The rain and the aquifer tell you the water is there. Water rights tell you whether you may legally take it — the question that quietly sinks off-grid plans in the arid West. Here is where a household well is free, where it is capped, and the 568 counties where a specific groundwater basin adds a catch.
Can you drill a well without a permit? All 50 states
No permit or water right needed39
Drill a household well freely — register it and go.
State posture only — a permissive state can still contain a constrained basin (below), and cities set their own rules. Cited on each state page.
Sharpest catch: 43 counties in closed or adjudicated basins
Where a newcomer generally cannot get a new household well without a permit, an offset, or buying an existing right. Tap any county for the cited basin and the rule.
AdjudicatedYakima County, WAYakima River Basin Adjudication (Acquavella)50
Closed to new supplySanders County, MTBNSF Paradise Railyard Controlled Groundwater Area74
Closed to new supplyRavalli County, MTLarson Creek Controlled Groundwater Area68
Closed to new supplyMissoula County, MTHayes Creek Basin Controlled Groundwater Area62
Closed to new supplyJefferson County, WAQuilcene-Snow Instream Flow Rule (WRIA 17)53
Closed to new supplyBeaver County, UTSevier River Basin (closed to new groundwater since 1997)50
Closed to new supplyOkanogan County, WAMethow River Basin Water Resources Rule (WRIA 48)50
Closed to new supplySanpete County, UTSevier River Basin (closed to new groundwater since 1997)49
Closed to new supplySevier County, UTSevier River Basin (closed to new groundwater since 1997)49
Closed to new supplyCache County, UTGroundwater Management Plan valleys (Cache, Tooele, Salt Lake, Utah, Juab, Pahvant, Snyderville, Sand Hollow, Weber Delta)49
Closed to new supplyWasco County, ORAquifers Withdrawn from Appropriation (Mosier; Silverton)48
Closed to new supplyClallam County, WAQuilcene-Snow Instream Flow Rule (WRIA 17)48
Closed to new supplyNye County, NVPahrump Valley (Basin 162)46
Closed to new supplyWayne County, UTSevier River Basin (closed to new groundwater since 1997)45
Closed to new supplyPiute County, UTSevier River Basin (closed to new groundwater since 1997)45
Closed to new supplyWasatch County, UTUpper Provo River Valleys / Heber Valley Ground-Water Policy44
Closed to new supplyMillard County, UTSevier River Basin (closed to new groundwater since 1997)44
Closed to new supplyEureka County, NVDiamond Valley Critical Management Area (Basin 153)44
Closed to new supplySummit County, UTGroundwater Management Plan valleys (Cache, Tooele, Salt Lake, Utah, Juab, Pahvant, Snyderville, Sand Hollow, Weber Delta)43
Closed to new supplyIron County, UTIron County over-drafted valleys (Cedar, Parowan, Beryl-Enterprise)41
Closed to new supplyGarfield County, UTSevier River Basin (closed to new groundwater since 1997)41
Closed to new supplyJuab County, UTSevier River Basin (closed to new groundwater since 1997)41
Closed to new supplyTooele County, UTGroundwater Management Plan valleys (Cache, Tooele, Salt Lake, Utah, Juab, Pahvant, Snyderville, Sand Hollow, Weber Delta)37
Closed to new supplyWeber County, UTGroundwater Management Plan valleys (Cache, Tooele, Salt Lake, Utah, Juab, Pahvant, Snyderville, Sand Hollow, Weber Delta)35
Closed to new supplyMarion County, ORAquifers Withdrawn from Appropriation (Mosier; Silverton)35
Closed to new supplyWashington County, UTGroundwater Management Plan valleys (Cache, Tooele, Salt Lake, Utah, Juab, Pahvant, Snyderville, Sand Hollow, Weber Delta)26
Closed to new supplyDavis County, UTGroundwater Management Plan valleys (Cache, Tooele, Salt Lake, Utah, Juab, Pahvant, Snyderville, Sand Hollow, Weber Delta)23
Closed to new supplyUtah County, UTGroundwater Management Plan valleys (Cache, Tooele, Salt Lake, Utah, Juab, Pahvant, Snyderville, Sand Hollow, Weber Delta)23
Closed to new supplySalt Lake County, UTGroundwater Management Plan valleys (Cache, Tooele, Salt Lake, Utah, Juab, Pahvant, Snyderville, Sand Hollow, Weber Delta)18
Constrained counties by state — open a state for its full cited list
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How this is scored
Physical water supply is dimmed — never erased — where a county sits in a managed, over-appropriated, or adjudicated basin, household-first: a basin closed to new irrigation while a domestic well stays exempt is only lightly marked down. Each tier multiplies the county’s water self-sufficiency, scaled by how much of the county the basin covers:
Managed areaRegulated, but a household well is readily available×0.95
Actively managedPriority basin — new water use is scrutinized×0.88
Over-appropriated / decliningClosed to new large use; a domestic well is often still exempt×0.80
Closed to new supplyA new household well needs a permit, offset, or waiver×0.70
AdjudicatedRights fixed by a court — new supply means buying an existing right×0.62
General guidance, not legal advice. Off-grid, building, and land-use rules are often set at the county level and change often. Verify with your county and state before acting. Data reviewed 2026-06-26.