Lab inventory · FL · Updated October 13, 2026
Florida Certified Well Water Labs
Direct answer
This is the Florida certified-lab path for private-well owners. Start with DEP’s NELAP drinking-water search, then a lab that takes a residential bottle. Florida DOH recommends bacteria and nitrate at least yearly, and lead every three years. There is no statewide private-well sampling statute. Bacteria or nitrate still goes to the county health department.
| What to test | Why | EPA MCL / SMCL or guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Total coliform | CDC’s annual floor for a private well. A present result is a pathway warning, not a shopping trip. | Present/absent — any detected coliform is a positive until a clean retest CDC well-testing guidelines |
| Nitrate as N | Same yearly panel as coliform. A result at or above the public-system line goes to the health department. | 10 mg/L as N (EPA public-system MCL) EPA National Primary Drinking Water Regulations |
| Lead | Usually a plumbing number. First-draw versus flushed changes the reading. | 0.015 mg/L public-system action level (15 ppb) EPA lead in drinking water |
| pH | CDC annual floor. Low pH is a corrosion clue, not an iron-filter job. | 6.5–8.5 SMCL (aesthetic guideline) EPA secondary standards |
A working inventory of laboratories and health-department offices that Florida well owners actually use. Confirm current drinking-water certification in the official NELAP search before you mail a sample.
Florida Department of Health says about 12 percent of residents are on private wells or limited-use systems. There is no statewide requirement for routine private-home well sampling or sampling at sale. DOH recommends bacteria and nitrate at least yearly, and lead every three years. DOH’s Environmental Laboratory Certification Program is the accreditation body. DEP hosts the public NELAP search. Certification status changes. This page is a directory, not a substitute for the live state database. Public-system PFAS MCLs do not bind a Florida kitchen tap — use the PFAS in private well water guide for EPA’s comparison table, and the certified-labs-by-state hub for the official-search path. For UF/IFAS hardness bands, the no-MCL fact, and softener versus salt-free class, use the Hard Water in Florida Wells guide — not a filter brand. For rotten-egg odor, Florida DOH’s odor-and-staining sheet, and why a softener is the wrong class for sulfur, use Hydrogen Sulfide in Florida Well Water. If coliform or nitrate fails, take the sheet to the county health department.
News for FL well ownersCertified labs by stateHard Water in Florida WellsHydrogen Sulfide in Florida Well WaterPFAS in private well waterMaine certified labsIowa certified labsPennsylvania certified labsNew York certified labs
Official search first
Open DEP’s NELAP Certified Laboratory Search (the “open in a new window” link on that page). Set the matrix to Drinking Water. Prefer commercial laboratories if you are a homeowner mailing a bottle — DEP notes that utility, university, research, and state laboratories often do not accept public samples. Confirm the lab is certified for each analyte you need. Coliform is not the same field as nitrate, metals, or VOCs. Then call about bottles, hold times, and Friday drop-off.
NELAP Certified Laboratory Search
- Florida DOH: Private Well Water Testing
- Florida DOH Environmental Laboratory Certification Program
- DOH Bureau of Public Health Laboratories: well water testing
- Find a Florida county health department
- UF/IFAS: Household Drinking Water Testing (SL499/SS712)
- Tap Score / SimpleLab (approved mail-in kit example; Awin tracked URL)
- EPA state lab-certification contacts
Labs that take private-well work
Listing here is not a certification. Phone the lab, ask for current drinking-water fields of accreditation, hold times, and whether they want a Friday bacteria sample. If the result is coliform or nitrate, take the sheet to your health department.
Jacksonville · Duval County / statewide kits
Private wells: yesFlorida DOH Bureau of Public Health Laboratories — Jacksonville
1217 N. Pearl St., Jacksonville, FL 32202
904-791-1600
Private-well bacteria (E. coli and coliforms). DOH publishes $40 for private testing through BPHL, $17 when routed through a county health department. Same-day iced delivery; Friday cutoff 2 p.m.
Use form DH655. Kits come from a county health department or the BPHL drive-through. This is the state’s public-health lab path, not a shopping-cart kit. Chemical work (nitrate, metals, VOCs) still needs a lab certified for those fields. Confirm current hours on the BPHL well-water page.
Miami · Miami-Dade / South Florida
Private wells: yesFlorida DOH Bureau of Public Health Laboratories — Miami
1325 N.W. 14th Ave., Miami, FL 33125
305-325-2533
DOH lists Miami as a BPHL location that tests well water (environmental microbiology: well water and non-potable water), alongside Jacksonville.
Same program as Jacksonville: start with the county health department or the BPHL well-water page for bottles and DH655. The Miami phone is the laboratory listing on DOH’s locations page. Confirm intake hours before you drive.
Fort Myers · Lee County
Private wells: yesFlorida Department of Health in Lee County — Microbiology Water Lab
60 S Danley Drive, Unit 1, Fort Myers, FL 33907
239-274-2200
County health-department lab that publishes private-well bacteria work (total coliform / fecal coliform by Colilert) plus lead and nitrate/nitrite bottles. Samples Monday–Thursday before 2:30 p.m.
DOH-Lee’s drinking-water page states Laboratory Certification Number E25706 and that the lab is NELAC certified. That is their published number, not a substitute for the live NELAP search. Hold time is 24 hours on ice. If coliform or nitrate fails, take the sheet to the health department — this site is not medical advice.
DeLand · Volusia / Central Florida mail and drop-off
Private wells: call to confirmWater Shed Laboratories, Inc.
304 S. Spring Garden Ave., DeLand, FL 32720
386-736-3397
Lab website advertises FHA, VA, and conventional mortgage well-water testing for Volusia, Lake, Brevard, Orange, Seminole, and Flagler counties.
Listing here is not a certificate. Confirm current drinking-water fields in the DEP NELAP search before you mail a bottle. The same site also sells treatment equipment. A lab sheet comes first; a softener or iron filter comes after the numbers.
Health-department labs that take bacterial samples
Florida DOH tells private-well owners to start with the county health department for bottles and instructions. BPHL Jacksonville and Miami run the statewide well-water bacteria tests. Chemical work still goes to a laboratory certified for those analytes. Hours change; call before you drive.
| Office | Counties served | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| DOH Bureau of Public Health Laboratories — Jacksonville | Statewide kits; same-day iced delivery to Jacksonville | 904-791-1600 |
| DOH Bureau of Public Health Laboratories — Miami | South Florida well-water microbiology (confirm intake) | 305-325-2533 |
| Florida DOH in Lee County Environmental Engineering | Lee County private-well drop-off (Mon–Thu) | 239-274-2200 |
Contaminant and parent pages
Related
See also the homepage, certified labs by state, well water test kits, how to read a lab report, and FL lab news.