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New Hampshire 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.

Water Well Contractor License

The contractor license specifies one or more authorized construction types: drilled, washed, dug, or monitoring wells. Monitoring wells include technical drilling. Businesses hold the license in conjunction with a named qualified individual; employees may also obtain individual licenses. Rotary and cable-tool equipment are within the drilled-wells construction type. Pump installation is a separate profession and license.

Licensing authority: New Hampshire Water Well Board, Department of Environmental Services · Application information

Annual renewal of an existing contractor license
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Submit the Board renewal form and applicable fee before June 30, including license types and number, contact and business information, qualified individual if applicable, equipment information and signature under We 401.01.
Disciplinary status
Renewal is subject to RSA 482-B:8 and 9 and We 401.04. The continuing-education requirement in We 402 applies to pump installers, not this contractor license.
Existing license
Hold an existing contractor license and renew the existing authorized construction types. License expires June 30 annually.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2017-03-01.

Initial licensure by examination for drilled wells
New Hampshire Water Well Board Water Well Contractor Examination — Drilled Wells
Application
We 303 requires the Board contractor application, required documentation and fees, the construction type and equipment, applicant information and other licenses, experience and references, applicable Secretary of State registration, agreement to ethical and professional standards, and a signed application acknowledged before a notarial officer. The Board must approve the application before the applicant sits the examination under We 304.01(b).
Business applicant
We 302.03 and We 302.07 issue a business license in conjunction with a named licensed qualified individual who is an owner, partner, corporate officer or employee directly in charge of business affairs and daily operations. The qualified individual must meet the applicable licensing requirements. An employee of a licensed contractor is not separately required to be licensed; individual employees and partners may obtain licenses under We 302.04.
Construction type
Drilled Wells authorization under We 303.01(b).
Examination waiver
We 304.03 and RSA 482-B:13 allow an examination exemption for qualifying reciprocity or to ameliorate undue hardship. A waiver is an applicant condition; it does not discontinue the currently offered category examination.
Experience
RSA 482-B:5, III and We 302.05 require three years actively engaged in the trade directly related to the construction type sought; a year is at least 1,600 hours. A drilling contractor must have one year drilling water wells in crystalline rocks of the Appalachian Region.
Experience documentation
We 302.06 requires a written employment, dates, tasks, and equipment history with supporting documentation.
Multiple authorizations
We 303.01(b) permits one or more construction types on the license. This route concerns the named type; an applicant seeking additional types must establish the qualifications for those types. The equipment fee variants for rotary and cable-tool drilling do not create different drilled-well construction types.
References
We 302.06(d)-(f) requires at least three United States citizen references: at least two knowledgeable well-construction industry references, one current or former employer licensed to construct wells, and no more than one coworker or employee. Each reference submits the Board reference form directly; applicant-delivered references are not accepted.
Licensure for drilled wells with an applicant specific undue hardship exemption request
New Hampshire Water Well Board Water Well Contractor Examination — Drilled Wells
Application
We 303 requires the Board contractor application, required documentation and fees, the construction type and equipment, applicant information and other licenses, experience and references, applicable Secretary of State registration, agreement to ethical and professional standards, and a signed application acknowledged before a notarial officer. The Board must approve the application before the applicant sits the examination under We 304.01(b).
Business applicant
We 302.03 and We 302.07 issue a business license in conjunction with a named licensed qualified individual who is an owner, partner, corporate officer or employee directly in charge of business affairs and daily operations. The qualified individual must meet the applicable licensing requirements. An employee of a licensed contractor is not separately required to be licensed; individual employees and partners may obtain licenses under We 302.04.
Construction type
Drilled Wells authorization under We 303.01(b).
Examination waiver
We 304.03 and RSA 482-B:13 allow an examination exemption for qualifying reciprocity or to ameliorate undue hardship. A waiver is an applicant condition; it does not discontinue the currently offered category examination.
Experience
RSA 482-B:5, III and We 302.05 require three years actively engaged in the trade directly related to the construction type sought; a year is at least 1,600 hours. A drilling contractor must have one year drilling water wells in crystalline rocks of the Appalachian Region.
Experience documentation
We 302.06 requires a written employment, dates, tasks, and equipment history with supporting documentation.
Hardship petition
Under RSA 482-B:13 and We 204, the applicant requests an exemption identifying the specific requirements, unique hardship, and why relief does not impair the public interest or statutory purpose. Only the Board may grant the relief. The examination remains referenced because its waiver depends on the applicant-specific determination; the exemption may concern other requirements instead.
Multiple authorizations
We 303.01(b) permits one or more construction types on the license. This route concerns the named type; an applicant seeking additional types must establish the qualifications for those types. The equipment fee variants for rotary and cable-tool drilling do not create different drilled-well construction types.
References
We 302.06(d)-(f) requires at least three United States citizen references: at least two knowledgeable well-construction industry references, one current or former employer licensed to construct wells, and no more than one coworker or employee. Each reference submits the Board reference form directly; applicant-delivered references are not accepted.
Reapplication for drilled wells after expiration exceeding one year
New Hampshire Water Well Board Water Well Contractor Examination — Drilled Wells
Application
We 303 requires the Board contractor application, required documentation and fees, the construction type and equipment, applicant information and other licenses, experience and references, applicable Secretary of State registration, agreement to ethical and professional standards, and a signed application acknowledged before a notarial officer. The Board must approve the application before the applicant sits the examination under We 304.01(b).
Business applicant
We 302.03 and We 302.07 issue a business license in conjunction with a named licensed qualified individual who is an owner, partner, corporate officer or employee directly in charge of business affairs and daily operations. The qualified individual must meet the applicable licensing requirements. An employee of a licensed contractor is not separately required to be licensed; individual employees and partners may obtain licenses under We 302.04.
Construction type
Drilled Wells authorization under We 303.01(b).
Examination waiver
We 304.03 and RSA 482-B:13 allow an examination exemption for qualifying reciprocity or to ameliorate undue hardship. A waiver is an applicant condition; it does not discontinue the currently offered category examination.
Experience
RSA 482-B:5, III and We 302.05 require three years actively engaged in the trade directly related to the construction type sought; a year is at least 1,600 hours. A drilling contractor must have one year drilling water wells in crystalline rocks of the Appalachian Region.
Experience documentation
We 302.06 requires a written employment, dates, tasks, and equipment history with supporting documentation.
Lapsed license
The license expired more than one year before renewal application and payment were received. We 401.03(c) requires reapplication and all new-applicant requirements, including examination. This includes longer inactive periods; it is not the no-examination late-renewal route.
Multiple authorizations
We 303.01(b) permits one or more construction types on the license. This route concerns the named type; an applicant seeking additional types must establish the qualifications for those types. The equipment fee variants for rotary and cable-tool drilling do not create different drilled-well construction types.
References
We 302.06(d)-(f) requires at least three United States citizen references: at least two knowledgeable well-construction industry references, one current or former employer licensed to construct wells, and no more than one coworker or employee. Each reference submits the Board reference form directly; applicant-delivered references are not accepted.
Late renewal within one year following expiration
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Submit the late renewal form, required renewal information, renewal fee and the $20 late fee required by We 401.01(d) and We 401.02(c). RSA 482-B:5, I specifies the late fee after July 31.
Business applicant
Identify the business and its qualified individual when renewing a business license.
Disciplinary status
Renewal remains subject to RSA 482-B:8 and 9 and We 401.04.
Expiration
The renewal application is made within one year following expiration; longer lapses require the reapplication route.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2017-03-01.

