Well Drilling in Central Florida: Permits, Depth, Geology, and Cost

Drilling a new water well in Central Florida is a major-purchase decision governed by Florida Administrative Code, the relevant Water Management District, and the local county health department. This guide covers what licensed Florida contractors do, what the geology looks like, what the permit process actually involves, and what realistic cost ranges look like in 2026. Quality Filters And Pumps holds Florida Water Well Contractor License #7494 and has been drilling and servicing wells in Central Florida for 15+ years.

The Floridan Aquifer: Why Central Florida Geology Drives Every Well Decision

Most private wells in Central Florida draw from the Upper Floridan Aquifer, a regional limestone system that underlies the entire peninsula. The Floridan is one of the most productive aquifers in the United States, but it sits beneath a layer of younger, less consolidated sediment (the surficial aquifer and intermediate confining unit) that has to be cased through.

For most homes in Marion, Alachua, Orange, Lake, Polk, Volusia, and surrounding counties, a properly constructed well means: steel or PVC casing driven through the surficial overburden, grouted to seal against surface contamination, and open-hole completion in the deeper limestone where the aquifer yields. Where surficial conditions are stable and the target is shallow irrigation rather than drinking water, a shallower surficial well is sometimes the right call. The Florida-licensed contractor on site makes that call after reviewing nearby well-completion records held by the St. Johns River Water Management District or the Southwest Florida Water Management District, depending on which WMD covers the property.

Permits: What Florida Actually Requires

Florida regulates well construction under Florida Administrative Code Chapter 62-532. The high points:

• A water-well construction permit must be issued by the relevant Water Management District before drilling starts.
• The permit must be issued to a Florida-licensed water-well contractor; homeowners cannot pull their own permit for a new water-supply well.
• The contractor must post the permit on site and file a well-completion report with the WMD when the job is finished.
• Setbacks from septic drainfields, property lines, and surface-water bodies are spelled out in the rule and enforced by the WMD and the county health department.
• The well must be disinfected and cleared bacteriologically before being put into service.

We handle the entire permit package as part of every drilling job we do in Central Florida. Permit turnaround is typically a few business days for routine residential applications and longer for sites near surface water, contamination plumes, or sensitive recharge zones. Our step-by-step Florida well permit guide walks through the homeowner-facing parts of the process.

Recommended Method by Site Condition

Depth, Casing, and Pump Sizing

Depth and Casing: Why Central Florida Wells Cost What They Cost

Two numbers drive most of the cost of a new well: total drilled depth and length of casing. Both depend on geology. In a typical Marion County drilling project, the contractor casing through the surficial overburden may set 60 to 120 feet of steel or PVC before reaching the limestone. The remaining depth, drilled open-hole into the Floridan, can be another 100 to 300+ feet depending on where the productive zone sits and what static water level the site has.

Casing material matters. Schedule 40 PVC is acceptable in most residential applications under Chapter 62-532. Steel casing is used where there is a risk of borehole instability or where the well sits in a high-traffic location. The contractor specifies casing material on the permit application; the WMD approves or flags it before drilling.

Pump and Pressure Tank: Sizing the Delivery Side

A well is only as useful as the pump and pressure tank that deliver water to the house. Sizing rules of thumb on this side:

• For a typical 3 to 4 bedroom home, a 1/2 to 1 horsepower 4-inch submersible pump rated for the well's static head is usually adequate.
• Pressure tank size should target 1 to 2 minutes of pump run time per cycle to minimize start-stop wear on the motor. For most homes that means a 30 to 80 gallon tank.
• Constant-pressure controllers (VFD or CSV) eliminate the on-off cycling that wears pump motors. We cover the tradeoffs in our constant-pressure systems article.
• Lightning protection on the pump control panel is highly recommended in Central Florida. See our lightning protection article for background.

Realistic Cost Ranges for 2026

We will not publish a fake single number. Real residential well projects in Central Florida vary widely based on depth, casing, geology, and pump and tank package. We track our own quote history; the most useful framing is by category, not a hard number, because depth alone can swing a single project by several thousand dollars. For background on cost drivers, see our companion article How much does it cost to drill a well in Central Florida in 2026?.

Quote calls that try to lock you into a number over the phone, without a site visit and a review of the WMD nearby-well database, are a red flag. We do not work that way.

Call a Professional If

• You are buying a property with an existing well of unknown age and you need a pre-purchase inspection.
• Your current well is more than 30 years old and pressure has been declining despite a new pump.
• You are considering converting an irrigation-only well to a drinking-water source (this requires new permits, casing review, and a full water-quality workup).
• You need an old well properly abandoned and grouted (DIY abandonment is a violation under FDEP rule and exposes the aquifer to surface contamination).
• You suspect surface-water intrusion (sediment, bacteria, color changes after heavy rain).

For pump-side troubleshooting, start with our well pump troubleshooting pillar. For filtration after drilling, see the well water filtration pillar. For specific neighborhoods, see our local pages: Ocala, Gainesville, Orlando, Leesburg, and Clermont. See our full well drilling service page for the work scope, or read background on drilling in karst country and repairing vs. replacing an old Florida well.

Frequently Asked Questions