1. Keep the identifier before leaving the map
Search the property, open a candidate record and save its well number, state, source URL and any construction date. If the source supplies a separate permit, receipt or driller identifier, keep that too. A permit application, a construction filing and a later alteration can be different records for the same site.
The closest map point is a candidate, not a confirmed property match. Compare the record with the seller's paperwork and any physical well tag. If the location method is unverified or approximate, resolve that uncertainty before assigning the record to the home.
2. Open the original agency entry
Our example is NHDES OneStop record 001.0130 ↗, in Acworth, New Hampshire. The source entries were checked on October 24, 2026; this guide's revision date does not mean the well was recently inspected. Recheck the inventory fields ↗. No customer's address or ownership is inferred from this example.
In New Hampshire, follow the WRB identifier into OneStop. In Colorado, retain the permit and receipt and open the construction documents. In Texas, use the submitted driller-report tracking number; in Minnesota, use the unique well number. Start with the state source directory if no document link is available.
3. Read the measurements separately
| Source field | Published value | What it supports |
|---|---|---|
| WRB / driller identifier | 001.0130 / 111201-A | Two identifiers for one source entry. Retain both to compare a seller's completion report with the agency file. |
| Use and construction | DOMESTIC / DRILLED IN BEDROCK | This is a domestic construction example. A monitoring or irrigation record has a different purpose even if it is closer on the map. |
| Total depth | 260 ft | Depth of the well as reported in this record. It is not the depth at which water begins and does not predict the next property's drilling depth. |
| Depth to bedrock | 97 ft | A different construction measurement. Do not substitute it for total well depth. |
| Casing | 120 ft | The reported casing length. Casing and total depth describe different parts of construction. |
| Static water level | 20 ft | A historical source value. It does not establish today's water level or the amount of water available to a household. |
| Tested yield | 7.5 GPM | A historical rate labelled Tested Yield in OneStop. Read the underlying method and duration before comparing it with a different test. |
OneStop's fuller entry and the mapped index are related but are not the same document. If you need a scanned construction or pump-test filing, follow the agency's document route or request it using the identifiers. Do not treat a summary field as evidence that you have read the full log.
4. Preserve the test context and the blanks
The neighbouring teaching entry, WRB 001.0129, reports 300 ft total depth and 1.5 GPM tested yield, but its inventory test-duration field is blank. That comparison shows why depth alone cannot answer a supply question. Missing duration stays unknown; it is not a zero-minute test.
A pump capacity, a reported yield, a static level and a sustained flow test answer different questions. Check the source's field names, units, test method, dates and duration. If those details are absent, request the underlying filing rather than calculating an unsupported supply estimate.
5. Finish with a document-to-property check
- Match the agency ID and driller or permit ID to the paperwork.
- Compare the construction date, type and reported dimensions.
- Check how the location was established; a point on a parcel is not automatically the wellhead.
- Ask about later deepening, repair, replacement or sealing records.
- Record any unresolved discrepancy before using the filing in a purchase or service decision.
If you cannot find a log
Try the official agency search and local records contact with the well identifier, town or county. An older, unlocated or unsubmitted record may not appear in an address-centred map. A failed request is a source-availability problem, and an empty map is an absence of returned records; neither proves the property has no well.
For a deeper walkthrough, read the New Hampshire record examples, Texas domestic and monitoring examples and Minnesota code explanations. Our six-index field audit shows exactly which fields its sampled queries retained.
Scope: public-record interpretation. No independent professional review is claimed. Report a factual or source error.