Well water testing in Genesee County, Michigan (2026)
Genesee County has an estimated 65,667 households on private wells by EPA’s 2020 model, the second most in Michigan after Oakland County and ninth in the country. Outside Flint and the towns on county water, most homes drink from a well, and the big issue here is arsenic: in a USGS study of 224 Genesee County wells, nearly two out of three were over the federal limit. The county health department in Flint tests bacteria only, so arsenic and the rest go to the state lab or a certified private lab. Here is who to call, what each lab charges, and what to test for.
The short version
- Test bacteria every year, and nitrate too. The Genesee County Health Department tests coliform and E. coli for $25 at 324 S. Saginaw St. in Flint, with free bottles. Samples go in Monday to Thursday, 8:00 to 2:30, and never on a Friday.
- Test arsenic at least once, and again every few years. In the USGS study, the median Genesee County well had 16.6 µg/L of arsenic, and only 36.2% were at or under the 10 µg/L limit. You can’t taste or smell it. The county lab doesn’t test it, so use EGLE ($15 plus a $13 prep fee) or a private lab.
- The cheapest simple panels are close by. Aquatest in White Lake posts a $70 package (bacteria, nitrate, nitrite) and Brighton Analytical posts a $95 Basic Water Check that adds arsenic.
- The state lab does everything else. EGLE in Lansing runs nitrate ($41), partial chemistry ($66 + $13), metals, VOCs ($147) and PFAS ($320). Drop-off is by appointment only.
- New well? State law says you need a “safe” bacteria result before you use it, and the county won’t sign off on the well until it has the pump record and that result. We didn’t find a Genesee County rule requiring a test when a house sells, but lenders often do.
Who to call
- Genesee County Health Department, Environmental Health. 324 S. Saginaw St., 6th floor, Flint, MI 48502 · 810-257-3603. Its wells page covers permits, bacteria testing, records and restricted areas. Keep the sample cold and bring it back the same day you collect it. No samples on Fridays, after 2:30, or on the day before a holiday. The lab tests bacteria only and doesn’t hand out bottles for other tests.
- EGLE Drinking Water Laboratory (state lab). 3350 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Lansing · 517-335-8184. Order bottles and see prices on the water testing fee schedule (effective 10/1/2026). EGLE sends results to your local health department too.
- PFAS questions. Michigan’s PFAS response team, MPART, lists the Genesee County sites it’s investigating. If you live inside one of those investigation areas, the state tests your well for PFAS for free, the county health department says on its PFAS page.
- Well records. The county searches well and septic records for $5 per address, on a written request. You can also search state well records in EGLE’s Wellogic database for free. Both are useful when you’re buying a house.
Certified labs for Genesee County
Michigan certifies drinking water labs through EGLE. Its certification lists say which tests each lab is approved for. Every lab below is on those lists for the tests we mention, and none sells water treatment equipment as far as we could find. The county health department also refers people to most of them.
The table scrolls sideways on a phone.
| Lab | Certified for | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genesee County Health Department lab 324 S. Saginaw St., 6th floor, Flint, MI 48502 810-257-3603 | Total coliform, E. coli | Bacteria $25 (free sterile bottle) | Bacteria only. Samples Monday to Thursday, 8:00 to 2:30. Cards cost 3.5% extra. |
| EGLE Drinking Water Laboratory (state lab) 3350 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Lansing, MI 517-335-8184 | The state lab: bacteria, full chemistry, metals, VOCs, PFAS | Coliform/E. coli $23 · nitrate + nitrite $41 · partial chemistry $66* · arsenic $15* · uranium $15* · lead/copper $30* · partial metals $81* · complete metals $136* · VOCs $147 · PFAS $320 · 1,4-dioxane $169 · *plus $13 sample prep per sample | About an hour west of Flint. Drop-off is by appointment only, Monday to Thursday 8 to 4:30 and Friday 8 to 3, with no bacteria on Fridays. Or ship overnight Monday to Wednesday. Results in up to 10 business days. |
| Brighton Analytical 2105 Pless Dr., Brighton, MI 48114 810-229-7575 | Bacteria and broad chemistry, including VOCs | Basic Water Check (arsenic, nitrate, coliform/E. coli) $95 · Partial Chemistry $160 · Complete Metal Private Wells $165 · Water Check Deluxe $585 | About 40 miles south of Flint. The $95 package is the cheapest posted bundle with arsenic that we found. Open weekdays 8:30 to 5. |
