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Well drilling quotes for Ocala and Marion County properties
New homesite, failing well, or a pump that will not keep up? Describe the job once and we pass it to one independent water well contractor who works in Marion County, so you get a site visit and a written price.
Marion County, Florida, well drilling referrals
We are a referral service, not a driller. We do not own a rig, set prices, or pull permits. This page collects the Florida and Marion County rules that shape a well job, each checked against a public source, so you can read a driller’s estimate with better questions.
- Well drilling cost published price ranges, line by line, and what moves them
- Well pump replacement and repair for low pressure, no water, or a short-cycling tank
- Well drilling questions on permits, depth, testing, and doing it yourself
What sits under a Marion County lot
Most private wells here draw from the Upper Floridan aquifer. A U.S. Geological Survey report on the Silver Springs ground-water basin describes it as a thick sequence of very porous limestone and dolomite and calls it the principal source of water supply in central Marion County.
How far down is the rock? At several sites the study examined around Ocala, the top of the limestone was roughly 35 to 60 feet below land surface, and the report cautions that the depth can vary widely over a short distance. The deep public-supply wells at the City of Ocala’s northeast well field run 187 to 265 feet, cased to between 85 and 140 feet, and a USGS monitoring well near Ocala is 153 feet deep with casing to 124 feet. None of that predicts your lot, but it shows why drillers price by the foot and why casing depth is a real line item.
The same report explains the catch. Where the clayey Hawthorn Formation is thin or missing, the aquifer is not confined, and in this karst country contaminants can reach it by seepage through sand, through sinkholes, and through drainage wells. Sound casing, grout, and setbacks keep a private well apart from the surface.
Private wells are nothing unusual here. The USGS counted about 92,500 Marion County residents on individual domestic wells in 1987, more than the roughly 82,500 served by a utility at the time.
Five checks before a rig shows up
None of this is legal advice, and the permitting office always has the final word. These are the questions worth settling on any Marion County well job.
1. Who issues the permit
Marion County is split between the Southwest Florida and St. Johns River water management districts, and both have delegated well permitting to the Florida Department of Health in Marion County. A permit is needed to construct, repair, modify, or abandon a well. In the St. Johns River district, wells 6 inches or larger in outside diameter at land surface are permitted by the district itself.
2. A licensed water well contractor
Florida requires anyone in the business of building, repairing, or abandoning wells to hold a water well contractor license from a water management district, and that license is valid statewide. The law also requires the license number to be displayed on every piece of drilling equipment, so you can note it and check it with the district.
3. Septic and well, planned together
Florida’s septic rule places new onsite systems at least 75 feet from a private drinking water well. On a new lot without central sewer, decide where the well and the drainfield go at the same time, before clearing and pad work lock in the layout.
4. Call 811 first
Florida’s underground facility law counts any cut or cavity intended to penetrate the earth’s surface as excavation, and requires notice to Sunshine 811 at least two full business days before excavation begins. Confirm who files the ticket.
5. Test the water
Private well owners are responsible for their own water quality. The Florida Department of Health recommends testing for bacteria and nitrate at least once a year and lead every three years, and says county health departments can provide sampling instructions, usually for $20 to $30 per sample.
What a well tends to cost (published ranges, not quotes)
We do not set or quote prices. These national figures are here to help you read a written estimate; the cost guide breaks them down.
| Work | Published national estimate (checked Oct 2026) |
|---|---|
| Complete 200-foot residential well | $6,000 to $16,000, including casing, pump, electrical, and permits (HomeGuide) |
| Drilling, per foot | $25 to $65; most homeowners spend $3,000 to $9,000 (HomeAdvisor) |
| Submersible pump, replaced | $1,000 to $2,500 installed (HomeGuide) |
| Well permit | $350 to $700+ depending on location (HomeGuide) |
Well drilling questions
Are you a well drilling company?
No. Ocala Land Clearing Quotes is a referral service. We pass your request to one independent water well contractor, who contacts you, looks at the site, and gives you their own written price. We do not own a rig or employ crews.
Who issues well permits in Marion County?
The Florida Department of Health in Marion County. Both the Southwest Florida and St. Johns River water management districts have delegated well permitting in their parts of the county to it.
How deep are wells around Ocala?
It varies by site. At several sites around Ocala, a U.S. Geological Survey study found the top of the limestone about 35 to 60 feet below land surface, and a USGS monitoring well near Ocala is 153 feet deep. The same study warns that the depth can vary widely over a short distance, so your driller sets depth and casing for your lot.
Can I drill my own well?
Florida law lets a person without a water well contractor license build a well 2 inches or less in diameter on their own property, only for their own single-family residence or farm, as long as they follow all state and local well rules. Larger wells, and wells for anyone else, need a licensed contractor.
Does replacing a well pump need a well permit?
Usually not on its own. Florida law defines well construction to exclude installing pumps and pumping equipment, and defines well repair to exclude work on the part of a well above ground. Work that alters the well below ground, such as the casing, is a repair that needs a permit. Ask the contractor whether any local plumbing or electrical permit applies.
Do I have to test my well water?
Florida does not require routine testing of a private home well, or testing when a home with a well is sold. The Florida Department of Health recommends testing for bacteria and nitrate every year, and lead every three years.
What does a new well cost?
HomeGuide’s published national average for a complete 200-foot residential well, including casing, pump, electrical connections, and permits, is $6,000 to $16,000. That is a national estimate, not a quote. Depth and casing drive most of the difference.
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