Certified well water labs in Wyoming (2026)
Wyoming’s cheapest posted bacteria test is the state Public Health Lab in Cheyenne at $8. For a yearly bacteria plus nitrate/mineral check, the Department of Agriculture’s Analytical Services Lab in Laramie posts a Rural Health Package for $70 ($85 with total coliform). In Teton County, the conservation district sells a subsidized kit that includes arsenic for $50. DEQ’s Know Your Well program tells private well owners what to test and when.
The short version
- Bacteria only: the $8 state lab is hard to beat. Open an account with the Wyoming Public Health Laboratory, get their bottle, and deliver or mail the sample so it arrives within 30 hours. Samples are accepted Monday through Thursday until 4 p.m., not Fridays. Result is satisfactory or unsatisfactory.
- Bacteria + nitrate + minerals: Rural Health in Laramie. Call the Agriculture Analytical Services Lab at 307-742-2984 for bottles. The Rural Health Package is $70; add total coliform for $85. Nitrate/nitrite is in the package. Results are emailed when the work is done.
- Near Jackson? Use the Teton Conservation District kit. Teton County residents pay $50 for a standard kit that includes arsenic, lead, nitrate, bacteria, and hardness (non-residents $130). Bacteria only through the county water lab is $20.
How Wyoming’s system actually works
Private wells are the owner’s responsibility. More than three-quarters of Wyoming’s population relies on groundwater from more than 53,000 wells, and no agency routinely checks those wells for you. DEQ’s Know Your Well program recommends testing for bacteria and nitrates every year, and for arsenic, lead, copper, iron, manganese, sulfate, and TDS about every five years. Uranium, radium, selenium, and methane also show up in Wyoming groundwater. Helpline: 307-777-WELL (9355) or deq-knowyourwell@wyo.gov.
Two state labs cover most homeowner needs: the Public Health Lab does microbiology only, and the Agriculture Analytical Services Lab in Laramie runs the chemistry packages (and can add bacteria). County and town labs fill gaps for local drop-off. DEQ’s lab list includes commercial labs in Casper, Gillette, Sheridan, Laramie, and Rock Springs; we list phones below but do not invent prices.
Options we verified
- Wyoming Public Health Laboratory (Cheyenne), bacteria. EPA-certified total coliform and E. coli for private individuals and businesses. Fee $8 per sample (official Drinking Water fee table). Create an account with the New Water Customer Form; they supply the sterile bottle, mailing container, and request form. Accept samples Monday–Thursday until 4 p.m.; not Fridays or before holidays; sample must arrive within 30 hours of collection. Results after about 24 hours (satisfactory / unsatisfactory); they call if unsatisfactory. Combined Laboratories Facility, 208 South College Drive, Cheyenne · 307-777-7431 (new accounts / testing: Skylar Underwood 307-777-7544). Sources: Laboratory Fees · Water Testing · WPHL Water Fact Sheet (PDF) (checked Oct 17, 2026).
- Wyoming Department of Agriculture Analytical Services Laboratory (Laramie), chemistry (+ optional bacteria). Posted water packages on the fee list still linked from the Agriculture site (effective March 1, 2021, still the official PDF as of Oct 17, 2026): Rural Health Package $70 (fluoride, chloride, nitrate/nitrite, sulfate, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, alkalinity/bicarbonate/carbonate, pH, conductivity, hardness, TDS) · with Total Coliform $85 · Property Transfer Package $40 / with coliform $55 · Total Coliform presence/absence alone $15. Broader options (call first): Development $100/$115, Comprehensive $225/$240, Metals Package $188/$203. The lab does not collect samples; call 307-742-2984 for bottles and instructions before you sample. 1174 Snowy Range Road, Laramie. Sources: ASL Fees · 2021 price list (PDF) · Water Testing programs.
- Teton Conservation District well test kits (Jackson). Standard kit includes arsenic, chloride, fluoride, iron, manganese, nitrate, nitrite, lead, pH, sodium, sulfate, total coliform, E. coli, TDS, and hardness. $50 for Teton County (WY) residents (district pays the rest of ASL’s $130 kit cost); non-residents $130. Lead & Copper kit $20 residents / $40 non-residents. Pickup by appointment at 420 W. Pearl Ave; mail to ASL via UPS (shipping included); results emailed in about two weeks. Bacteria only: Teton County Health Department water lab $20 at 307-733-6401. Schedule: David Lee 307-733-2110 ext. 3 or david@tetonconservation.org. Source: TCD Well Test Kits.
