A new well in Smith County, TX typically costs about $11,800 to $26,000 in 2026 for a complete system, because the median new household well filed with the state since 2016 is 420 feet deep. A shallower well near 180 feet runs about $5,000 to $11,200.
Smith County, around Tyler, Lindale, Whitehouse, Bullard, and Troup, is East Texas sand country, where many rural homes outside a water supply corporation’s lines rely on a private well. Below are the real local depths from state well records, the water-quality issues to plan for, the permit rules, and a free way to reach a licensed local driller.
How deep are wells in Smith County?
Most new household wells in Smith County are 180 to 562 feet deep, with a median of 420 feet. That comes from 404 new domestic wells drillers reported to the state from 2016 through October 2026 in the TWDB Submitted Driller’s Report database.
| Measure (new domestic wells, 2016 to 2026) | Smith County |
|---|---|
| Wells in the sample | 404 |
| Typical depth range (middle half) | 180 to 562 ft |
| Median depth | 420 ft |
| Shallowest 10% / deepest 10% | under 80 ft / over 714 ft |
| Median static water level | 150 ft below ground |
| Median pump setting | 300 ft |
| Median tested yield | 25 gallons per minute |
The wide spread is not noise. Smith County wells tend to fall into two groups: shallow wells under about 180 feet, and deep wells in the 420 to 714 foot range. The water-quality section below explains why many owners pay for the deeper hole.
Which aquifer will my Smith County well tap?
Your well will most likely draw from the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer (major) and the Queen City Aquifer (minor), the two sources the TWDB Smith County water planning summary lists for rural supply.
Some hilltops are capped by Sparta Sand. A 1963 Smith County study cited in TWDB Report 79 found iron as high as 65 to 71 ppm in water from the Sparta and Queen City sands here, which is more than 200 times the EPA’s 0.3 mg/L taste and staining guideline.
How much does it cost to drill a well in Smith County?
Plan on about $11,800 to $26,000 for a complete well at the 420-foot median depth. Angi’s 2026 guide puts Texas well drilling at $28 to $62 per foot (Angi), and HomeGuide puts a complete installation, including casing, pump, wiring, and permits, at $30 to $80 or more per foot (HomeGuide). These are estimates from national cost guides applied to local depths, not local quotes.
| Well depth | Estimated 2026 cost at $28 to $62/ft |
|---|---|
| Shallow (180 ft) | $5,000 to $11,200 |
| Median (420 ft) | $11,800 to $26,000 |
| Deep (562 ft) | $15,700 to $34,800 |
Budget separately for water treatment. HomeGuide lists well-water filtration systems at $800 to $4,000 and water softeners at $1,200 to $3,800. For how the line items break down, see what it costs to drill a well in Texas. If your pump ever needs replacing, here is Texas well pump replacement cost.
Worked example: a 420-foot well at $40 per foot is $16,800. Drilling only to 180 feet at the same rate would save about $9,600 up front, but if that shallow water is acidic or iron-rich, an iron filter and pH neutralizer can eat much of the savings. Ask the driller which zone a shallow well would land in before you choose.
What water quality problems are common in Smith County wells?
Iron, low pH (acidic water), and sometimes hydrogen sulfide are the common issues in East Texas sand aquifers. TWDB describes high iron and manganese as characteristic of much of the Carrizo-Wilcox, and notes excessive iron and high acidity in the northeast part of the Queen City.
TWDB Report 79 explains the pattern with three zones, and says the same zoning appears elsewhere in Northeast Texas:
- Zone A (shallow): low in minerals but acidic, with pH usually about 5.0 to 6.5. It corrodes metal pipe and fixtures and yields only small amounts of water.
- Zone B (intermediate): also low pH, typically with iron above 0.3 ppm. This is the zone most owners want to case off.
- Zone C (deeper): alkaline water, pH about 7.1 to 8.0, and rarely high in anything. Most Carrizo-Wilcox water comes from this zone.
Because the upper Sparta and Queen City sands in Smith County can carry very high iron (see the aquifer section above), ask the driller which sand a shallow well would be screened in and how deep they plan to case past it if a neighbor’s well stains.
The EPA’s secondary (non-health) guidelines are 0.3 mg/L for iron and a pH of 6.5 to 8.5 (EPA). Iron above that stains laundry and fixtures. The Texas Well Owner Network guide notes that hydrogen sulfide smells like rotten eggs, can corrode pipes and blacken fixtures, and that if the smell comes only from hot taps, the water heater’s anode is the likely cause, not the well. If you plan a tankless unit, read tankless water heaters on well water.
Do I need a permit to drill a well in Smith County?
Smith County has no groundwater conservation district, so a private domestic well needs no groundwater permit or registration fee. That could change. On June 16, 2026 the Smith County Commissioners Court voted to hire a law firm to help create a regional Northeast Texas district (KLTV). It needs approval from the Legislature, which meets in January 2027, and State Rep. Cole Hefner said it would meter commercial users, not personal or agricultural wells.
Statewide, anyone who drills a water well or installs a well pump must hold a license from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), and the driller files a State Well Report for every new well. Those reports are the records behind the depth table above. Septic (OSSF) permits are separate; see aerobic vs conventional septic in Texas.
What should I ask a driller before I hire?
- Are you licensed by TDLR as a water well driller and pump installer? (Check the number at the TDLR license search.)
- What depth have your last few wells near my property reached, and which sand did you screen?
- How do you price it: per foot, or a package with casing, screen, pump, tank, and wiring included?
- How will you keep the shallow, acidic zone and the iron-rich zone out of my well?
- Will you test for iron, pH, and hydrogen sulfide after development, and what treatment do you recommend if they are high?
- Do you file the State Well Report with TDLR, and will I get a copy?
- What happens if the first hole does not produce enough water?
If the well tests low, a storage tank can smooth it out; see storage tanks for low-yield wells. For outages, see sizing a generator for a well pump.
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Related Texas well guides
Common questions
Most complete wells in Smith County should land around $11,800 to $26,000 in 2026, based on the 420-foot median depth of new domestic wells in state records and Angi’s $28 to $62 per foot Texas range. Shallow wells cost less but may need iron or pH treatment.
The median new household well reported to the state from 2016 to 2026 in Smith County is 420 feet deep, and the middle half range from 180 to 562 feet. Median static water level is about 150 feet, per the TWDB Submitted Driller’s Report database.
No groundwater permit is needed in Smith County as of October 2026 because it has no groundwater conservation district. Your TDLR-licensed driller still files a State Well Report, and septic and building rules still apply. A proposed regional district would need 2027 legislative approval.
In the Carrizo-Wilcox and Queen City sands, acidic shallow water dissolves iron minerals in an intermediate zone. TWDB Report 79 found deeper, alkaline water is usually low in iron, so many drillers case off the shallow zones. Iron above 0.3 mg/L stains fixtures but is not a health standard.
That smell is hydrogen sulfide. The Texas Well Owner Network says it can come from bacteria in low-oxygen groundwater or from a magnesium anode in the water heater. If only the hot taps smell, check the water heater first. If cold water smells too, test the well and ask about treatment.
Sources: depth, water level, yield, and pump data are Offsprig’s analysis of the TWDB Submitted Driller’s Report download (pulled October 15, 2026; new wells with proposed use “Domestic,” completed 2016 or later). Costs are estimates from Angi and HomeGuide 2026 per-foot ranges, not quotes. Always confirm current rules with TDLR and your county.
Updated October 2026 ยท By Paul Michael