Texas Water Sources briefing
Blanco County well fees: what changes November 1, and who may qualify for a waiver
The adopted fee schedule adds export rows and changes water-screening panels. An older well is not automatically subject to a new registration charge, and a separate permit-fee waiver has an April 2027 completeness deadline.
Published . Sources checked (Central time).
Each status describes the cited record at that source check. Dates in the sources may have passed since publication; check the district for subsequent action.
Blanco County
Will I owe a new fee for my existing well, and what will testing or a permit application cost?
- Who it matters to
- Blanco-Pedernales Groundwater Conservation District well owners, permit applicants, groundwater exporters and residents choosing water-quality screening.
- What changed
- The board adopted a revised FY 2026–2027 fee schedule October 15, effective November 1, 2026. It adds separate export-permit and exported-volume rows and replaces the earlier screening menu with combined panels. The schedule alone does not impose a new registration fee on every existing well.
- Status at source check
- Adopted October 15; the revised schedule takes effect November 1, 2026. A separate signed June 23 resolution establishes a conditional operating-permit application fee waiver for qualifying older nonexempt wells.
- Next date or action to check
- Check the well’s drilling date, registration and permit status with the district before paying or filing. For a qualifying older nonexempt well, seek administrative completeness by April 16, 2027. Before taking a water sample, confirm the panel, collection instructions and applicable fee; ask which schedule governs an application already pending on November 1.
Export and application fees
The revised schedule lists a $3,000 export-permit application fee and a separate $0.206 per 1,000 gallons exported, assessed monthly on actual exported volume. These are new rows in this schedule; this comparison does not establish that all export charging begins for the first time on November 1.
The $500 registration row and $3,000 nonexempt well-permit row apply to wells drilled after February 11, 2002. The $3,000 permit-amendment application fee applies only to amendments requesting increased authorized annual production. These amounts were also in the prior schedule.
Choose the screening panel before collecting a sample
The revised well-water menu lists coliform/E. coli-only screening at $30 in-county or $60 out-of-county. The combined well-water panel costs $50 or $100 respectively and includes bacteria, salinity and the listed chemistry measurements: pH, alkalinity, hardness, copper, nitrate, nitrite, iron measures and total dissolved solids.
The revised treated-water panel costs $50 in-county or $100 out-of-county. Its listed measurements include pH, alkalinity, copper, total iron, chlorine measures, hardness, total dissolved solids and coliform/E. coli.
The prior schedule offered separate chemistry and salinity tests and an all-three well-water package at $60 in-county or $100 out-of-county. Its treated-water panel listed different measurements, so the treated-water prices are not a like-for-like comparison. Screening is not a guarantee of water safety or a substitute for advice about a specific result.
Existing-well registration and the permit-fee waiver are separate
District Rules 3.2 and 3.3 distinguish wells drilled on or before February 11, 2002 from wells drilled afterward. Registration for the older group is without charge; a new well must be registered before drilling and is subject to the applicable registration fee.
Signed Resolution No. 20260623-2 separately waives the operating-permit application fee for a nonexempt well drilled on or before February 11, 2002 if its application is administratively complete on or before April 16, 2027. Submission alone is insufficient: the resolution requires the necessary documentation and preliminary review requirements to be satisfied.
The waiver does not waive fees for new wells drilled after February 11, 2002, and it is not permanent. The resolution says an older well application not administratively complete by close of business April 16, 2027 is subject to the standard operating-permit application fee.
Date stated in the source: October 15, 2026 adoption; November 1, 2026 effective date; April 16, 2027 waiver deadline.
Primary evidence
- Revised FY 2026–2027 fee schedule — PDF pages 1–2: fees, screening panels, adoption and effective date
- Prior FY 2026–2027 fee schedule — PDF pages 1–2: comparison rows and earlier screening menu
- District rules: well registration — Rules 3.2 and 3.3
- Signed operating-permit application fee-waiver resolution — Resolution No. 20260623-2, sections 1–3 and 5, PDF pages 1–3
What remains unknown
- The revised schedule does not explain which fee applies to an application pending across November 1. Confirm the transition with district staff.
- These sources do not establish an individual well’s drilling date, exemption, permit status or eligibility for the waiver. They do not establish that a particular screening panel is sufficient for a specific household.