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Michigan Water Well Driller — Requirements & Free Practice

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Licenses, application pathways and examination requirements

Each license and applicant pathway has its own requirements and exemptions. Choosing practice questions does not determine your eligibility.

Dewatering Well Drilling Contractor Certificate of Registration

Registration limited to dewatering well installations and related operations, including dewatering pump installation and well abandonment.

Licensing authority: Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) · Application information

Initial dewatering contractor registration by examination

All of the following:

Board approval
Advisory-board approval is required before examination; it may interview the applicant and require affidavits or supporting evidence.
Education
R 325.1771(b) requires tenth-grade completion or equivalent ability demonstrated through approved short courses or an unspecified written examination; up to four additional years of experience may substitute for equal years of education.
Examination content
R 325.1775 requires an examination covering various aspects of dewatering operations; EQP2087, which lists the dewatering category, requires the written examination and hands-on exercise of all new applicants.
Experience
At least two years in underground contracting, with Michigan supervisory or actual field experience drilling at least twenty dewatering wells.
Implementation qualifications
EQP2087 pages 2 and 6–7 request high-school qualifications, twenty well-and-pump records and two years of recent experience; the category-specific legal qualifications are R 325.1771.
Reexamination
R 325.1775 requires a six-month wait after failure; this governing rule takes precedence over EQP2087 general 30-day written-exam retest instruction.
References
Two reference statements are required, one from a registered dewatering drilling or pump-installation contractor familiar with the applicant work and character.
Reinstatement of dewatering registration lapsed over three years

All of the following:

Lapse
Certificate has lapsed for more than three years.
New applicant examination
Examination is required under the rules for new applicants.
Reinstatement of dewatering registration lapsed within three years
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Lapse
Certificate expired because renewal application and fees were not submitted, within three years of expiration.
Reinstatement
The department may reinstate with a renewal application, advisory-board advice, and fees and penalties for all lapsed years.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Dewatering registration by reciprocity

All of the following:

Department discretion
The department may issue upon application and prescribed fees. The statute does not expressly waive the examination; R 325.1775 and EQP2087 carry the current examination requirements.
Equivalence and reciprocal privileges
Equivalent standards, no conflict with Part 127, and equal reciprocal privileges for Michigan registrants are required.
Existing registration
Hold an equivalent drilling certificate in another jurisdiction or foreign country under MCL 333.12705(4); the advisory-board secretary verifies the originating registration and its requirements under R 325.1778.
Scope
Registration is limited to dewatering well activities.
Annual renewal of dewatering registration
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Submit the prescribed renewal form and fees by March 1; certificates expire April 30.
Limited scope
Registration continues to authorize only dewatering well installations and related operations.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Reinstatement of suspended or revoked dewatering registration
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Hearing
R 325.1779(2) provides the petition-and-hearing process for suspended or revoked certificates and does not specify an examination for that process. A separate expiration beyond three years invokes the new-applicant examination rule in R 325.1779(1)(b).
Waiting period
Wait a period equal to the suspension, not exceeding nine months after suspension or revocation, before petitioning the director for a reinstatement hearing.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Water Well Drilling Contractor Certificate of Registration

Authorizes water well construction, alteration, repair and pump installation.

Licensing authority: Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) · Application information

Annual renewal
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Registration expires April 30; submit renewal application by March 1 and pay the annual fee.
Inactive or retired status
EQP2087 states: "Michigan does not have a provision for an inactive registration or retired status."
Late fee
After July 1, pay an additional fee equal to 50 percent of the basic registration fee.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Initial registration with approved apprenticeship documentation

All of the following:

Application
Complete prescribed application with registration fee and required documentation at least 60 days before the examination; file a certificate of assumed name when applicable.
Business representative
A firm, partnership or corporation designates at least one partner, officer or responsible full-time employee to take the examination and supervise the registered business.
Education
High school completion or equivalent; up to four additional years of experience may substitute for equal years of education.
Experience
At least two years of well drilling experience, including at least 20 completed wells, obtained within the past five years under an active Michigan registered well driller.
Experience documentation substitution
Completion of a department- and advisory-board-approved industry apprenticeship may replace the proof of work experience required by R 325.1701a(1); all underlying qualifications still apply.
Experience records
Submit the required well logs, chronological work history reviewed by the local health department, two notarized non-relative references including one registered in the same category, and employment verification under R 325.1701a.
Failed exam
R 325.1706(2) requires an approved industry training course before reexamination and a $25 fee; EQP2087 states a minimum 30-day wait to retake the written examination.
Good moral character
Good moral character as required by R 325.1701(c).
Minimum age
At least 18 years old (R 325.1701(b)).
Reinstatement of a certificate expired more than two years

All of the following:

