OpenExamsFREE PRACTICE — ANY EXAM

North Dakota Water Well Driller — Requirements & Free Practice

US-ND · License preparation

100 free questions · Answer explanations · No signup required

Choose what to practice

Start with an exam below. Your examination requirements depend on your application pathway. View licensing requirements

Loading selected examination banks…

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

Drilling licence under NDCC Chapter 61-03 and NDAC Title 90; active and inactive status are renewal statuses of this licence.

Licensing authority: North Dakota Department of Water Resources · Application information

Active renewal
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Annual fees
SFN 61149 states $200 for active status and $100 for inactive status.
Bond
Active renewal includes the applicable bond under 90-02-02-01.3. Reactivation does not waive active-licence requirements.
Continuing education
For active renewal, six department-approved hours per two-year reporting cycle; newly licensed contractors earn the credits during the two years following initial licensure. CE deficiency may be cured by March 31; thereafter reapply and pass the initial examination.
Existing license
Hold an existing Water Well Contractor licence.
Renewal deadline
For renewal, submit the completed renewal application before April 1 following expiration. After that deadline the previous licence is ineligible for renewal under 90-02-02-04.
Status
Renew as active.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Licensure by examination apprenticeship
North Dakota Water Well Contractor Examination
Annual license fee
SFN 60296 states an annual licence fee of $200.
Application
Submit SFN 60296, a current resume and $100 examination fee at least 30 days before the test date; Department webpage timing is used for submission. SFN 60296 instead says: "Application materials and $100 test fee must be submitted within 30 days of the test date."
Bond
File a $15,000 surety bond for water-well contracting.
Business registration
Under NDCC 43-51-13(2), a business entity required to register with the Secretary of State may seek this licence only after registration.
Criminal history
Conviction is not disqualifying unless DWR finds a direct bearing on ability to serve the public or insufficient rehabilitation under NDCC 12.1-33-02.1.
Equipment and reporting
The licenseholder in charge must obtain and display the equipment decal under 90-02-03-04. Water-well completion reports are due within 30 days and a customer copy is required under 61-03-27(5).
Examination schedule
Department examinations are held in February, May, August and November in Bismarck; at least ten days written notice is given.
Experience recency and equivalence
The required one-year apprenticeship or experience must occur in the three years immediately before application. Suitable vocational training may substitute at DWR's sole discretion. DWR may approve equivalent experience obtained outside North Dakota under a nonlicenseholder contractor; this affects experience equivalence, not the examination requirement.
Failed examination
After failure, the examination may not be retaken for one year under NDAC 90-02-01-06.
License validity
Licences expire December 31 in the year of issuance and require annual renewal.
Licensure completion
Complete the other licensure requirements within six months of examination-result notification; otherwise the score is nullified and a new application and reexamination are required.
Passing score
At least 70 percent on the closed-book written examination; up to four hours.
Qualification
At least one year of water-well drilling and construction apprenticeship or experience under direct supervision of a licensed water-well contractor.
Reciprocity
The former certification-by-reciprocity provision, NDAC 90-02-02-07, was repealed effective October 1, 2024; this is the examination route, including applicants with experience acquired elsewhere.
Licensure by examination technical education
North Dakota Water Well Contractor Examination
Annual license fee
SFN 60296 states an annual licence fee of $200.
Application
Submit SFN 60296, a current resume and $100 examination fee at least 30 days before the test date; Department webpage timing is used for submission. SFN 60296 instead says: "Application materials and $100 test fee must be submitted within 30 days of the test date."
Bond
File a $15,000 surety bond for water-well contracting.
Business registration
Under NDCC 43-51-13(2), a business entity required to register with the Secretary of State may seek this licence only after registration.
Criminal history
Conviction is not disqualifying unless DWR finds a direct bearing on ability to serve the public or insufficient rehabilitation under NDCC 12.1-33-02.1.
Equipment and reporting
The licenseholder in charge must obtain and display the equipment decal under 90-02-03-04. Water-well completion reports are due within 30 days and a customer copy is required under 61-03-27(5).
Examination schedule
Department examinations are held in February, May, August and November in Bismarck; at least ten days written notice is given.
Failed examination
After failure, the examination may not be retaken for one year under NDAC 90-02-01-06.
License validity
Licences expire December 31 in the year of issuance and require annual renewal.
Licensure completion
Complete the other licensure requirements within six months of examination-result notification; otherwise the score is nullified and a new application and reexamination are required.
Passing score
At least 70 percent on the closed-book written examination; up to four hours.
Qualification
At least one year of career and technical education in water-well construction.
Reciprocity
The former certification-by-reciprocity provision, NDAC 90-02-02-07, was repealed effective October 1, 2024; this is the examination route, including applicants with experience acquired elsewhere.
Inactive renewal
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Annual fees
SFN 61149 states $200 for active status and $100 for inactive status.
Bond
Active renewal includes the applicable bond under 90-02-02-01.3. Reactivation does not waive active-licence requirements.
Continuing education
For active renewal, six department-approved hours per two-year reporting cycle; newly licensed contractors earn the credits during the two years following initial licensure. CE deficiency may be cured by March 31; thereafter reapply and pass the initial examination.
Existing license
Hold an existing Water Well Contractor licence.
Renewal deadline
For renewal, submit the completed renewal application before April 1 following expiration. After that deadline the previous licence is ineligible for renewal under 90-02-02-04.
Status
Renew as inactive; no licensed contracting may be performed.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Reactivation
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Annual fees
SFN 61149 states $200 for active status and $100 for inactive status.
Bond
Active renewal includes the applicable bond under 90-02-02-01.3. Reactivation does not waive active-licence requirements.
Continuing education
For active renewal, six department-approved hours per two-year reporting cycle; newly licensed contractors earn the credits during the two years following initial licensure. CE deficiency may be cured by March 31; thereafter reapply and pass the initial examination.
Existing license
Hold an existing Water Well Contractor licence.
Renewal deadline
For renewal, submit the completed renewal application before April 1 following expiration. After that deadline the previous licence is ineligible for renewal under 90-02-02-04.
Status
Reactivate a maintained inactive licence; DWR expressly permits reactivation without retaking the test.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Relicensure after continuing education lapse
North Dakota Water Well Contractor Examination
Annual license fee
SFN 60296 states an annual licence fee of $200.
Application
Submit SFN 60296, a current resume and $100 examination fee at least 30 days before the test date; Department webpage timing is used for submission. SFN 60296 instead says: "Application materials and $100 test fee must be submitted within 30 days of the test date."
Bond
File a $15,000 surety bond for water-well contracting.
Business registration
Under NDCC 43-51-13(2), a business entity required to register with the Secretary of State may seek this licence only after registration.
Criminal history
Conviction is not disqualifying unless DWR finds a direct bearing on ability to serve the public or insufficient rehabilitation under NDCC 12.1-33-02.1.
Eligibility
A licenseholder who does not complete deficient continuing education by March 31 of the following year must reapply and pass the examination required for initial licensure under 90-01-03-08.
Equipment and reporting
The licenseholder in charge must obtain and display the equipment decal under 90-02-03-04. Water-well completion reports are due within 30 days and a customer copy is required under 61-03-27(5).
Examination schedule
Department examinations are held in February, May, August and November in Bismarck; at least ten days written notice is given.
Failed examination
After failure, the examination may not be retaken for one year under NDAC 90-02-01-06.
License validity
Licences expire December 31 in the year of issuance and require annual renewal.
Licensure completion
Complete the other licensure requirements within six months of examination-result notification; otherwise the score is nullified and a new application and reexamination are required.
Passing score
At least 70 percent on the closed-book written examination; up to four hours.
Reciprocity
The former certification-by-reciprocity provision, NDAC 90-02-02-07, was repealed effective October 1, 2024; this is the examination route, including applicants with experience acquired elsewhere.

