A new well in Henderson County, TX typically costs about $12,900 to $28,500 in 2026 for a complete system, because the median new household well filed with the state since 2016 is 460 feet deep. A shallower well near 205 feet runs about $5,700 to $12,700.
Henderson County, around Athens, Brownsboro, Chandler, Malakoff, and the Cedar Creek Lake area, 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 Henderson County?
Most new household wells in Henderson County are 205 to 608 feet deep, with a median of 460 feet. That comes from 615 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) | Henderson County |
|---|---|
| Wells in the sample | 615 |
| Typical depth range (middle half) | 205 to 608 ft |
| Median depth | 460 ft |
| Shallowest 10% / deepest 10% | under 87 ft / over 700 ft |
| Median static water level | 160 ft below ground |
| Median pump setting | 294 ft |
| Median tested yield | 20 gallons per minute |
The wide spread is not noise. Henderson County wells tend to fall into two groups: shallow wells under about 205 feet, and deep wells in the 460 to 700 foot range. The water-quality section below explains why many owners pay for the deeper hole.
Which aquifer will my Henderson County well tap?
Your well will most likely draw from the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer and the Queen City Aquifer, per the TWDB Henderson County water planning summary.
A TWDB study of Anderson, Cherokee, Freestone, and Henderson counties (Report 150) found the high-iron Wilcox wells were mostly near the outcrop, and that some Carrizo wells in the four-county area have a sulfur odor from small amounts of hydrogen sulfide.
How much does it cost to drill a well in Henderson County?
Plan on about $12,900 to $28,500 for a complete well at the 460-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 (205 ft) | $5,700 to $12,700 |
| Median (460 ft) | $12,900 to $28,500 |
| Deep (608 ft) | $17,000 to $37,700 |
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. In Henderson County, add the $100 NTVGCD registration fee. 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 460-foot well at $40 per foot is $18,400. Drilling only to 205 feet at the same rate would save about $10,200 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 Henderson 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.
Report 150 found the sulfur odor more often in southeastern Cherokee County but noted it occurs in other parts of the four-county area too, so ask the driller what nearby wells smell like before you pick a target sand.
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 Henderson County?
Update, October 16, 2026: the NTVGCD adopted new rules on October 15, 2026 and says the final text will be posted soon (NTVGCD). The version in front of the board would tie the household-well exemption to tract size (25,000 gallons a day on 10 acres or more, 10,000 gallons a day under 10 acres) and add property-line spacing. The fee schedule effective March 1, 2026 sets the new exempt-well registration fee at $100. Confirm current limits with the district at (903) 541-4845 before you drill.
Henderson County is inside the Neches & Trinity Valleys Groundwater Conservation District (NTVGCD), which also covers Anderson and Cherokee counties. A household or farm well that cannot pump more than 36,000 gallons a day (25 gpm) is exempt from permits and production fees, but it must be registered with the district before drilling. The district’s fee schedule effective March 1, 2026 sets the new exempt well registration fee at $100 (the older FAQ page still says $50, so confirm with the office at 903-541-4845). Under district rules, the driller must send the district a copy of the State Well Report within 60 days. A bigger, non-exempt well needs a drilling permit ($200 for casing 6 inches or less) and must sit at least 50 feet from the property line. The district is rewriting its rules in 2026 (rulemaking documents).
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?
- Will you file the NTVGCD exempt-well registration and send the district the State Well Report?
- 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.
Get matched with a Henderson County well pro
Tell us about your project and we will pass it to a licensed local driller who works in Henderson County. Offsprig is paid by the contractor, never by you.
Related Texas well guides
Common questions
Most complete wells in Henderson County should land around $12,900 to $28,500 in 2026, based on the 460-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 Henderson County is 460 feet deep, and the middle half range from 205 to 608 feet. Median static water level is about 160 feet, per the TWDB Submitted Driller’s Report database.
Yes, in a sense. Henderson County is in the Neches & Trinity Valleys GCD. A domestic well under 25 gpm needs no permit, but you must register it before drilling. The 2026 fee schedule lists a $100 registration fee, and the driller sends the district the State Well Report within 60 days.
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