WellTestList

Where to get private well water tested, and whether you will get a PDF.

Certified well water labs in Rhode Island (2026)

WellTestList · Sunday, October 18, 2026 · state page

Rhode Island’s own State Health Laboratories in Providence test private wells for a posted price: the yearly Kit A is $95, the 3–5 year Kit B is $280, and the full 5–10 year Kit C is $410. Private certified labs in Warwick and West Warwick post homeowner packages from about $190. And if you are buying a house with a well, state law gives you a 10-day window to run a full test panel with a licensed sampler before you are locked in.

The short version

  1. Yearly check: State Health Lab Kit A, $95. Pick up bottles at 150 Richmond St. in Providence, collect the sample, and bring it back the same day, Monday–Thursday. Kit A covers coliform bacteria, nitrate, nitrite, color, chloride, sodium, and turbidity—exactly RIDOH’s yearly list.
  2. Buying a home: you need licensed experts, not a kit. Rhode Island requires a full panel (bacteria, metals, nitrate, VOCs, MTBE and more) before a sale. The buyer usually pays and has 10 days after signing the purchase and sale agreement. One posted example: New England Testing Lab’s RI DPH Series $350 plus a $150 licensed sampler fee.
  3. Check the special-testing map. In some towns RIDOH also recommends arsenic (old orchards), beryllium (bedrock in places like Coventry, Exeter, Scituate), or PFAS. The State Lab charges $20 each for arsenic and beryllium and $200 for PFAS.

How Rhode Island’s system actually works

Private wells serve an estimated 10–11% of Rhode Islanders, mostly in rural areas: only about a third of the state’s land is inside a public water service area (RIDEM, citing USGS). The owner is responsible for testing. RIDOH’s Private Well Program and URI Cooperative Extension’s Home*A*Syst program give free advice and recommend a three-tier schedule: every year coliform bacteria, nitrate/nitrite, color, chloride, sodium, and turbidity; every 3–5 years metals, corrosivity, and hardness; every 5–10 years volatile organic compounds and MTBE. Results usually take 10–15 business days.

Unlike most states, Rhode Island also requires testing in two situations: when a new well is put into service (before a certificate of occupancy) and before a home with a well is sold or transferred. That testing must be collected and interpreted by state-licensed private well samplers and interpreters. Questions: RIDOH Private Well Program 401-222-6867 or DOH.RIDWQ@health.ri.gov; URI’s Private Well Extension Program 401-874-5398 or safewater@uri.edu.

Options we verified

Buying or selling a home with a well

What to test for in Rhode Island

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. In Rhode Island, mail-in kits are for your own peace of mind only: they don’t satisfy home-sale testing, and RIDOH advises using a certified lab for PFAS.

In Rhode Island, the cheapest yearly check is the State Health Lab’s $95 Kit A, which matches RIDOH’s annual list exactly—just plan a Monday–Thursday trip to Providence. Every few years, step up to Kit B ($280) or Kit C ($410). If you can’t get to Providence, New England Testing Lab and RI Analytical post comparable packages from $190. Buying a home? Posted prices for the required panel run from $500 (NETL’s $350 series plus $150 sampler) to $649 (RI Analytical; ask about sampling). Test inside the 10-day window.

Side by side for a Rhode Island well

On a phone, the table scrolls sideways.

Typical paths for a Rhode Island private well in 2026. Not a bid.
RIDOH State Health LabNew England Testing LabRI AnalyticalMail-in (Tap Score / NTL)
Best forCheapest yearly and 5–10 year kitsHome sale panel with samplerPackages matched to RIDOH tiersA broader analyte list in one PDF
Typical cost$95 / $280 / $410$190 Basic; $350 + $150 sale panel$197 Annual; $443; $649 transferAbout $209–$220
HowBottles at 150 Richmond St.; drop off Mon–ThuCall 401-353-3420; deliver within 24 hrsCall 401-737-8500 for bottlesShip it yourself
Counts for a home sale?Only with a licensed sampler/interpreterYes (RI DPH Series)Ask (Property Transfer package)No

Remind me to test my well every year

CDC and EPA say to test a private well at least once a year. We’ll send one email a year, about when your test is due, with your state’s lab options.

We only use your email for the yearly reminder. Unsubscribe anytime.

Thanks, you’re on the list. We’ll email you once a year when it’s time to test your well. Nothing else.

What to do in Rhode Island

  1. This week, call the State Health Lab at 401-222-6064, pick up a Kit A ($95) at 150 Richmond St., and drop it off the same day, Monday–Thursday.
  2. Check your address on RIDOH’s special-testing map and add arsenic, beryllium ($20 each), or PFAS ($200) if it flags you.
  3. Every 3–5 years, order Kit B ($280); every 5–10 years, Kit C ($410) for VOCs and MTBE.
  4. Buying a home with a well? Put the 10-day testing clause in the purchase and sale agreement and hire a licensed sampler and interpreter (for example, NETL’s RI DPH Series, $350 + $150).
  5. If you want a broader PDF, use Tap Score / SimpleLab or National Testing Laboratories.

Skip this if…

  • You already chlorinated the well. Wait and flush before you take a bacteria sample. A chlorinated sample gets rejected or tells you nothing.
  • It’s Friday or the day before a state holiday. The State Health Lab won’t accept private well samples then, and most tests have short holding times. Sample early in the week.
  • The “free test” comes with a sales pitch. RIDOH specifically warns about “free” testing offered in exchange for a treatment-system pitch. Get an independent result from a certified lab first. See the Home Depot free-kit comparison.

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