Licensure without examination under an applicable reciprocal agreement
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Follow We 303 with relevant construction type, fees and required documentation. Provide additional information requested by the Board to establish all reciprocity criteria. No license is issued if proof is insufficient.
Business applicant
We 302.03 and We 302.07 issue a business license in conjunction with a named licensed qualified individual who is an owner, partner, corporate officer or employee directly in charge of business affairs and daily operations. The qualified individual must meet the applicable licensing requirements. An employee of a licensed contractor is not separately required to be licensed; individual employees and partners may obtain licenses under We 302.04.
Other jurisdiction license
Applicant must hold an appropriate contractor license issued elsewhere and present a certified copy. That license is an applicant condition; another jurisdiction's examination is not a leaf of this route.
Reciprocal agreement
We 305.02 requires an existing reciprocal agreement with the Board. RSA 482-B:5, IV requires equivalent standards, satisfactory proof of bona fide contractor practice, and a like examination exemption for New Hampshire licensees. This is the statutory conditional route; no present agreement or applicant eligibility is asserted.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2017-03-01.

New Hampshire Water Well Board Water Well Contractor Examination — Drilled Wells

Provider
New Hampshire Water Well Board
Format
Written examination
Passing score
70%
Practice scope

The authority has not published an examination outline; the practice questions follow the scope of the existing question bank.

  • Well Siting and Protective Areas
    • Protective well radii and property boundaries
    • Septic-system setbacks and approved plans
    • Setbacks from other contamination sources
  • Reduced Setbacks
    • Eligibility and owner notification
    • Special construction methods and documentation
  • Drilled Bedrock Well Construction
    • Bedrock observations, casing functions and materials
    • Bedrock casing installation and seals
    • Grouting and flowing-artesian discharge protection
  • Drilled Wells in Unconsolidated Materials
    • Formation records and casing materials
    • Casing placement, termination and completion
  • Well Development and Disinfection
    • Yield development and measurement
    • Hydrofracturing controls
    • Chlorination and discharge
  • Wellhead Completion and Maintenance
    • Below-grade casing termination
    • Active and inactive well maintenance and casing extensions
  • Well Abandonment
    • Abandonment determination and responsibility
    • Preparation and sealing methods
  • Well Completion Reporting
    • Required report content and location data
    • Submission timing, methods and late reports
Examination sources