| Aquatest Laboratories 9165 Highland Rd., White Lake, MI 48386 248-698-9500 | Coliform, E. coli, arsenic, lead, copper, nitrate, nitrite | Basic Test Package (coliform, E. coli, nitrate, nitrite) $70 · Comprehensive (adds arsenic, lead, sodium, hardness) $235 · bacteria $30 · nitrate/nitrite $40 · arsenic $45 · lead $45 · manganese $45 · iron $25 | In Oakland County, about 35 miles southeast of Flint. Its “softener test package” is a lab test, not equipment, and we didn’t see any treatment sales. |
| Water Tech 718 S. Michigan Ave., Howell, MI 48843 517-548-2505 | Coliform, E. coli, arsenic, lead, nitrate, metals | Total coliform $27 · nitrate $19 · arsenic $30 · lead $30 · PT-7 package (bacteria, nitrate, nitrite, arsenic, lead and minerals) $172 · FHA $95 · VOCs $150 | About 45 miles southwest of Flint. Drop-off weekdays 9 to 5:30. Its price page carries a 2012 copyright, so confirm prices when you call. |
| Saginaw County Health Department lab 1600 N. Michigan Ave., Room 102, Saginaw, MI 989-758-3825 | Bacteria, nitrate, nitrite, fluoride, sulfate | Nitrate $25 · limited water chemistry (anions) $37 · bacteria: call | About 35 miles north of Flint, for northern Genesee County. Samples Monday to Wednesday, 8 to 4. Its fee list doesn’t show a drinking water bacteria price tonight. |
| Oakland County Health Division lab 1200 N. Telegraph Rd., Bldg. 34E, Pontiac, MI 248-858-1312 | Coliform, partial chemistry, arsenic, lead/copper | Out-of-county well: bacteria $20 · partial chemistry (nitrate, nitrite, chloride, fluoride, sulfate) $18 | About 30 miles southeast of Flint. Out-of-county prices are from its fee schedule effective 10/1/2026, which doesn’t list arsenic or lead for wells outside Oakland County. |
The county also lists National Testing Laboratories in Ypsilanti, Paragon Laboratories in Livonia (on EGLE’s PFAS list), Pace in Kentwood and Raven in Roscommon. None posts homeowner prices, so call. The Flint Community Lab (4121 Martin Luther King Ave., 810-875-9127) is certified for arsenic, lead and copper and says it tests water for Flint residents for free, but its site is under construction, so call before assuming it takes well samples. We only list labs we could verify, and we skip anyone who sells water treatment.
What’s in Genesee County well water
Many house wells here draw from the Marshall Sandstone or the glacial sand and gravel above it. Arsenic comes mostly from the rock itself, not from pollution, so it can be high in a new well and very different from the house next door.
- Arsenic. A USGS fact sheet (FS-127-00) looked at 224 Genesee County wells sampled from 1997 on. Only 81 (36.2%) were at or under 10 µg/L, the federal limit, so about 64% were over it. 14 wells (6.3%) were over 50 µg/L, and the highest was 96 µg/L, in Davison Township. Atlas Township had the highest median (36.9 µg/L, 20 wells). Fenton, Mundy, Richfield, Gaines and Genesee townships had medians over 20, and Grand Blanc’s was 17.0 across 40 wells. Clayton and Mt. Morris townships were mostly low. It’s an older study, but the geology hasn’t changed.
- Bacteria and nitrate. These are the yearly tests. Coliform can show up in any well after flooding, well work or a cracked cap. If a sample comes back unsafe, the county says to resample before you change anything. Nitrate matters most for babies and near fields or septic systems. We didn’t find a current county nitrate figure, so test your own well.
- PFAS. MPART lists several Genesee County sites. At the Bray Road site in Genesee Township, EGLE sampled three nearby home wells in 2021. One had 60 ppt PFOS, over Michigan’s 16 ppt limit, and the resident got a filter (Bray Road site). Near the Coldwater Road Landfill in Flint, one of the home wells sampled in 2018 had 73 ppt PFOS (Coldwater Road). Three home wells near the Richfield Landfill were non-detect (Richfield Landfill). The county also lists Bishop Airport and Buick City. PFAS testing is $320 at EGLE. Our PFAS method page explains which test to ask for.
- Restricted areas. The county restricts new well construction in two places with contaminated aquifers: near the Richfield Landfill (Mt. Morris Road area, Richfield Township) and near the Forest Waste site (Forest Township). If you’re near either one, call Environmental Health before you drill or buy.
- Radon. In Michigan, radon is mostly a basement air problem rather than a water one. On EGLE’s county radon map, 20% of Genesee County home tests were at or over the 4 pCi/L action level (EGLE radon map). An air test kit is cheap. Testing water for radon isn’t a standard Michigan well test.