North Dakota Water Well Contractor Examination

Provider
North Dakota Department of Water Resources
Format
Closed-book written examination
Time limit
Up to four hours
Passing score
70 percent
Exam fee
$100 nonrefundable examination fee
Practice scope

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

  • Licensure, Supervision, and Reporting
    • Water well contractor licensure scope and qualifications
    • Responsible supervision and equipment identification
    • Completion reporting and post-examination licensure duties
  • Definitions, Planning, and Well Location
    • Water well construction and water-supply definitions
    • Public-well plans, specifications, and approvals
    • Contamination setbacks, access, and site constraints
  • Groundwater Protection and Special Well Types
    • Protective annular seals and grouting depths
    • Radial collector, dug, bored, and infiltration wells
    • Flowing-well construction and groundwater protection
  • Casing, Screens, and Filter Packs
    • Ferrous casing dimensions, joints, and drive protection
    • Thermoplastic and other nonferrous casing
    • Packers, screens, and filter-pack materials
  • Construction Water, Development, Testing, and Grouting
    • Construction water and drilling-fluid controls
    • Well development and yield/drawdown testing
    • Grout formulations, guides, and placement
  • Completion Records, Wellhead Protection, and Water Quality
    • Construction records, plumbness, terminals, and temporary caps
    • Cleaning, disinfection, sampling, and service readiness
  • Abandonment and Artesian-Well Control
    • Abandonment objectives, prohibitions, and materials
    • Sealing methods for geologic and flowing conditions
  • Water-Level Measurement and Well Performance
    • Static level, pumping level, drawdown, and specific capacity
    • Performance trends and well-problem diagnosis
Examination sources