Selling or buying a house with a well

3 states require a well water test when a home sells. 15 require testing a new well before use.

Find a water test near the house

A test is required at sale

• New Jersey: New Jersey's Private Well Testing Act requires every contract for the sale of a home served by a qualifying private well to include a provision requiring the well water to be tested as a condition of sale, and closing cannot occur until both buyer and seller have received and reviewed the test results. Source
• Oregon: Oregon's Domestic Well Testing Act requires the seller of real estate with a domestic well to have the well tested for arsenic, nitrates and total coliform bacteria upon accepting an offer, and to send the results to the Oregon Health Authority and the buyer within 90 days. Source
• Rhode Island: Rhode Island law directs the Department of Health to adopt regulations requiring water-quality testing of a private well before sale of the property it serves, and requiring the owner to disclose results of any previous well testing before sale or lease. Source

Every state with a rule

"Disclose" means the seller must share well information or known test results. From each state's own law or agency page, checked October 1, 2026. Not legal advice; lenders may have their own rules.