NJ Well Water

New Jersey home-sale well testing, town by town

If the house you are buying or selling in New Jersey has a private drinking-water well, state law requires a lab test before closing. This site explains the test and shows what past tests in each town found, using the state's own summary data.

269NJ municipalities with 10+ wells in the state summary
2002–2024Period covered by the NJDEP data (Sept 2002 – Dec 2024)
$1,200–$1,500NJDEP's estimate of the average test price

What is the PWTA well test?

New Jersey's Private Well Testing Act (PWTA) was signed in March 2001, and its rules took effect in September 2002. It is a consumer-information law: when a property with a potable well is sold, the untreated well water must be tested for up to 43 parameters, and both buyer and seller must receive and review the results before the title can close. Every contract of sale must include the testing requirement. Landlords must test every five years and give tenants a copy. Source: NJDEP Private Wells: Private Well Testing Act (PWTA).

Who pays?

For a sale, NJDEP says the cost is negotiated between buyer and seller. For rentals, the landlord pays. Source: NJDEP Private Wells: Private Well Testing Act (PWTA).

What does it cover?

The required parameters include total coliform and E. coli, nitrate, pH, iron, manganese, lead, arsenic, gross alpha, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), synthetic organic compounds (1,2,3-TCP, EDB, DBCP) and the PFAS chemicals PFOA, PFOS and PFNA. Some counties add more: mercury in Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Monmouth, Ocean and Salem counties, and uranium in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren counties. Sources: Pace Analytical: Private Well Testing - NJ PWTA (parameter list and county requirements); PFAS were added December 1, 2021 per NJ Department of Health: PFAS and private wells in New Jersey (updated July 2025).

Samples must be collected by a certified lab or its authorized representative. You only need to contact one lab; it subcontracts any tests it is not certified for. You may use any NJ-certified drinking-water lab, whatever its location. Source: NJDEP Division of Science and Research: PWTA (lab sampling/testing rules).

What does it cost?

NJDEP estimates the average price at $1,200–$1,500, and says it can cost more because of field blanks, which are required for PFAS and VOCs. Source: NJDEP Private Wells: Private Well Testing Act (PWTA). Published lab prices we could verify start at $950 (RAdata, "starting as low as") and run from $995 to $1,295 for EMSL's 2023 regional packages. See certified labs & published prices.

Look up a town

Most-tested towns published so far:

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Quick answers

Is a well test required to sell a house in NJ?
Yes, if the property's drinking water comes from a private well covered by the Act. Both parties must receive and review the results before closing.
Can the seller just use an old test?
The Act requires a test as a condition of the sale; ask the lab and your attorney whether an existing test qualifies for your transaction.
Does a failed result kill the sale?
The PWTA requires testing and disclosure, not a pass. What happens next (treatment, credits, retesting) is negotiated between buyer and seller.