Aug 29
Newest page. Home Depot free water test kit vs a real certified lab (2026) — what the in-store kit actually is, who gets a PDF, and what to do instead.
Three places to get a well tested
If the person holding the bottle also sells the filter, that is not a directory listing. It is a sales call. We list the other three.
The table scrolls sideways on a phone.
| County health | Certified drop-off lab | Mail-in kit that emails a PDF | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | County environmental health, or the public-health lab they use. Annual bacteria and nitrate, sometimes a short extra list. | A lab certified by your state for drinking-water methods. You drop a bottle. You ask for the report. | You collect at home. An independent lab analyzes it. The file lands in your inbox. We name Tap Score / SimpleLab and National Testing Labs. |
| PDF? | Usually a written or emailed county report. Ask how they send it. | Yes, if you ask. That is a normal lab. | Yes. That is the product. |
| Sales visit? | No. | No. | No, if you stay with an independent lab. We do not list in-home treatment pitches. |
| Catch | Short menu. Hours. Some counties do not offer it. Still the right first call for a yearly bacteria check. | Many certified labs only serve utilities. Call before you drive. EPA’s “list” is still a PDF of state programs. | Costs more than county. May not satisfy a lender who named a local lab and a chain-of-custody form. |
What this site is not pretending
About 43 million people in the United States drink from a private well — EPA’s figure is around 15 percent of the population, more than 23 million households. The Safe Drinking Water Act does not cover those wells. You are the utility.
CDC and EPA both say to test at least once a year for total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids, and pH, plus whatever is a local problem. There is no national consumer directory of labs that will take your bottle. The official “list” is still a government PDF of state certification programs, written for public water systems.
We will add one state or lab page a night. Until then: call county environmental health, or read the comparison page if someone already handed you a free kit.