These numbers describe the county, not your lot. Results change from one well to the next, so only your own test tells you.
Home sales and new wells
Home sales. We didn’t find a Genesee County rule requiring a well test or inspection when a house sells, or a statewide Michigan rule either. Lenders often require a bacteria and nitrate test, and FHA or VA loans may add more. Ask the lender which tests and lab it accepts before you sample. Water Tech posts a $95 FHA package. Before you buy, it’s worth getting the county’s $5 well record search and an arsenic test. Our home purchase / lender page covers the details.
New wells. A private residential well permit is $200 ($300 for a Type III well). Apply at least 3 working days before drilling with a scaled site plan, and the permit expires after 2 years. The county won’t approve the well for use until the driller files the pump record and a raw water test shows coliform bacteria (plus anything else the Health Officer asks for) meets public health standards. The county also suggests testing for nitrate, arsenic, fluoride, lead and sodium. Brighton Analytical’s $95 Basic Water Check covers bacteria, arsenic and nitrate in one bottle set.
Mail-in kits that email a PDF
If you want metals, minerals and bacteria in one report without driving to Lansing, independent mail-in labs ship to Genesee County. Listed prices checked October 31, 2026:
- Tap Score / SimpleLab Essential Well: $209. It covers coliform and E. coli, nitrate and nitrite, and 25 metals including arsenic, uranium, manganese and lead, plus sodium and chloride. It doesn’t test VOCs or PFAS.
- Tap Score / SimpleLab Advanced Well: $399. It adds VOCs and common petroleum compounds, which is useful near old fuel tanks, landfills or industrial sites, and includes overnight shipping to the lab.
- National Testing Laboratories WaterCheck Basic: $220. It covers bacteria, 22 metals and minerals (arsenic included), and 7 inorganic chemicals. Next-day return shipping isn’t included, so budget for it on the bacteria bottle.
In Genesee County the local options are cheaper for the basics: $25 bacteria at the county, then $15 + $13 arsenic at EGLE or Brighton’s $95 bundle. Mail-in kits make sense if you want one big report with a wider metals list. A new-well sign-off or a home sale usually needs a Michigan-certified lab, so ask before using a mail-in kit.
Side by side for a Genesee County well
The table scrolls sideways on a phone.
| County (Flint) | EGLE (state lab) | Brighton / Aquatest / Water Tech | Mail-in (Tap Score / NTL) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly bacteria | $25 | $23 | $27–$30 single · $70 Aquatest with nitrate | In the $209–$220 panels |
| Nitrate | No | $41 | $19 Water Tech · $40 Aquatest | Included |
| Arsenic | No | $15 + $13 prep | $95 Brighton bundle · $30 Water Tech · $45 Aquatest | Included |
| VOCs | No | $147 | $150 Water Tech · in Brighton’s $585 Deluxe | Tap Score Advanced $399 |
| PFAS | No | $320 | Call | No |
| Drop-off near Flint? | Yes, downtown | Lansing, by appointment, or ship | Brighton, White Lake, Howell | |
| Sales visit? | No | No | No | 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.
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 Genesee County
- Never tested for arsenic? Do it now: EGLE ($15 + $13 prep), Brighton Analytical’s $95 Basic Water Check, or Water Tech ($30). If it’s over 10 µg/L, retest to confirm.
- Every year, test bacteria. $25 at the county health department in Flint, Monday to Thursday before 2:30, and add nitrate at a private lab or EGLE.
- Want one PDF with a wider metals list? Tap Score / SimpleLab or National Testing Laboratories.
- Near a landfill, the airport or Buick City? Check MPART’s site list, and ask if your home is in a free PFAS sampling area before paying $320.
- Got a result over a limit? Retest to confirm, and call Genesee County Environmental Health (810-257-3603) before you buy treatment. For bacteria, shock-chlorinate and retest first. Get quotes from more than one company.
Not this if…
- You’re on public water (Flint, the Genesee County Drain Commissioner’s system or another utility). Your supplier tests the water and publishes a yearly report.
- A lender, attorney or buyer named a lab and a form. Use that lab. Mail-in kits usually don’t meet lender sampling rules.
- Someone offered a free in-home “test” that ends in a softener or filter pitch. See the Home Depot free kit comparison.
Related: Michigan well testing · Oakland County, MI · Cumberland County, ME · Waukesha County, WI · Marion County, FL · How to read a well water report · PFAS 533 / 537.1 · Home purchase / lender · back to the directory.