Yes. In both Sutter County and Yuba County, you need a well permit from the county's environmental health department before anyone drills, repairs, deepens or destroys a water well. A licensed C-57 water well contractor does the work under that permit, and after the well is finished, the driller files a Well Completion Report with the state within 60 days.
If you're planning a new well for a home, a shop or an orchard, the permit is the first real step. Here's how it works in Sutter and Yuba counties, what the county wants to see, and what happens after the rig leaves.
Who issues the permit
Sutter County: Sutter County Environmental Health, part of the Development Services Department at 1130 Civic Center Boulevard, Suite A, in Yuba City. Phone (530) 822-7400.
Yuba County: Yuba County Environmental Health, through its Private Water Systems Program at 915 8th Street in Marysville. Phone (530) 749-5450, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Properties in neighboring counties like Butte, Colusa and Placer go through that county's own environmental health office. The process is similar, but the forms and fees are different. If you're not sure which agency covers your parcel, ask us when you call.
What work needs a permit
Sutter County requires a permit before any well construction, repair, reconstruction or destruction begins. Yuba County says the same thing: wells must be constructed, repaired and destroyed by permit and to state and local standards.
That covers:
- Drilling a new well, whether it's domestic, agricultural or a replacement
- Deepening or reperforating an existing well
- Reconstructing a well, like adding a liner
- Destroying an old or abandoned well. See what California requires for abandoned wells.
Sutter County's code makes an exception for true emergency repairs, which can go ahead first, with the permit application stating the reason for the emergency.
What goes into the application
On a Sutter County well permit application, the county asks for:
- A site plan showing where the well will go
- The well details: planned depth, diameter, and the latitude and longitude of the site
- Seal and construction details, including whether the well will be gravel-packed or have a liner
- Flood zone information, including whether the site is in a special flood hazard area
- For agricultural wells, the estimated groundwater production in acre-feet per year and the parcel size
- For domestic wells, a signed declaration
- The contractor's declaration, signed by the driller under penalty of perjury, certifying an active C-57 Water Well Contractor license
One local detail that matters: Sutter County does not approve bentonite chips for the well seal. The seal has to be neat cement, sand cement or concrete. In Yuba County, the driller has to be registered with Yuba County Environmental Health.
Setbacks: where a well can go
A well can't go just anywhere on the lot. California's well standards and county codes keep wells a minimum distance from anything that could contaminate the water. Common minimums are:
- 50 feet from sewer lines
- 100 feet from a leach field or leach lines
- 150 feet from a seepage pit or cesspool
- 100 feet from animal or fowl enclosures
- 50 to 100 feet from a septic tank, depending on the code the county applies
The county sets the final numbers for your parcel. On small rural lots around Yuba City, Sutter and Plumas Lake, the septic system usually decides where the well can go, so we look at that first during the site visit.
After the well is drilled
The permit doesn't end when drilling does.
- Inspection. Yuba County inspects wells during construction and destruction. In Sutter County, the work isn't considered complete until the county is notified, receives the completion report, and a final inspection is done or waived.
- Well Completion Report. California Water Code Section 13751 requires a report for every well that's drilled, deepened, reperforated or destroyed, filed with the Department of Water Resources within 60 days of finishing. Sutter County also gets a copy.
- Your records. Keep a copy of the completion report. It shows the depth, the casing, the seal and what the driller found, and it's the first thing the next driller or a home buyer's inspector will ask for.
Sutter County well permits are valid for one year from the date they're issued, with one one-year extension available if you apply before the permit expires.
Building a house? Drill first
In Yuba County, if a new home will use a domestic well for drinking water, the well has to be drilled and the water tested before the county releases building permits for the house. That rule has been in place since 2006. If results show contaminants above state limits, the county requires or recommends treatment.
So if you're building on a rural parcel in Yuba County, the well comes before the foundation. Plan for it in your timeline.
Replacing an old well
When a new well replaces one that failed or went dry, the old well generally has to be properly destroyed under its own permit. Old, open wells are a direct path for contamination into groundwater and a safety hazard on the property. We handle the well destruction and the new well on the same job.
Before you replace a well, make sure it actually needs replacing. A well that's lost production can often be brought back with cleanout and rehabilitation for a lot less than drilling new.
How long it takes
The drilling itself usually goes quickly once the rig is on site. Most of the time in a new-well project is the permit review, scheduling the rig, and setting the pump and tank. County review times change with workload and the season, so we give you a realistic timeline when we see the property.
If you need water for a crop or a move-in date, call early. For agricultural wells, that means before the irrigation season, not in the middle of it.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a permit to drill a well in Sutter County?
Yes. Sutter County Environmental Health requires a permit before any well construction, repair, reconstruction or destruction begins. The only exception is a true emergency repair. The permit is valid for one year.
Who pulls the well permit, me or the driller?
Your licensed C-57 well contractor normally handles the application and signs the contractor's declaration. As the property owner, you sign the owner forms and approve where the well goes.
How far does a well have to be from a septic system?
Common minimums are 100 feet from a leach field, 150 feet from a seepage pit, and 50 to 100 feet from the septic tank, depending on the code the county applies. The county sets the final setbacks for your parcel.
Who files the Well Completion Report?
The driller. California law requires it to be filed with the Department of Water Resources within 60 days after the well is completed, deepened, reperforated or destroyed. Ask for a copy for your records.
Can I build a house in Yuba County before drilling the well?
Not if the house will rely on a domestic well for drinking water. Yuba County requires the well to be drilled and the water tested before it releases building permits for the home.
Planning a new well? We handle the permit.
DNA Well Drilling & Pump Services is a family-owned, licensed California well contractor (C-57 #1108209) based in Yuba City. We handle the county permit, drilling, the pump and tank, and the completion report for domestic wells and agricultural wells across Yuba City, Marysville, Sutter, Gridley, Colusa, Oroville, Plumas Lake, Sacramento and Roseville.
Free estimates. Call (530) 565-3871 or request an estimate online.
Planning a new well? Call or text for a free estimate.