Expiration
Certificate has expired for more than two years.
New applicant requirements
Meet the new applicant qualifications, documentation and examination requirements specified by R 325.1709(1)(b) and EQP2087.
Reinstatement of a certificate expired within two years
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Expiration
Certificate expired because the registrant failed to apply and pay renewal fees, no more than two years ago.
Interpretation
R 325.1709(1)(a) and EQP2087 specify fee-based reinstatement of short lapses; R 325.1709(3) is read with the immediately preceding revoked-certificate petition in subrule (2).
Reinstatement
Director may reinstate upon renewal application, advisory-board advice, and all expired-year renewal fees and applicable penalties.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Initial registration by examination

All of the following:

Application
Complete prescribed application with registration fee and required documentation at least 60 days before the examination; file a certificate of assumed name when applicable.
Business representative
A firm, partnership or corporation designates at least one partner, officer or responsible full-time employee to take the examination and supervise the registered business.
Education
High school completion or equivalent; up to four additional years of experience may substitute for equal years of education.
Experience
At least two years of well drilling experience, including at least 20 completed wells, obtained within the past five years under an active Michigan registered well driller.
Experience records
Submit the required well logs, chronological work history reviewed by the local health department, two notarized non-relative references including one registered in the same category, and employment verification under R 325.1701a.
Failed exam
R 325.1706(2) requires an approved industry training course before reexamination and a $25 fee; EQP2087 states a minimum 30-day wait to retake the written examination.
Good moral character
Good moral character as required by R 325.1701(c).
Minimum age
At least 18 years old (R 325.1701(b)).
Out of state licensed or registered applicant

All of the following:

Application
Complete prescribed application with registration fee and required documentation at least 60 days before the examination; file a certificate of assumed name when applicable.
Business representative
A firm, partnership or corporation designates at least one partner, officer or responsible full-time employee to take the examination and supervise the registered business.
Education
High school completion or equivalent; up to four additional years of experience may substitute for equal years of education.
Experience
Meet R 325.1701 and R 325.1701a; EGLE EQP2087 additionally requires the submitted well records and employment verification.
Experience records
Submit the required well logs, chronological work history reviewed by the local health department, two notarized non-relative references including one registered in the same category, and employment verification under R 325.1701a.
Failed exam
R 325.1706(2) requires an approved industry training course before reexamination and a $25 fee; EQP2087 states a minimum 30-day wait to retake the written examination.
Good moral character
Good moral character as required by R 325.1701(c).
Minimum age
At least 18 years old (R 325.1701(b)).
Reference and work history exceptions
At least one non-relative reference from a driller or pump installer licensed in the state of residence substitutes for a Michigan reference; the responsible home-jurisdiction agency reviews the work history.
Residence and licensure
Applicant resides outside Michigan, holds a current drilling license or registration in the state of residence, and is in good standing.
Discretionary registration by reciprocity

All of the following:

Department discretion
MCL 333.12705(4) permits EGLE to issue upon application and payment; it does not explicitly waive the examination. R 325.1706 and EQP2087 require the Michigan written examination and hands-on exercise of new applicants.
Equivalence
The issuing standards must not conflict with Part 127 and must be no lower than Michigan rules; equal reciprocal privileges must be available to Michigan registrants.
Existing registration
Hold a similar certificate in another jurisdiction or a foreign country.
Foreign or other jurisdiction examinations
Any examination associated with the pre-existing certificate is applicant qualification evidence; it is not a Michigan route examination.
Registration examination for a replacement business representative

All of the following:

Applicant qualifications
A new replacement applicant must meet the initial registration qualifications.
Business notice
A firm, partnership or corporation must notify EGLE within ten days of losing its sole registered representative.
Continuing operation
A qualified individual must apply within thirty days to take the next examination on the firm behalf, or an already registered contractor must be employed within thirty days.
Failure
The business must cease operations if the applicant fails the examination and a registered contractor is not employed.
Reinstatement after revocation
Michigan Water Well Drilling Contractor Written Examination
Director recommendation
Reinstatement requires the director recommendation and successful completion of the written examination under R 325.1709(3).
Petition
Demonstrate reasonable grounds, correction of the conditions that caused revocation, and assurance they will not recur.
Waiting period
Wait at least one year after revocation before petitioning the director for a hearing.

Hands-on submersible pump electrical troubleshooting exercise

This assessment does not have a question bank.

Provider
EGLE
Format
Hands-on pump electrical troubleshooting
Time limit
20 minutes
Examination sources

Michigan Water Well Drilling Contractor Written Examination

Provider
EGLE
Format
Multiple-choice and true/false
Exam questions
200
Time limit
4 hours
Passing score
70 percent
Practice scope

Inferred from the examination name; the authority has not published an examination outline.

  • Public Health Code, Part 127 — Water Supply and Sewer Systems
  • Groundwater Quality Control Rules
  • Safe Drinking Water Act, 1976 PA 399
  • Supplying Water to the Public Rules
Examination sources