Well depths in Adams County, Idaho
1,930 wells are on record with the state in Adams County.Reported depths run from 18 to 813 feet, with a median of 201 feet.
Median depth
201 ft
18–813 ft across 1,417 records
Median depth to water
60 ft
1–591 ft across 1,733 records
Median yield
20 gpm
1–1,250 gpm across 1,581 records
What a well costs in Adams County
A median-depth well, borehole only
$7,000–$12,000estimate
But depth is what drives the bill, and it varies. Across the range local wells actually hit — 85 to 425 ft — drilling runs $3,000–$25,500. That spread is the risk you are carrying when you make an offer, and it is why one quote is not enough.
- How this was worked out
- Median depth of 201 ft from 1,417 nearby well records, multiplied by a published statewide rate of $35-$60 per foot. Borehole only.
- Not included
- casing, pump and pressure tank, electrical and trenching, permits and site work
Rate from Well and Septic Cost in Rural Idaho (2026) (swagerbuilds.com, retrieved 2026-09-29). A published statewide figure, not a quote from this county — treat it as a starting point for a conversation with a licensed driller, not a price.
A county median will not tell you about your parcel
Groundwater changes over a few hundred feet. The useful number is what the wells nearest your parcel actually did — check the exact spot instead.
Check a Adams County locationFree. No account.
What these numbers are based on
Idaho drillers must file a report for every well they complete, and the Idaho Department of Water Resources publishes them. The figures above come from 1,930Adams County records retrieved on 2026-09-29.
Only 1,417 of those 1,930 records report a total depth, so the median is drawn from those. We do not fill the gaps.
Adams County sits 19 of 44 Idaho counties by median well depth — deeper than the middle county, whose median is 188.5 ft. That comparison is a rough orientation, not a prediction: a single county can contain both 40 ft and 600 ft wells.
Records here span 1956 to 2026. Coverage is most complete from July 1987 onward; earlier wells are patchy and some were never reported at all.
How accurately are these wells located?
About 76% of located wells in Adams County were placed from a section description — a 40-acre block or larger — rather than surveyed. For those, the true well could be several hundred feet from where the record puts it. That matters when you are asking what the nearest well did, and it is why our lookup labels every well with how it was located.
Who to talk to in Adams County
Septic systems here are permitted by Southwest District Health (208-455-5300), not by the county. They decide what site evaluation a parcel needs. For water, get written per-foot quotes from at least two licensed Idaho drillers — the depth range above is why a single quote is not enough.
We do not yet publish verified local cost ranges for Adams County. We would rather show nothing than pass off a national average as a local figure.
Before you buy
- Look up the specific parcel, not the county.
- Get two or more written per-foot drilling quotes.
- Ask Southwest District Health what septic evaluation is required.
- Have a title company confirm water rights and easements.
- Have boundaries and acreage confirmed by a licensed surveyor.