- Town of Pinedale Microbiology Laboratory. EPA-certified for total coliform / E. coli (SM9223B) and fecal coliform (SM9222D). Presence/Absence $35 · Enumeration $50. Samples accepted Tuesday and Wednesday 9 a.m.–1 p.m.; payment due on receipt (cash, check, or card). Results within one work week by email; they call if bacteria are present. 55 Pinedale South Road · 307-367-2348 · gracycarpenter@townofpinedale.us. Source: Town of Pinedale Laboratory.
- Laramie County Public Health Environmental Health (Cheyenne area), bacteria. Posted fee $10 per bacteriological sample; submit within 24 hours of collection. Hours: Monday–Wednesday 8 a.m.–5 p.m. (closed noon–1), Thursday 8 a.m.–noon, closed Friday. 100 Central Ave, Room 261 · 307-633-4090 · envhlth@laramiecountywy.gov. For official well-and-septic evaluations, Wyoming statute limits who may collect the sample—ask the office before a property sale. Source: Bacteriological Water Collection Procedures (PDF, July 2025).
- Other labs on DEQ’s Know Your Well list (call for fees). Energy Labs (Casper 888-235-0515, Gillette 866-686-7175), Pace Analytical / Billings 406-254-7226, Wyoming Analytical Laboratories (Laramie 307-742-7995, Rock Springs 307-362-3176), Intermountain Laboratory (Sheridan 307-672-8945, Gillette 307-682-8945). We did not find posted homeowner package prices, so we don’t list any.
What to test for in Wyoming
- Bacteria (total coliform / E. coli): every year, and after flooding, well work, or a change in taste or clarity. WPHL $8; Laramie County $10; Teton County Health $20; ASL alone $15; Pinedale $35.
- Nitrate: every year, especially near cropland, feedlots, or septic systems. Included in ASL’s Rural Health Package; also in the Teton Conservation District kit.
- Hardness, iron, sodium, sulfate, TDS: affect washing and household use; DEQ suggests checking about every five years with arsenic and metals. Rural Health covers hardness, sodium, sulfate, and TDS; iron and arsenic need a metals add-on, the Teton kit, or a mail-in.
- Arsenic, uranium, selenium, radium, methane: common enough in Wyoming groundwater that DEQ calls them out. Teton’s standard kit includes arsenic; for uranium and the rest, ask ASL or use a mail-in kit.
- Lead and copper: Teton Lead & Copper kit; ASL Metals Package; or a mail-in kit that lists them.
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 Wyoming, the cheapest yearly bacteria check is the $8 state Public Health Lab test. Pair it with ASL’s Rural Health Package ($70, or $85 with coliform built in) when you want nitrate and minerals too. Near Jackson, the $50 Teton Conservation District kit is the best posted combo that already includes arsenic. A mail-in kit is for when you want uranium, VOCs, or a long analyte list in one emailed PDF. If a lender needs a sampler-collected, chain-of-custody result, self-collected kits may not count—ask the lab or county before closing.
Side by side for a Wyoming well
On a phone, the table scrolls sideways.
| WPHL (Cheyenne) | ASL Rural Health (Laramie) | Teton Conservation District | Mail-in (Tap Score / NTL) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Cheapest statewide bacteria | Bacteria + nitrate + minerals in one package | Jackson-area kit with arsenic (subsidized) | A broader analyte list in one PDF |
| Typical cost | $8 bacteria | $70 / $85 with coliform | $50 residents / $130 non-residents | About $209–$220 |
| How | Account + kit: 307-777-7431; Mon–Thu | Call 307-742-2984 for bottles first | Appointment at 420 W Pearl; UPS to ASL | Ship it yourself |
| Results | ~24 hours; mail or email | Per lab (email) | ~2 weeks by email | Emailed PDF |
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.
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 Wyoming
- This week, open a WPHL water account and run the $8 bacteria test (sample Monday–Thursday so it arrives within 30 hours).
- Add nitrate and minerals. Call ASL at 307-742-2984 for the Rural Health Package ($70, or $85 with coliform). Near Jackson, book the Teton Conservation District $50 kit instead.
- Buying a home with a well? ASL’s Property Transfer Package is $40 ($55 with coliform). Ask whether the lender needs a lab-collected sample; Laramie County has statute limits on who may collect for official evaluations.
- Check arsenic once (DEQ recommends about every five years). Teton’s standard kit includes it; otherwise ask ASL about metals or use a mail-in kit.
- 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 Thursday afternoon or Friday. WPHL won’t take Friday samples, and bacteria hold times are short (30 hours at WPHL; 24 hours at Laramie County). Sample early in the week.
- The “lab” quoting you also sells treatment systems. Get an independent result from a state or certified testing lab. See the Home Depot free-kit comparison.
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