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Information for well owners

Last updated on May 11, 2026

If you own or plan to purchase property that uses a well to supply groundwater for any purpose, you need to know the general requirements for construction, care and upkeep of your well.

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Plan and construct your well

Proper planning of your well’s location and construction can save you time and money while helping protect your drinking water and the surrounding groundwater from pollution:

Installing a well pump

Once your well is constructed, make sure the well pump installer you hire is properly certified and registered with the province:

Care for and maintain your water supply well

As the well owner, you are responsible for your water quality, so it’s important to properly care for and maintain your well:

Water well contamination after flooding

If flooding occurs in your community, your well water could be at risk of contamination:

Well records and registration

Groundwater for domestic use doesn't need a licence, but if you are a domestic well owner you are strongly encouraged to register your well.

Registering your well creates a record in the provincial Groundwater Wells and Aquifer (GWELLS) database, ensuring that your water use is considered when decisions are made about new authorizations and during periods of water scarcity. You can search GWELLS to see if your well record already exists in the provincial database. If no record exists, complete a well registration form and email it to Groundwater@gov.bc.ca or mail to the address on the form.

If your well is used for non‑domestic purposes, and you do not already have a water license, you will need to apply for a water licence to keep using it. Your well will be registered automatically when you apply for the licence.

Apply for a water licence

Buying or selling property that has a water well

If you are selling property with a water well on it, you are strongly encouraged to disclose any information that you have about the construction, maintenance, yield and water quality of the well. If you are purchasing property that has a water well, learn as much as you can about the well before finalizing the purchase:

Regional groundwater contacts 

Regional groundwater staff can help to address your groundwater questions and concerns:

You will find everything that you need to complete your non-domestic groundwater licence application at FrontCounter BC.

Get help constructing or altering a well

Find a registered well driller or registered well pump installer using the Groundwater Wells and Aquifers Register search page.

Find your water well using the GWELLS search tool.

If you can’t find your well, contact FrontCounterBC@gov.bc.ca for assistance.