Do I Have to Plug an Abandoned or Flow Well in Florida?
What counts as an abandoned well, and who is responsible for plugging it.
In most cases, yes. Florida law places the responsibility on the property owner, and the rule applies to far more wells than most owners realize. If there is an old well on your property that is no longer connected to a pump, it is almost certainly an abandoned well under state rule, and it is supposed to be plugged by a licensed water well contractor.
Most property owners on the Treasure Coast have no idea the rule applies to them. This page explains what counts as an abandoned well, who is responsible, and what happens if one is left in place.
What Florida Counts as an Abandoned Well
Under Florida's well construction rules, a well is considered abandoned when it has been permanently discontinued, when the pumping equipment has been permanently removed, or when it is in such a state of disrepair that it cannot be used for its intended purpose.
The second part of that definition is the one that catches people. A well does not have to be collapsed, contaminated or visibly broken to be legally abandoned. If the pump has come off and the well has not been converted to another approved use, such as a monitoring well, it is abandoned in the eyes of the rule.
Wells that are almost certainly abandoned under the rule
Capping a Well Is Not Plugging a Well
This is the most common misunderstanding we run into. Putting a cap, a cover or a concrete slab over the top of a well closes the opening at the surface. It does nothing to the hundreds of feet of open casing underneath.
Plugging means filling the well from the bottom to the top with grout so there is no longer a pathway through the ground. That is what the rule requires and that is what makes the well safe. A capped well is still an open conduit, and the cap often fails long before anyone thinks to check it.
Who Is Responsible
The property owner. Not the contractor who drilled it, not the previous owner, and not the water management district. If there is an abandoned well on your land, the obligation to have it properly plugged sits with you.
That obligation transfers with the property. When you buy land with an abandoned well on it, you take on the responsibility along with the deed, whether or not you knew the well was there at closing.
The work has to be done by a licensed water well contractor. Florida does not allow a property owner, a landscaper or a general contractor to plug a well, and it requires a permit before the work begins.
Why the Rule Exists
An abandoned well is a direct opening between the surface and the aquifer that supplies drinking water across South Florida. Everything that enters that opening bypasses the natural filtering layers of soil and rock that would normally protect the water below.
What an abandoned well allows
Florida Statutes sections 373.203 and 373.207 direct the water management districts to address abandoned artesian wells for exactly these reasons. The state has been documenting and working on the problem since the middle of the last century.
What Happens If an Abandoned Well Is Left
Three things tend to force the issue eventually, and all three are more expensive than handling it deliberately.
It surfaces during a property sale
An unplugged well shows up in an inspection, a survey or title work, and becomes a condition of closing with a deadline attached. At that point you are solving it under time pressure rather than on your own schedule.
It blocks a permit
Building, development and land use changes frequently require existing wells to be properly abandoned first. A well nobody thought about can hold up a project.
It fails on its own
Casing corrodes. A well that was quiet for twenty years starts flowing, or the ground around it gives way. Free flowing wells in particular get worse over time and more complicated to address the longer they run.
How to Tell What You Have
Older properties often have wells nobody remembers. Things to look for:
If you are not sure, we can look. A site visit establishes whether what you have is an abandoned well, whether it is still usable, and what plugging it would involve.
What We Do
Brent Pump Works is a licensed water well contractor and has been working on the Treasure Coast since 2004. We handle abandonment and plugging across Martin County, St. Lucie County and Palm Beach County, including the permit application.
Wells are plugged in accordance with Florida Administrative Code 62-532 and South Florida Water Management District requirements, and you receive documentation when the work is complete.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a capped well the same as a plugged well?
No. Capping covers the opening at the surface and leaves the casing below open. Plugging fills the entire well from the bottom to the top with grout so no pathway remains. Florida requires plugging, not capping, and a cap does not satisfy the rule.
What makes a well legally abandoned in Florida?
Under Florida's well construction rules, a well is abandoned when its use is permanently discontinued, when the pumping equipment is permanently removed, or when it has fallen into disrepair and can no longer serve its purpose. Removing the pump is enough to qualify.
I connected to city water years ago. Does this apply to me?
Very likely. If the pump was removed when you switched to municipal water and the well was not converted to another approved use, it meets the definition of an abandoned well. Many Treasure Coast properties have wells in exactly this condition.
Who is responsible for plugging an abandoned well?
The property owner. The responsibility transfers with the property, so a buyer takes it on at closing whether or not the well was disclosed. It does not fall to the original driller or to the water management district.
Can I fill in an old well myself?
No. Florida requires that wells be plugged by a licensed water well contractor under a permit. Filling a well with soil, sand or debris does not meet the standard and can make proper abandonment harder and more costly later.
Do I need a permit to abandon a well?
Yes. A permit is required before a well is plugged. Brent Pump Works handles the application as part of the job, so you are not managing the paperwork yourself.
How do I know if there is an old well on my property?
Look for a pipe standing out of the ground, an unexplained concrete pad, a persistently wet area, or an old pump house. Property records and prior permits sometimes show them. If you are unsure, a site visit will establish what you have.
What if the well is still flowing?
A free flowing well, often called a flow well, is a priority. It is losing groundwater continuously and the casing is usually deteriorating. These are more complex to plug than a static well and they get harder to address the longer they run.
Does a well increase or decrease my property value?
A working, permitted well can be an asset. An unplugged abandoned well is a liability that often surfaces during a sale and becomes a closing condition. Addressing it in advance removes that from the transaction entirely.
Next Step
If you have an old well on your property in Martin, St. Lucie or Palm Beach County, we can tell you what it is and what plugging it involves. Brent Pump Works has been doing this work on the Treasure Coast since 2004.
Not Sure What You Have?
We can look at the well and tell you whether it is an abandoned well under state rule, and what plugging it would involve.