How to Plug an Abandoned Water Well in Texas

An old, unused water well is more than an eyesore. An open well can swallow a child or an animal, and it gives surface contamination a straight path into the aquifer your neighbors drink from. Texas law puts the responsibility for dealing with it on the landowner, and sets a deadline.

Here's what the rules require, and how a well gets plugged properly.

Who is responsible

The landowner of record is responsible for plugging an abandoned or deteriorated well, or bringing it into compliance (TDLR). That's true even if you didn't drill it and didn't know it was there when you bought the property.

You have two options:

• Hire a licensed water well driller or pump installer to plug it, or
• Plug it yourself, on your own property, following the same state standards.

Is your well "abandoned" or "deteriorated"?

Under Texas law:

• An abandoned well is a well that is not in use (Occ. Code §1901.255). The rules list what keeps a well "in use": for example, its casing and pump are in good condition and it's properly capped, or its water is being put to a beneficial use (16 TAC §76.10).
• A deteriorated well is one that, because of its condition, will cause or is likely to cause pollution of water in Texas, including groundwater.

If you're not sure which applies, TDLR publishes an abandoned well determination checklist, and a licensed driller can tell you in one visit.

The deadline: 180 days

Once a landowner learns of an abandoned or deteriorated well, it must be plugged or capped by the 180th day after they learn of its condition (Occ. Code §1901.255).

A licensed driller who becomes aware of an abandoned or deteriorated well is required to notify the landowner.

Plug or cap?

Capping is only an option for a well that is not deteriorated, where the casing is in good condition. A cap must:

• keep surface pollutants out of the well,
• hold a weight of at least 400 pounds, and
• not be removable by hand.

A loose cover, a bucket, or a piece of plywood does not count (16 TAC §§76.10, 76.104).

A deteriorated well must be plugged: an absolute sealing of the well bore.

How a well is plugged

16 TAC §76.104 sets the standards. In outline:

1. Pull the pump and equipment. Any licensee or the landowner can remove the pump.
2. Remove any removable casing, and remove the existing surface completion.
3. Fill the well from the bottom up. The standard method is to pressure-fill the well through a tremie pipe with cement from the bottom to the land surface.
4. Or use bentonite and a cement cap. The alternative is clean bentonite grout weighing at least 9.1 pounds per gallon, followed by a cement plug from the surface down at least 2 feet.

There are special cases:

• Injurious water (water that's salty or otherwise harmful) must be isolated from the fresh water zones with cement plugs. This is the case where hiring a licensed driller matters most.
• Large hand-dug wells, 36 inches or more across, may be plugged by backfilling with compacted clay or caliche to the surface.
• Dry holes may be plugged by backfilling with drill cuttings from total depth to the surface.

Read §76.104 in full before doing it yourself. The details depend on the well's construction and what it passes through.

File the plugging report: 30 days

Within 30 days after the well is plugged, the person who plugged it must file a plugging report (Occ. Code §1901.255; 16 TAC §76.70). That applies to a landowner who plugs their own well, not just licensed drillers.

The report goes to:

1. TDLR,
2. the groundwater conservation district, if the well is in one, and
3. the owner, or the person the well was plugged for.

TDLR provides the plugging report form (WWD 004) on its abandoned wells page.

Check with your groundwater district

If your property is in a groundwater conservation district, call them before you start. Districts can have their own requirements on top of the state rules.

Reporting an abandoned well

If you know of an abandoned well, TDLR keeps an official database and has an online form to report one. Questions go to TDLR at water.well@tdlr.texas.gov or (512) 463-6599.

For anyone studying for the exam

Plugging and capping are part of the Texas law and rules covered on both General exams. The numbers to know: 180 days to plug or cap, a cap that holds 400 pounds, bentonite at 9.1 lb/gal with a 2-foot cement plug, and 30 days to file the plugging report. Our free practice tests include questions on these.

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This guide is a summary for landowners and students, not legal advice. Sources: Tex. Occ. Code §1901.255; 16 TAC §§76.10, 76.70, 76.104; TDLR abandoned wells guidance and "Water Well Drillers & Pump Installers At a Glance" (Dec. 2025). Rules change, so confirm against the current rule text or with TDLR before plugging a well.