Can you drill a well without a permit in Nebraska?

Exempt — no permit or water right. Domestic/household wells are exempt from NRD construction permits and generally from basin well moratoriums (domestic is a preferred use), so a newcomer can still drill a household well even in over-appropriated basins — it must be registered with the state.

Which Nebraska counties have groundwater restrictions?

29 Nebraska counties sit in a managed, over-appropriated, adjudicated, or critically overdrafted groundwater basin — including Banner County, Buffalo County, Chase County, Cheyenne County, Dawson County. Each county profile cites the specific basin and rule.

Nebraska · off-grid water rights

Water rights in Nebraska

Whether a new off-grid home can legally get its own water in Nebraska: the state well and water-rights rules, then the 29 counties where a specific groundwater basin adds a catch — each cited to the state water agency.

Nebraska water rules

Household well
Exempt — no permit or water right
Domestic/household wells are exempt from NRD construction permits and generally from basin well moratoriums (domestic is a preferred use), so a newcomer can still drill a household well even in over-appropriated basins — it must be registered with the state.
Limit: Wells ≤50 gpm (household/stock) need no NRD construction permit; all new wells must be registered with NeDNR
Central Platte NRD / Neb. Rev. Stat. 46-602 ↗
Greywater reuse
none
No residential greywater provision; treated as wastewater.
Greywater Action / EPA REUSExplorer ↗
Rainwater harvesting
unrestricted
No state restrictions.
NCSL ↗
Water rights
hybrid
Surface appropriation + limited riparian; GW reasonable use; domestic exempt.
National Agricultural Law Center ↗

29 constrained counties in Nebraska

Over-appropriatedBanner CountyPlatte Basin Over-Appropriated Area (above Elm Creek)47
Over-appropriatedBuffalo CountyPlatte Basin Fully Appropriated Area (to Elm Creek reach)45
Over-appropriatedChase CountyRepublican River Basin (fully appropriated, Compact-managed)48
Over-appropriatedCheyenne CountyPlatte Basin Over-Appropriated Area (above Elm Creek)40
Over-appropriatedDawson CountyPlatte Basin Over-Appropriated Area (above Elm Creek)46
Over-appropriatedDeuel CountyPlatte Basin Over-Appropriated Area (above Elm Creek)36
Over-appropriatedDundy CountyRepublican River Basin (fully appropriated, Compact-managed)41
Over-appropriatedFranklin CountyRepublican River Basin (fully appropriated, Compact-managed)44
Over-appropriatedFrontier CountyRepublican River Basin (fully appropriated, Compact-managed)41
Over-appropriatedFurnas CountyRepublican River Basin (fully appropriated, Compact-managed)46
Over-appropriatedGarden CountyPlatte Basin Over-Appropriated Area (above Elm Creek)46
Over-appropriatedGosper CountyPlatte Basin Fully Appropriated Area (to Elm Creek reach)38
Over-appropriatedHall CountyPlatte Basin Fully Appropriated Area (to Elm Creek reach)35
Over-appropriatedHamilton CountyPlatte Basin Fully Appropriated Area (to Elm Creek reach)33
Over-appropriatedHarlan CountyRepublican River Basin (fully appropriated, Compact-managed)47
Over-appropriatedHayes CountyRepublican River Basin (fully appropriated, Compact-managed)38
Over-appropriatedHitchcock CountyRepublican River Basin (fully appropriated, Compact-managed)42
Over-appropriatedKearney CountyPlatte Basin Fully Appropriated Area (to Elm Creek reach)45
Over-appropriatedKeith CountyPlatte Basin Over-Appropriated Area (above Elm Creek)36
Over-appropriatedKimball CountyPlatte Basin Over-Appropriated Area (above Elm Creek)38
Over-appropriatedLincoln CountyPlatte Basin Over-Appropriated Area (above Elm Creek)44
Over-appropriatedMerrick CountyPlatte Basin Fully Appropriated Area (to Elm Creek reach)40
Over-appropriatedMorrill CountyPlatte Basin Over-Appropriated Area (above Elm Creek)41
Over-appropriatedNuckolls CountyRepublican River Basin (fully appropriated, Compact-managed)44
Over-appropriatedPerkins CountyRepublican River Basin (fully appropriated, Compact-managed)39
Over-appropriatedPhelps CountyPlatte Basin Fully Appropriated Area (to Elm Creek reach)36
Over-appropriatedRed Willow CountyRepublican River Basin (fully appropriated, Compact-managed)46
Over-appropriatedScotts Bluff CountyPlatte Basin Over-Appropriated Area (above Elm Creek)44
Over-appropriatedWebster CountyRepublican River Basin (fully appropriated, Compact-managed)48

Keep exploring Nebraska

See the full Nebraska county ranking, compare states on the water-rights hub, or read how we score water access. We dim physical water — 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.