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How to Get Well Water Tested: From Kit to Lab

General information, not medical advice. This page explains what the EPA, CDC and state health departments say. It cannot tell you whether your water is safe. For that, ask your certified lab or local health department. Read the full disclaimer.

To get well water tested, contact a state-certified laboratory, confirm which tests to order, get its kit, and agree the collection and return plan before taking a sample. Ask your local health department which tests your area calls for. Maine's published ordering instructions show why a kit's name and a delivery deadline need a closer look.

Standards, local geology and state requirements all vary. Confirm anything on this page with your state or local health department before acting on it.

Receipt time and analysis time are different clocks

Maine's state laboratory publishes two timing statements that measure different things. One counts time until the sample arrives. The other counts time until the sample is analyzed.

Maine's Water page measures time to receipt. Its May 2022 policy measures time to analysis. These are different endpoints; confirm the arrival deadline for your exact kit.
Maine source Published timing instruction
Current Water page "Our State Lab must receive your water sample within 30 hours of collection."
Sample Acceptance Policy (FM-QA-037, revision 2, May 13, 2022) "Holding time refers to the elapsed amount of time from the point of collection to the moment of analysis allowed which is specific to each analysis."

Sources: Maine Water page and Maine HETL Sample Acceptance Policy, both checked October 14, 2026.

Holding time means the longest time allowed between collecting a sample and analyzing it. The policy says samples "must be received before the expiration of the designated holding time for the appropriate analysis."

The Water page linked to this May 2022 policy when checked. The two instructions use different endpoints, and this page does not assume one replaces the other. Do not treat 30 hours as a guaranteed shipping allowance. Ask the receiving lab to confirm collection, arrival and analysis timing for your exact kit before sampling.

Plan the return before you collect

Timing is why the return plan comes first. Maine's ordering catalog says: "Please be aware that the lab is closed on weekends and holidays. To ensure that your sample does not expire before we receive it, do not collect/mail your sample on a Friday, Saturday, or the day before a holiday."

That instruction comes from one named lab. It is not a rule for every lab. Ask your own lab which days it accepts samples and how long each of your tests can wait.

Find a state-certified lab and ask which tests fit your area

The CDC's well testing guidelines say: "Use a state-certified laboratory to test your water."

The EPA does not test home water. Its certified laboratory contacts page says: "Unfortunately, EPA is unable to test residential or commercial drinking water upon request." The same page links a PDF of state certification programs so you can find a certified lab in your state. It also says private well owners "may contact your state program for guidance or directly contact a certified laboratory to pay to have your private well tested."

The CDC places responsibility for testing on the well owner. Its guidance says the EPA's rules for public drinking water systems "do not apply to privately owned wells." The EPA's private wells page says private well water quality is not regulated under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, or by most state governments. That is not a claim that no state has rules. Check locally.

Which tests do you need? The CDC says it depends on where the well sits on your property, your state or region, and whether you live in a rural or urban area. Its advice is: "Contact your health department to find out what other germs or chemicals to test for based on where you live."

What one state lab's order page shows, and what it leaves open

Maine's order page is one documented example of what an order page can and cannot tell you. It is not a recommendation for readers in other states.

Source: Maine Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory. Service pages and published prices checked October 14, 2026.

The Well Evaluation product page (item TSBA) shows $127.00 next to the quantity box, checked October 14, 2026. The page also states: "In August 2020, the Code of Maine Rules Chapter 257 was amended to add a mandatory $2 fee for a water test ordered for residential private drinking water wells." We have not verified whether the $2 fee is included in the $127, or what the total would be with any other charges. We have also not verified whether people outside Maine can order this kit, or how long results take.

The page lists these tests:

The product name does not establish complete coverage. The published list was checked, but the lab's certification scope, analytical methods, reporting limits and coverage beyond that list have not been verified. This example does not establish that the panel covers every test your well needs. Ask the lab to explain the tests and confirm which are included.

Ordering a well water test: kit dispatch is not results

The Maine catalog links to the Well Evaluation product. The contact page says: "Test kits are usually processed and mailed out within 1 business day."

That is usual kit dispatch, not a delivery guarantee or a wait time for test results.

Use the receiving lab's containers and directions

The same contact page says: "Test kit directions vary. Please read all directions carefully before sampling." Maine's policy is direct: "Read and Follow Directions on the sampling instructions provided with each sample test kit," and "Sample containers provided by HETL must be used."

Follow the instructions for your exact kit. If anything is unclear, ask the receiving lab before collecting.

Confirm the return address and contact on your own kit

Maine's Water and contact pages list a different street address and phone number from the policy PDF. Confirm the correct return label or address with the receiving lab before collecting or shipping. This page does not choose between the conflicting addresses.

One more currency note: on October 14, 2026, the catalog still showed a holiday notice that had already expired, and its older link to the sample policy did not work. The current Water page links to the working policy PDF. The Water page says that for help with sample drop-off, "please call the laboratory at (207) 287-1717."

Questions to ask the receiving lab before you sample

When your results arrive

The CDC says: "Your health department can help you understand your test results and what to do next."

The CDC also says: "If your test results show that there are harmful germs or chemicals in your well water, consider drinking bottled water or another safe source of water. Contact your local health or environmental department."

To read your report, see how to read well water test results. To plan your next test, see how often to test well water.

About this page This page draws on published documents from the Maine Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory, the EPA and the CDC, checked October 14, 2026. WellTestAdvisor has not used any test kit or lab service, sent any samples or tested any water.

Sources

All checked October 14, 2026.