Can you drill a well without a permit in Louisiana?

Exempt — no permit or water right. A riparian landowner has a traditional right to withdraw groundwater for domestic use; domestic wells are exempt from registration and from Area-of-Ground-Water-Concern reporting/metering. No bar on new household wells.

Which Louisiana counties have groundwater restrictions?

9 Louisiana counties sit in a managed, over-appropriated, adjudicated, or critically overdrafted groundwater basin — including Bienville Parish, Jackson Parish, Lincoln Parish, Ouachita Parish, East Baton Rouge Parish. Each county profile cites the specific basin and rule.

Louisiana · off-grid water rights

Water rights in Louisiana

Whether a new off-grid home can legally get its own water in Louisiana: the state well and water-rights rules, then the 9 counties where a specific groundwater basin adds a catch — each cited to the state water agency.

Louisiana water rules

Household well
Exempt — no permit or water right
A riparian landowner has a traditional right to withdraw groundwater for domestic use; domestic wells are exempt from registration and from Area-of-Ground-Water-Concern reporting/metering. No bar on new household wells.
Limit: domestic wells exempt from registration and AGWC reporting
Louisiana Ground Water Resources Commission (La. R.S. 38:3091 et seq.) ↗
Greywater reuse
none
No residential greywater provision; treated as wastewater.
Greywater Action / EPA REUSExplorer ↗
Rainwater harvesting
unrestricted
No state restrictions.
NCSL ↗
Water rights
riparian
Riparian (absolute dominion GW); domestic/farm use unregulated.
National Agricultural Law Center ↗

9 constrained counties in Louisiana

Over-appropriatedBienville ParishSparta Aquifer Area of Ground Water Concern (Order AGC-1-05)62
Over-appropriatedJackson ParishSparta Aquifer Area of Ground Water Concern (Order AGC-1-05)65
Over-appropriatedLincoln ParishSparta Aquifer Area of Ground Water Concern (Order AGC-1-05)59
Over-appropriatedOuachita ParishSparta Aquifer Area of Ground Water Concern (Order AGC-1-05)60
Actively managedEast Baton Rouge ParishSouthern Hills Aquifer — Capital Area Ground Water Conservation District (Baton Rouge)33
Actively managedEast Feliciana ParishSouthern Hills Aquifer — Capital Area Ground Water Conservation District (Baton Rouge)53
Actively managedPointe Coupee ParishSouthern Hills Aquifer — Capital Area Ground Water Conservation District (Baton Rouge)53
Actively managedWest Baton Rouge ParishSouthern Hills Aquifer — Capital Area Ground Water Conservation District (Baton Rouge)46
Actively managedWest Feliciana ParishSouthern Hills Aquifer — Capital Area Ground Water Conservation District (Baton Rouge)55

The Bolthole Index Letter

One email a week: the best counties to live off-grid, rule changes that matter, and Louisiana water-rule changes as basins close. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

Keep exploring Louisiana

See the full Louisiana county ranking, compare states on the water-rights hub, or read how water access is scored. Physical water is dimmed — never erased — where a county sits in one of these basins, household-first.

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.