Jackson County Well-Water Systems Program
Effective Date: February 1, 2025
The Jackson County Private Well-Water Systems Program is administered countywide. The program provides the opportunity to protect public health and the environment. The program will promote protection and safety of county citizens through inspections of new and existing well installations, discovering old wells that should be filled and sealed, and learning more about groundwater and soil conditions within the county. The overall goal of the program is to protect Jackson County’s drinking water and ground water resources.
Jackson County Ordinance 11.07 allows local administration pertaining to Wisconsin Administrative Code - Chapters NR 812 and NR 845 - Well Location, and Well and Drillhole Filling and Sealing and Wisconsin Statute - Chapter 280.
Link to Jackson County Ordinances - see Chapter 11.07 for Well Delegation Program.
Jackson County administers the following delegation levels:
Level 1 - Private Well Location: Responsibilities include issuing well location permits for and inspecting new, replacement, reconstructed, or rehabilitated private wells.
Level 5 - Well and Drillhole Filling and Sealing: Responsibilities include requiring the filling and sealing of all unsafe, hazardous, noncomplying, and unused wells.
Well Location Permits
A county well location permit must be obtained by a property owner or their designated agent (well driller or pump installer) whenever a private well is constructed, reconstructed, or replaced anywhere in the county. Drilled, driven point, dug, bored, and jetted wells require a well location permit. A county well location permit is NOT required for non-potable wells. Below is the application for a county well location permit, as well as a variety of other useful forms and resources related to the program:
Form 3300-076 County Well Location Permit Application
Form 3300-080 County Well Location Permit, Transfer Application
Completed applications can be mailed to or dropped off at:
Jackson County Public Health
421 County Road R
Black River Falls, WI 54615
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources - Well Driller Viewer provides an interactive map that details specific setback, construction, and approval information to assist well drillers in planning projects and meeting requirements of NR 812.
A variety of useful information and resources for private well owners is available on the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources website. WI DNR - Private Well Owners.
Well Filling & Sealing
Unsafe, noncomplying, abandoned, or unused wells pose a great threat to the safety and quality of groundwater drinking water supplies in Jackson County. An unused well provides a direct path for contaminants and pollutants to the underground aquifers that supply working wells. Wells must be properly filled and sealed when they are removed from service. Drillholes and exploratory boreholes must also be properly filled and sealed when they are no longer in use.
As of June 1, 2008, only licensed well drillers and pump installers can fill and seal wells under Wisconsin law.
