Who Regulates Your Well
Who Actually Regulates Your Well in Sussex, Warren and Passaic County
NJDEP regulates how a well is built. After that it's your local health department — and the answer is different in each of these three counties.
The split that confuses everybody
NJDEP regulates the construction of private wells. Regulation of a private well after it is built is the responsibility of the local health department. The agency you call depends entirely on what your question is and where you live.
NJDEP states the rule that governs conflicts this way: both the local jurisdiction's requirements and the State's must be met, and where they overlap, the more stringent of the two is followed.
What NJDEP handles, statewide
- •Well permits, issued to a New Jersey licensed well driller of the proper class before a well is constructed.
- •Well records, which are the as-built description a driller files afterwards.
- •Well decommissioning reports.
- •Licensing of well drillers and pump installers.
NJDEP issues and tracks approximately 20,000 new well permits a year, and it holds records for wells throughout the State with a documented process for requesting the paperwork for a well on a given property. Contacts: wellpermitting@dep.nj.gov for permits and records, wdpilicensing@dep.nj.gov for licensing. See NJDEP's well permits program page. Anyone drilling in New Jersey is required to contact New Jersey One Call at 811 before they dig.
Sussex County — one office, all 24 towns
The Sussex County Office of Environmental Health serves all 24 municipalities in the county, and its work includes facility inspections and complaint investigations covering water systems and wells.
The practical consequence: in Sussex County there is one number, and it is the same number whichever of the 24 towns you live in.
Warren County — a county health department that inspects new wells
The Warren County Health Department reviews plans for new well installations and inspects them before approval, requires water tests for an assortment of metals and organic compounds before a well is put into use, reviews the water analysis from every newly installed well, responds to residents' complaints about private well water quality, and maintains an online septic system and private well database.
The practical consequence: if you have a new well in Warren County there is a county review and a county inspection in the path, and there is a county database that may already hold a record of your well.
Passaic County — it depends which town you're in
The Passaic County Department of Health Services, Environmental Health Division handles septic and well approvals and inspections for its member municipalities, and its inspectors are assigned to Prospect Park, Haledon, Woodland Park, West Milford and Wanaque.
That means West Milford and Wanaque go through the county, and other Passaic County municipalities — including Ringwood and Bloomingdale — run their own local health departments, so the right contact there is the municipal health department rather than the county. If you're in Ringwood or Bloomingdale, call your township directly. We are not going to guess on your behalf.
Which one do I call?
- •"Is there a record of my well?" → NJDEP, wellpermitting@dep.nj.gov
- •"Is this contractor licensed?" → NJDEP, wdpilicensing@dep.nj.gov
- •"My water tested positive and I don't know what to do" → your local health department, using the county blocks above
- •"I'm putting in a new well" → the licensed well driller pulls the permit from NJDEP; in Warren County the county also reviews and inspects
- •"I'm selling the house" → the Private Well Testing Act applies; see our Private Well Testing Act page
Why the stricter-rule point matters
A website — including this one — can tell you what the State requires. It cannot tell you what your town added on top. The only reliable answer to a local requirement is the local health authority, and the numbers above are how you reach them.
Questions we get on this one
Does NJDEP inspect my well?→
NJDEP regulates the construction of private wells — it issues permits, holds well records, and licenses well drillers and pump installers. Regulation of a private well after it is built is the responsibility of the local health department. So NJDEP inspects construction; your local health department handles what comes after.
Who do I complain to about my well water?→
A water-quality question on an existing well goes to your local health department — the county office in Sussex and Warren, and either the county or your municipal health department in Passaic depending on your town. The routing list on this page tells you which one.
Is there a record of when my well was drilled?→
Possibly. NJDEP holds well records — the as-built description a driller files after construction — and there is a documented process for requesting the paperwork for a well on a given property. Contact wellpermitting@dep.nj.gov. Older wells may have vague or no records.
Does my town have its own well rules?→
It can. NJDEP's position is that both the local jurisdiction's requirements and the State's must be met, and where they overlap, the more stringent of the two is followed. The only reliable answer to a local requirement is your local health authority.
Who regulates a well after it's built?→
After construction, oversight sits with the local health department — in Sussex County that's the Sussex County Office of Environmental Health; in Warren County the Warren County Health Department; and in Passaic County it depends on your town, with some municipalities running their own local health departments.
I'm in Passaic County, do I call the county or my town?→
It depends on your town. The Passaic County Department of Health Services handles wells for its member municipalities, including West Milford and Wanaque. Other municipalities — including Ringwood and Bloomingdale — run their own local health departments, so the right contact there is the municipal health department. Call your township directly.
Questions about your own well?
Call (862) 276-0328Last reviewed September 2026. Rules change, and these pages summarise what the agencies say rather than giving legal advice. Confirm anything that matters with the agency named on the page.