Can you drill a well without a permit in Washington?

Exempt up to a limit. RCW 90.44.050 exempts up to 5,000 gpd for domestic use, but the 2018 Streamflow Restoration Act caps NEW permit-exempt domestic wells at 3,000 gpd/connection in some basins and 950 gpd (350 gpd indoor in drought) in others, and new post-2020 wells in the adjudicating Nooksack basin are limited to ~500 gpd indoor.

Which Washington counties have groundwater restrictions?

25 Washington counties sit in a managed, over-appropriated, adjudicated, or critically overdrafted groundwater basin — including Benton County, Kittitas County, Whatcom County, Yakima County, Clallam County. Each county profile cites the specific basin and rule.

Washington · off-grid water rights

Water rights in Washington

Whether a new off-grid home can legally get its own water in Washington: the state well and water-rights rules, then the 25 counties where a specific groundwater basin adds a catch — each cited to the state water agency.

Washington water rules

Household well
Exempt up to a limit
RCW 90.44.050 exempts up to 5,000 gpd for domestic use, but the 2018 Streamflow Restoration Act caps NEW permit-exempt domestic wells at 3,000 gpd/connection in some basins and 950 gpd (350 gpd indoor in drought) in others, and new post-2020 wells in the adjudicating Nooksack basin are limited to ~500 gpd indoor.
Limit: 5,000 gpd base (RCW 90.44.050); capped to 3,000 or 950 gpd/connection in streamflow-restoration basins; ~500 gpd indoor for new Nooksack wells
Washington Dept of Ecology — Groundwater permit exemption ↗
Greywater reuse
permitted
Tier 1 light greywater <=60 gpd subsurface (registration); Tier 2/3 need approval.
Greywater Action / EPA REUSExplorer ↗
Rainwater harvesting
regulated
No permit if rooftop + on-site use; counties may cut stormwater rates.
NCSL ↗
Water rights
hybrid
Appropriation + pre-1917 riparian; small domestic/stock wells (<~5,000 gpd) exempt.
National Agricultural Law Center ↗

25 constrained counties in Washington

AdjudicatedBenton CountyYakima River Basin Adjudication (Acquavella)45
AdjudicatedKittitas CountyYakima River Basin Adjudication (Acquavella)46
AdjudicatedWhatcom CountyNooksack (WRIA 1) General Stream Adjudication45
AdjudicatedYakima CountyYakima River Basin Adjudication (Acquavella)50
Closed to new supplyClallam CountyQuilcene-Snow Instream Flow Rule (WRIA 17)48
Closed to new supplyJefferson CountyQuilcene-Snow Instream Flow Rule (WRIA 17)53
Closed to new supplyOkanogan CountyMethow River Basin Water Resources Rule (WRIA 48)50
Over-appropriatedAdams CountyOdessa Subarea (deep basalt aquifer decline)53
Over-appropriatedFranklin CountyOdessa Subarea (deep basalt aquifer decline)50
Over-appropriatedGrant CountyOdessa Subarea (deep basalt aquifer decline)51
Over-appropriatedKing CountyStreamflow Restoration 950-gpd basins (RCW 90.94.030)28
Over-appropriatedKitsap CountyStreamflow Restoration 950-gpd basins (RCW 90.94.030)35
Over-appropriatedLincoln CountyOdessa Subarea (deep basalt aquifer decline)44
Over-appropriatedMason CountyStreamflow Restoration 950-gpd basins (RCW 90.94.030)46
Over-appropriatedSnohomish CountyStreamflow Restoration 950-gpd basins (RCW 90.94.030)34
Actively managedChelan CountyWenatchee River Basin Instream Flow Rule (WRIA 45)45
Actively managedFerry CountyStreamflow Restoration 3,000-gpd basins (RCW 90.94.020)54
Actively managedGrays Harbor CountyStreamflow Restoration 3,000-gpd basins (RCW 90.94.020)52
Actively managedLewis CountyStreamflow Restoration 3,000-gpd basins (RCW 90.94.020)51
Actively managedPend Oreille CountyStreamflow Restoration 3,000-gpd basins (RCW 90.94.020)55
Actively managedPierce CountyStreamflow Restoration 3,000-gpd basins (RCW 90.94.020)36
Actively managedSkagit CountyStillaguamish Basin Instream Flow Rule (WRIA 5)45
Actively managedSpokane CountyStreamflow Restoration 3,000-gpd basins (RCW 90.94.020)33
Actively managedStevens CountyStreamflow Restoration 3,000-gpd basins (RCW 90.94.020)58
Actively managedThurston CountyStreamflow Restoration 3,000-gpd basins (RCW 90.94.020)37

The Bolthole Index Letter

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

Keep exploring Washington

See the full Washington 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.