Sierra Vista well drilling FAQ

Yes. Arizona requires a Notice of Intent to Drill to be filed with the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) before drilling a new well or deepening or modifying an existing one. ADWR says the authority to drill is valid for one year, and a licensed well-drilling contractor must do the work. In practice, most drillers prepare and file the notice for you. Ask who will file it.

No. Sierra Vista is in the Sierra Vista sub-basin of the Upper San Pedro Basin, which is not an AMA. ADWR reviewed the basin and declined to designate it in 2005, and in March 2025 a judge denied a request to force the state to designate it. Parts of eastern Cochise County are in the Douglas AMA, designated in December 2022. Rules can change, so confirm with ADWR or your driller.

Under A.R.S. § 45-596 the Notice of Intent fee is $100 for a well used solely for domestic purposes with a pump of 35 gallons per minute or less that is outside an Active Management Area and outside an Irrigation Non-Expansion Area. Otherwise it is $150.

ADWR defines an exempt well as a well with a pump capacity of 35 gallons per minute or less, typically used for domestic (household) purposes. Most single-home wells are exempt wells.

It depends on location. ADWR records compiled by ZIP code show medians of roughly 250 ft in Sierra Vista 85650, 240 ft in Hereford, 330 ft in Huachuca City, 400 ft in Tombstone and 330 ft in Bisbee. Across Cochise County, wells drilled since 2016 have a median depth of about 609 ft. Your driller can look up nearby wells on ADWR’s public well registry.

It varies. WellDrillingCosts.com estimates about $12,600 for an average 280 ft residential well and $15,400 to $26,800 for a complete 300 ft system, based on $30–$68 per foot for drilling. See our cost guide for the sources.

No. Sierra Vista Well Drilling Quotes is a free referral service. We pass your request to independent, licensed local well contractors. We do not drill, repair or inspect wells, and we do not set contractors’ prices.

Up to three. We only share your request with contractors for the purpose of quoting your project.

Yes, it is free for homeowners. Contractors may pay us for referrals. You are never obligated to hire anyone.

Arizona well drillers need a license from the Arizona Registrar of Contractors, and ADWR checks the driller’s license when the Notice of Intent is filed. You can look up a contractor on the Registrar of Contractors website (roc.az.gov).