards.

After the well is in

Once the well is drilled and the pump is set, the ongoing responsibility shifts to you, because private well water is not tested or regulated by the state. That makes a testing habit worth building early. See how often to test private well water in Alabama, and if your water shows the local iron, manganese or sulfur, read what causes it and how it is treated. When you are ready to set or replace a pump on a new or existing well, we handle pump installation.