A new well in Burnet County, TX typically costs about $9,700 to $21,400 in 2026 for a complete system, because the median new household well filed with the state since 2016 is 345 feet deep. A shallower well near 250 feet runs about $7,000 to $15,500.
Burnet County, around Burnet, Marble Falls, Bertram, Briggs, and Granite Shoals, is Hill Country limestone and granite country on the edge of the Llano Uplift, 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 Burnet County?
Most new household wells in Burnet County are 250 to 460 feet deep, with a median of 345 feet. That comes from 2,716 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) | Burnet County |
|---|---|
| Wells in the sample | 2,716 |
| Typical depth range (middle half) | 250 to 460 ft |
| Median depth | 345 ft |
| Shallowest 10% / deepest 10% | under 140 ft / over 560 ft |
| Median static water level | 216 ft below ground |
| Median pump setting | 360 ft |
| Median tested yield | 20 gallons per minute |
Static water sits about 216 feet down in a typical Burnet County well, so the pump is usually set around 360 feet to ride out dry summers.
Which aquifer will my Burnet County well tap?
Your well will most likely draw from the Trinity Aquifer in the east and northeast, or one of the Llano Uplift aquifers in the west and south: the Hickory, Ellenburger-San Saba, or Marble Falls. The TWDB Burnet County water planning summary lists all four as rural supply.
Which one you hit depends on where your land sits. The Central Texas GCD rules (revised August 25, 2026) treat the Trinity and the non-Trinity aquifers separately, and set stricter rules in a Northeast Burnet County Trinity zone bounded by the county line, US 281, RM 2340, and the North Fork San Gabriel River.
How much does it cost to drill a well in Burnet County?
Plan on about $9,700 to $21,400 for a complete well at the 345-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 (250 ft) | $7,000 to $15,500 |
| Median (345 ft) | $9,700 to $21,400 |
| Deep (460 ft) | $12,900 to $28,500 |
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. Ask the Central Texas GCD whether any registration fee applies. 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 345-foot well at $40 per foot is $13,800. Drilling only to 250 feet at the same rate would save about $3,800 up front, but only if the shallower zone gives enough good water. Ask the driller what nearby wells at that depth produced before you choose.
What water quality problems are common in Burnet County wells?
Hardness is the everyday issue. TWDB describes Trinity water as fresh but very hard in the outcrop, with dissolved solids, sulfate, and chloride rising with depth (TWDB). The district notes some spots in the northeast Trinity zone already have poor water quality (CTGCD rules).
Radioactivity is the issue to test for in the west. The district’s management plan says Hickory water is generally fresh, but alpha particles and radium locally exceed drinking-water standards, it may carry radon gas, and iron may be high (CTGCD management plan). TWDB traces those radionuclides to the Llano Uplift’s Precambrian granite (TWDB). Ellenburger-San Saba water may be hard but is usually under 1,000 mg/L dissolved solids.
For reference, the EPA’s secondary (non-health) guidelines are 0.3 mg/L for iron, 250 mg/L for sulfate and chloride, 500 mg/L for dissolved solids, and a pH of 6.5 to 8.5 (EPA). The Texas Well Owner Network guide recommends testing a new well and retesting yearly. If you plan a tankless water heater, read tankless water heaters on well water.
Do I need a permit to drill a well in Burnet County?
Burnet County is covered by the Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District. Every new well must be registered, and the district must authorize drilling before work starts. A household well on a tract larger than 10 acres that cannot pump more than 25,000 gallons a day is exempt from permits. On 10 acres or less, the district allows the well without an individual permit if it meets spacing and, for wells drilled after March 27, 2024, is capped at 10,000 gallons a day. The smallest wells must sit at least 100 feet from other wells and 50 feet from property lines, on at least 2 acres for the Trinity or 1 acre for the other aquifers; the northeast Trinity zone needs 10 acres and allows one Trinity well per tract (CTGCD rules). The rules don’t list a registration fee, so ask the district at (512) 756-4900.
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), the well must meet TDLR’s minimum distances from septic systems and other contamination sources, 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?
- How do you price it: per foot, or a package with casing, pump, tank, and wiring included?
- Which aquifer will you finish in, and will you test for radium and gross alpha if it is the Hickory?
- Will you file the Central Texas GCD registration and wait for authorization before drilling?
- 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 Burnet County should land around $9,700 to $21,400 in 2026, based on the 345-foot median depth of new domestic wells in state records and Angi’s $28 to $62 per foot Texas range. Treatment and district fees are extra.
The median new household well reported to the state from 2016 to 2026 in Burnet County is 345 feet deep, and the middle half range from 250 to 460 feet. Median static water level is about 216 feet, per the TWDB Submitted Driller’s Report database.
You don’t need an individual permit for a household well in Burnet County if it meets the Central Texas GCD’s spacing and production limits, but you must register it and get the district’s go-ahead before drilling. Tracts of 10 acres or less are capped at 10,000 gallons a day.
Usually, but test it. Trinity water is very hard, and the district says Hickory wells in western Burnet County can exceed drinking-water standards for radium and gross alpha and may contain radon. Ask for a radionuclide test if your well finishes in the Hickory.
Sources: depth, water level, yield, and pump data are Offsprig’s analysis of the TWDB Submitted Driller’s Report download (pulled October 2026; new wells with proposed use “Domestic,” completed 2016 or later). Water-quality figures come from the TWDB and district reports linked above; older studies reflect conditions when sampled. Costs are estimates from Angi and HomeGuide 2026 per-foot ranges, not quotes. Always confirm current rules with TDLR and your groundwater district.
Updated October 2026 ยท By Paul Michael