Certified well water labs in North Dakota (2026)

WellTestList · Friday, October 16, 2026 · state page

North Dakota splits private well testing between two state labs. The Health and Human Services laboratory runs the bacteria test for $27 by mail, and the DEQ Chemistry Division runs the mineral panels, with nitrate included in its General Water – Partial panel ($78.65–$90.31). If you live in the Minot area, the First District Health Unit lab posts 2026 fees that make a yearly bacteria + nitrate check about $45.

The short version

1. Bacteria: order the state kit for $27. Call 701-328-6272 or email laboratory@nd.gov for a private well collection kit. Mail it Monday through Wednesday so it arrives within 30 hours (samples aren’t accepted on Fridays), with a check or exact change for $27. The result is satisfactory or unsatisfactory.
2. Nitrate and minerals: use DEQ Chemistry in Bismarck. Call 701-328-6140, or Kristal Morrell at 701-328-7455 (kamorrell@nd.gov), for a kit. General Water – Partial (includes nitrate + nitrite, hardness, iron, sodium, TDS) is $78.65–$90.31; the full General Water panel adds chloride, fluoride, silica, and sulfate for $116.52–$128.18. Results take about two weeks.
3. Near Minot? First District is the cheapest posted combo. Coliform/E. coli $30 plus a single nitrate test $15, about $45, dropped off Monday–Wednesday 8 a.m.–4 p.m. at 801 11th Ave SW. Mail-in kits email a PDF if you want arsenic, uranium, or a wider list in one shot.

How North Dakota’s system actually works

Private wells are the owner’s responsibility. DEQ’s Private Well Owner’s Guide to well water testing (PDF) says a typical analysis is a bacteria test, a general mineral chemistry panel, and nitrate, with trace metals or arsenic worth adding. It recommends testing after a new well is drilled, after long periods of non-use, when you buy a home with a well, after flooding, when you suspect a problem, and at regular intervals. Nitrate above 10 mg/L as N is dangerous for infants and usually points to feedlots, septic systems, or fertilized cropland.

The split matters: the HHS lab in Bismarck does microbiology only, and DEQ Chemistry does not run bacteria. So a full yearly check from the state means two kits. DEQ’s well testing brochure (PDF) notes arsenic isn’t regulated in private wells, and suggests using the public-water limit as your guide. NDSU Extension’s lab information table (WQ1341) lists the labs around the state that take homeowner samples.

Options we verified

• ND Health and Human Services laboratory (Bismarck), bacteria. Private well collection kit by phone (701-328-6272) or laboratory@nd.gov. Fee $27, enclosed with the sample; testing isn’t done without payment. Ship Monday–Wednesday (not Fridays or holidays) so it arrives within 30 hours. Qualitative result (satisfactory / unsatisfactory), reported by mail or email. For drinking water only. Source: HHS Water Testing (checked Oct 16, 2026).
• ND DEQ Chemistry Division (Bismarck), minerals and nitrate. Posted panels for private testing: General Water – Partial $78.65–$90.31 (bicarbonate, calcium, carbonate, conductivity, hardness, iron, magnesium, nitrate + nitrite, sodium, percent sodium, SAR, pH, potassium, alkalinity, TDS, turbidity) · General Water $116.52–$128.18 (adds chloride, fluoride, silica, sulfate) · Lead & Copper $43.69–$55.35 · Fluoride only $20.39. Special requests (arsenic, uranium, other metals) by phone at 701-328-6140 or jquarnst@nd.gov. Use their clean plastic container; mail or drop off at 2635 East Main Ave, Bismarck. For wells, include county, township, range, and section. Source: DEQ Chemistry services.
• First District Health Unit water lab (Minot), state-certified. 2026 form: Coliform/E. coli presence/absence $30 (48 hours) · rapid presence/absence $45 (18–22 hours) · quantification $45 · Routine chemistry $85 (pH, conductivity, TDS, hardness, iron, manganese, nitrates, sodium, sulfates, chloride) · Livestock water $30 · individual tests, including nitrate, $15 each. Bacteria bottles from any First District office or by calling 701-837-5119; chemistry needs your own clean quart container. Samples accepted Monday–Wednesday 8 a.m.–4 p.m.; non-testing-day samples cost double. They can’t test for lead. There’s a separate request form for property sales. Sources: FDHU Water Analysis · 2026 submission form (PDF).
• City of Grand Forks Environmental Lab. Certified for water and wastewater. Posted fees: Total Coliform / E. coli presence/absence $26 · Fluoride $18 · Conductivity $16 · pH $10 · sample collection $50. No nitrate on its posted list, so pair it with a nitrate test elsewhere. Call 701-746-2595 or Boster@grandforksgov.com. Source: Grand Forks Environmental Lab.
• Other labs on NDSU Extension’s and DEQ’s lists (call for fees). Minnesota Valley Testing Laboratories, Bismarck (701-258-9720 or 800-279-6885), bacteria, nitrate, and routine/comprehensive mineral panels. Astro-Chem Lab, Williston (701-572-7355), bacteria plus a broad chemistry list, and one of the few that tests lead out west. Southwestern District Health Unit, Dickinson (701-483-0171), bacteria and nitrate. Fargo Cass Public Health Environmental Laboratory (701-298-6997), listed for bacteria; call to confirm what it accepts now. We didn’t find posted homeowner prices for these, so we don’t list any.

What to test for in North Dakota

• Bacteria (total coliform / E. coli): every year, and after flooding, well work, or a change in taste or clarity. State HHS lab $27; First District $30; Grand Forks $26.
• Nitrate: every year, especially near cropland, feedlots, or septic systems. First District single test $15; included in DEQ’s General Water – Partial panel.
• Hardness, iron, sodium, sulfate, TDS: DEQ says some minerals affect washing and household use more than health. DEQ’s General Water panel or First District’s Routine chemistry ($85) covers these.
• Arsenic and uranium: worth a one-time check. Arsenic isn’t regulated in private wells, so compare to the public-water limit. Ask DEQ Chemistry for a special request, or use a mail-in kit.
• Lead and copper: DEQ Pb & Cu $43.69–$55.35; Astro-Chem also tests lead. First District can’t.
• Oil country (Williston Basin): NDSU Extension publishes a guide to baseline water quality in areas of oil development (WQ1614) if you want a before-and-after record.

Mail-in kits (for a broader PDF)

These independent labs mail you bottles, run the tests, and email a PDF. Neither one sells softeners. Prices were checked this week:

• Tap Score / SimpleLab Essential Well: $209 listed (includes arsenic and uranium among 54 analytes).
• National Testing Laboratories WaterCheck Basic: $220 listed. Next-day return shipping isn’t included.

In North Dakota, the cheapest yearly routine is the $27 state bacteria kit plus a nitrate test, either First District’s $15 single test near Minot or DEQ’s mineral panel if you want hardness and iron too. A mail-in kit is for when you want metals, uranium, or VOCs in one emailed PDF. If a lender needs a sampler-collected, chain-of-custody result, self-collected kits may not count, so ask a certified lab to collect.

Side by side for a North Dakota well

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