Drinking Water & Wells

**Notice for Well Drillers: Snohomish County Health Department is currently not conducting individual drinking water well seal inspections.  Please contact the local Washington State Department of Ecology Well Construction and Licensing Coordinator Scott Malone at 360-407-6648 or scott.malone@ecy.wa.gov. 

Water requirements for building permits

The Snohomish County Health Department’s drinking water program helps ensure that an adequate and safe, potable source of water is available to all proposed residences before construction. When you apply for a building permit from Snohomish County, requirements of the Washington State Growth Management Act must be met before the building permit can be issued.

To obtain a permit, you must have one of the following:

  • A letter from an approved water purveyor stating their ability and willingness to provide water to your property
  • A private well source that has been reviewed and approved by the Snohomish County Health Department 

The Adequate Water Supply for Building Permit (PDF) document also summarizes these requirements.

Well site review and requirements

  • Apply for an Application for an Individual Water Supply Site Inspection and pay the application review fee
  • Verify that there is no source of contamination located, stored or disposed of within 100 feet of a well, including on-site sewage disposal facilities, manure piles, garbage, enclosures or structures for keeping or maintaining animals, or the storage of chemicals, herbicides, or insecticides
  • Submit a Request for Review: Individual Water Supply application signed by the property owner/applicant. Attach the following to the application:
    • A copy of the Water Well Report to verify that the well was constructed per WAC 173-160, including well yield test information per WAC 173-160-321 (400 gallons per day minimum)
    • Results of inorganic chemical analyses for the following elements: arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, selenium, silver, sodium, fluoride, and nitrate (available through the Snohomish County Health Department or a private water testing lab)

Two-connection well requirements

Private wells and individual water supply serving 2 single-family homes will be reviewed and approved by the Snohomish County Health Department. If you are purchasing water from an existing approved public water system, such as the City of Everett, portions of the following application and review process may not apply.

  • An Application for an Individual Water Supply Site Inspection and application review fee
  • A Request for Review: Individual Water Supply application DOCUMENT signed by the property owner/applicant, including the following minimum submittals:
    • Signed Declaration of Applicant
    • Copy of Water Well Report (Well Drillers Log) verifying well construction per WAC 173-160
    • Documentation of well yield testing per WAC 173-160-345(1) sufficient in detail to demonstrate a minimum of 400 gallons per day per residential connection
    • Satisfactory results of a bacteriological analysis; and
    • Satisfactory results of inorganic chemical analyses for the following: arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, selenium, silver, sodium, fluoride, and nitrate
    • Note: For systems purchasing water from an existing approved public water system, i.e. City of Everett, some above items may not apply.
  • All necessary recorded Declaration of Water Use Agreements, Easements, and Restrictions, including the following minimum information:
    • Identification of the supply as an individual water supply
    • Description of system management and ownership
    • Identification of the property or properties served
    • Recognition of system restrictions as determined by the Snohomish County Health Department 
  • Documentation from the public water system that claims the properties are within their water service area boundaries and that direct water service is not available
  • Note: If the structures do not sit on the same property, each home must meet approval by filing separate applications with the Snohomish County Health Department.