What You Should Know About Your Well Drilling Licence

As a water well driller, you more than likely already know that you need a licence to construct, alter, or even repair drilled private or public wells. This is more than just a formality: it's a step that's crucial for legal compliance, professional credibility and, most importantly, public safety. In an industry where safety, trust, and environmental responsibility are crucial, you want to ensure you are fully licensed and compliant.

Whether you are new to the business or are just looking to expand your knowledge on matters of licensing, this post has what you should know about acquiring, maintaining, and leveraging your water well driller's licence.

Why Does Your Licence Matter That Much?

Water well drilling is a complicated field, typically because it's subject to various factors, one of the most important being legal compliance. That's why a majority of jurisdictions throughout the United States require you to take Well Drilling License training from a reputable professional education provider like RocketCert.

Proper training ensures you have the knowledge and skills required to run your projects safely while delivering great results. Here's why you need a valid licence as a well driller.

1. Legal Compliance

The first and most important reason for acquiring your water well drilling licence and keeping it valid is because of the strict regulations around well drilling. That's in consideration that improperly drilled wells can lead to contamination and bring serious safety risks.

When you commit to proper licensing processes, however, you will learn about compliance with state, federal, and local standards. Some of the topics you would cover include water quality protection and proper sealing procedures.

Being compliant simply means you are following the right processes, thus you are also delivering high-quality services, and that's vital in any business.

2. Risk Management

Another reason why you need to acquire your well driller's licence is that the process of licensing process promotes better risk management. Think about it this way: licensing typically goes hand in hand with bonding and insurance. If you own a business or are hoping to own one soon, such safety measures will not only be important to your clients but to your business as well.

Proper insurance and bonding are also paramount for protecting your reputation whenever there are cases of accidents, legal disputes, or property damage.

3. Business Credibility

Your clients, whether living in residential or commercial properties, will always prefer to hire licensed contractors. Acquiring a valid licence and maintaining it is crucial to ensuring you can produce it when required. Whenever you display a valid licence, you reassure your clients that you have the skills, training, and insurance required to deliver great services.

Even if you don’t have a business and are seeking to be employed as a water well driller, most employers will only hire someone with a valid water well drilling licence.

Steps Required for Licensing

Now that you know why it's important to acquire and renew your credentials, you might be wondering what steps you should take to get licensed. Here's a quick summary of the path you'll follow:

1. Train and Acquire Experience: The first and most important step in your journey to licensing is getting the education required to become a licensed water well driller. Part of your training should include hands-on experience, as you'll need to provide proof of this to become licensed.
2. Pass Your Exams: After training, acquiring the required experience, and providing proof, it's time to schedule and pass your tests. These will typically be the NGWA (National Ground Water Association) and state exams.
3. Submit the Required Forms and Fees: After passing your exam, you will want to submit your application. In most cases, this will come with an application fee that will vary depending on factors like the state you are applying in and the contractor class or category.
4. Acquire Insurance & Bonding: If you're starting a business, you will have to acquire the required insurance & bonds. These are typically liability insurance and performance bonds, and they also vary between states.
5. Attend a Board Interview: This step doesn't apply to everyone, but some states, like Tennessee, require you to, as part of the licensing process.

Expedite Your Licensing Process

Obtaining your water well driller's licence is a great achievement that will boost your credibility and give you the confidence you need to seek a job or business opportunities. Now that you know more about licensing for well drillers, it's time to get down to business.

Go to your state's licensing board's website and check the requirements, then choose a recognised professional education provider like RocketCert to take your education. That way, you are sure you are not only completing the right modules but also taking updated course content. That's how to get your licence fast.

Jaylin is a Staff Writer for Bizmaa focusing on business analytics, business systems, gadgets and other small business news. She has a background in information and communications technology coordination.