Where can I get my well water tested in New Hampshire, and is there free well water testing in NH?

Is there free well water testing in NH?

Not as a statewide bacteria or nitrate kit. The NH Public Health Laboratories Water Analysis Laboratory says homeowner testing is available on a fee-for-service basis. Confirm this week's published prices on the official Water Analysis Laboratory page and testing guide before you order. NHDES does not publish a free annual test for every private well. A town may hold a testing drive; ask your local health officer. NHDES may sample some private wells for PFAS at no cost when a written request is selected. The PFAS page says a request does not guarantee a sample. The PFAS Removal Rebate is a treatment rebate after a qualifying result, not a free yearly well test. Free radon kits from NH DHHS, when offered, are for radon in air, not well water.

Steps

1. Open the official NHELAP accredited-lab search

   Use the New Hampshire Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program database. Filter to drinking water and the analyte you need. Coliform is not the same field as nitrate, arsenic, radon, uranium, or PFAS. Confirm the lab still holds that field before you mail a bottle. NHELAP is at 29 Hazen Drive, Concord. Questions: nhelap@des.nh.gov or 603-271-2998 / 603-271-5314.

2. Or order bottles from the NH Public Health Laboratories

   The Water Analysis Laboratory at 29 Hazen Drive, Concord (603-271-3445, waterlab@dhhs.nh.gov) takes homeowner samples on a fee-for-service basis. It is NELAP-accredited for potable-water parameters. Use only the bottles and forms that laboratory issues. Confirm hold time before a Thursday or Friday collection.

3. Collect in the lab's bottles

   Use only the bottles the lab or NHDES program issues. Note the hold time on the label. Bacteria often cannot sit over a weekend. Ask the lab how to fill the bottle. After the sheet comes back, NHDES points owners at the Be Well Informed webtool to compare results to published health limits.

4. Read the sheet, then call NHDES or the local health officer when it is bacteria or nitrate

   EPA's public-system nitrate line is 10 mg/L as N. CDC treats a present coliform as a pathway warning. This site does not turn those numbers into a personal risk score. A present coliform or a nitrate at or above that line still goes to NHDES or your local health officer, not a filter brand.

When to test

NHDES April 2026 water-testing guidance: home buyers should test before purchase if the seller has not already provided a recent test. Private-well users should test bacteria, nitrate, and nitrite every year. The remainder of the recommended list (arsenic, radon, uranium, lead, copper, iron, manganese, chloride, sodium, fluoride, pH, hardness, and PFAS) every 3 to 5 years. PFAS sampling can be costly. If a first PFAS result shows none, and land use nearby has not changed, NHDES says it is acceptable to wait longer. Test treated water after a system is installed, then every 3 to 5 years. Also test after floods, after well work, or when the water looks, smells, or tastes different. EPA and CDC still put testing on the owner. Radon in water may be omitted for dug wells that do not reach bedrock. All homes should be tested at least once for radon in air.

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.

• Concord · Statewide homeowner path

  Private wells: yes

  NH Public Health Laboratories, Water Analysis Laboratory

  29 Hazen Drive, Concord, NH 03301

  603-271-3445

  The WAL Program says it provides comprehensive testing for analytes in private wells of New Hampshire homeowners on a fee-for-service basis. It is accredited by NELAP for potable and non-potable water parameters. Published homeowner packages on the official Water Testing Guide include a Standard Analysis, a Home Buyers panel, bacteria, radon, radiologicals, and VOCs. Confirm the current form and fee before you request bottles.

  This is the state public-health laboratory, not a Well Diagnosis kit. Homeowner testing is not free. If coliform or nitrate fails, stay with NHDES or your local health officer. Listing here is not a live certificate. Confirm drinking-water fields in the NHELAP search.

  Lab website · NH DHHS: Water Analysis Laboratory Program

• Derry · Southern New Hampshire, with published drop-off locations

  Private wells: yes

  Granite State Analytical Services LLC

  22 Manchester Road, Derry, NH 03038

  603-432-3044

  Listed on the April 2026 NHDES private-well lab PDF as an NHELAP-accredited laboratory that serves private-well users. The lab's drinking-water page names bacteria, nitrate/nitrite, metals including arsenic, radon, uranium, and VOCs among homeowner tests. Call before you drive. Confirm current drinking-water fields in the NHELAP search.

  An NHDES snapshot list is not a live certificate. Use NHELAP to confirm drinking-water fields. If coliform or nitrate fails, take the sheet to NHDES or the local health officer.

  Lab website · NHDES: Water Testing Guidance for Private Well Users (April 2026 PDF)

• Concord · Capital region

  Private wells: yes

  Eurofins Environment Testing Eastern Analytical

  51 Antrim Avenue, Concord, NH 03301

  603-228-0525

  Listed on the April 2026 NHDES private-well lab PDF as Eurofins Environmental Testing Eastern Analytical, an NHELAP-accredited laboratory that serves private-well users. The laboratory publishes a residential chain-of-custody for private wells. Call before you drive. Confirm current drinking-water fields in the NHELAP search.

  Listing here is not a ranking and not a live certificate. Use NHELAP to confirm drinking-water fields. If coliform or nitrate fails, take the sheet to NHDES or the local health officer.

  Lab website · NHDES: Water Testing Guidance for Private Well Users (April 2026 PDF)

Official NH path, not a Well Diagnosis kit

These numbers are published on NHDES and NH DHHS pages. They are the official public-health path, not a shopping-cart product. Homeowner testing at the Public Health Laboratories is fee-for-service. Hours and fees change. Call before you drive. After the sheet comes back, use the lab-report guide on this site. If coliform or nitrate fails, take the sheet to NHDES or your local health officer.

FAQ

NH well water test for home buyers

NHDES's April 2026 guidance tells home buyers to test before purchasing a home with a private well if the seller has not already provided a recent test. If the house already has treatment, NHDES says the test can be done after treatment to check the treated water. The NH Public Health Laboratories publishes a Home Buyers package on its official Water Testing Guide. Confirm this week's bottles and fee before you order. Use an NHELAP-accredited laboratory.

NH well water test kit

Start with bottles from an NHELAP-accredited laboratory or the NH Public Health Laboratories Water Analysis Laboratory. Those are the official paths. A store strip cannot replace a certified drinking-water result. NH PHL homeowner testing is fee-for-service. Tap Score / SimpleLab is a class example of a mail-in certified-lab kit, not a ranked pick. Bacteria or nitrate still goes to NHDES or your local health officer.

New Hampshire arsenic well water

NHDES says arsenic occurs naturally in New Hampshire rock and soil. The NHDES drinking-water page estimates that 30 percent of bedrock wells have arsenic above the 5 ppb limit that is enforceable in public water systems. USGS SIR 2004-5093 reported that 21 percent of domestic bedrock wells exceeded EPA's 10 µg/L public-system MCL. Those are occurrence numbers, not a result for one kitchen tap. Compare a certified-lab µg/L to those public-system comparison lines. They are not a private-well statute.

Does well water need to be tested?

Yes. EPA's private-well pages and CDC's well-testing guidelines put testing on the owner. NHDES recommends bacteria, nitrate, and nitrite every year, and the rest of the recommended panel every 3 to 5 years. Test also before a home purchase, after floods or well work, and when the water looks, smells, or tastes different. A present coliform or a nitrate at or above 10 mg/L as N goes to NHDES or the local health officer.