How much does it cost to drill a well in Idaho?

These planning ranges use $28 to $65 per foot for drilling, about $8 per foot for standard PVC casing and about $4,000 for the pump system. They don't include steel casing, trenching, a long electrical run, water treatment or a rig move to a remote site.

Real quotes can land outside these ranges. Horsley Drilling, a North Idaho driller in Athol, lists $4,000 to $30,000 for a single-family well before the pump. A Treasure Valley builder, Pathway Builders, reports finished wells from about $20,000 for a 100-foot well to more than $60,000 for a 600-foot well near Mountain Home. Treat any table as a starting point, not a bid.

Some drillers bundle casing into the per-foot price and some list it separately, and many drillers don't install pumps at all. Ask each company exactly what its number covers so you compare like with like.

Depth to reliable water

Drillers keep going until they reach water that will produce enough for the house. In some river valleys that happens in under 100 feet; on benches, plateaus and in the mountains it can take several hundred. Your neighbors' well reports are the best predictor, and our Idaho well depth by city page shows median depths for about 20 cities.

Geology

Sand, gravel and clay drill quickly. Basalt, common across the Snake River Plain and parts of North Idaho, needs air hammer bits and slows the rig, which raises the per-foot price. Loose or caving ground may need more casing to hold the hole open.

Casing type and length

Idaho's well construction rules require a sealed surface casing to keep surface water out of the aquifer. PVC is the low-cost option where it's allowed; steel casing costs several times more per foot but may be needed in some formations or for deeper wells.

Pump size and water use

Deeper water or a bigger household means a larger pump and heavier wiring. A domestic well can also irrigate up to half an acre, and sizing for that raises pump and tank costs.

Site access and distance to the house

A drill rig is a heavy truck. Steep, muddy or wooded lots can need road work or a rig move fee, and every foot of trench between the well and the house adds cost.

• Treasure Valley (Ada, Canyon): many valley-floor wells are relatively shallow. Near Nampa, half of recorded wells are 80 to 170 feet deep. Foothill and bench properties, and areas toward Mountain Home, can be much deeper.
• Magic Valley and eastern Idaho: wells often go through layered basalt of the Snake River Plain, which can mean a higher per-foot rate even at moderate depth.
• North Idaho (Kootenai, Bonner): depth swings widely between the Rathdrum Prairie and surrounding hills and bedrock, so a lot-specific check matters.
• Mountain and remote properties: expect rig move charges and less predictable depths in fractured rock.

For a closer look near you, see Meridian, Kuna or Caldwell, or search your exact address.

For a single-family home, your licensed driller usually files an online "start card" permit with the Idaho Department of Water Resources (IDWR). A domestic well serving one home, up to half an acre of irrigation and up to 13,000 gallons per day doesn't need a separate water right.

Start cards can't be used everywhere. IDWR doesn't allow them in critical groundwater areas, most groundwater management areas, areas of drilling concern or areas of contamination. Idaho's critical groundwater areas include Cinder Cone Butte (Elmore County), Raft River and the Oakley Fan (Cassia County), Curlew Valley and Blue Gulch, and new appropriations are restricted in several of them. If your land is in one of these areas, budget extra time and talk to the IDWR regional office before you buy. More detail is in our well guide.

• Is the price per foot, flat, or an estimate with a per-foot rate if they go deeper?
• What depth do they expect on your street, and why?
• Does it include casing, the seal, the permit, and the pump, tank and wiring?
• Who handles trenching and the electrical hookup?
• What happens if the first hole is dry or low-yield?

Buying land and not ready to drill? The Premium Property Well Report ($39) pulls nearby well depths, water quality notes, groundwater restrictions and a cost estimate for one property, so you know what you're getting into before you close.