How deep are wells in Butte County, Idaho?

Across 1,012 Butte County well records, most wells run 60 to 365 feet deep, with a median of 140 feet. Depth varies sharply over short distances, so nearby records matter more than a county average.

How far down is water in Butte County?

In Butte County, most reported static water levels sit between 16 and 191 feet below the surface, with a median of 59 feet, across 1,300 records that report one.

How much does it cost to drill a well in Butte County, Idaho?

A median-depth well in Butte County is about 140 ft, which at published Idaho rates of $35-$60 per foot works out to roughly $4,900 to $8,400 for the borehole. Because local wells run from 60 to 365 ft, the realistic spread is $2,100 to $22,000. That excludes casing, pump, pressure tank and electrical. It is an estimate from public records, not a quote - get written per-foot quotes from licensed Idaho drillers.

Who approves septic systems in Butte County, Idaho?

Southeastern Idaho Public Health permits septic systems in Butte County. They can be reached on 208-233-9080.

Well depths in Butte County, Idaho

1,500 wells are on record with the state in Butte County.Reported depths run from 18 to 1,340 feet, with a median of 140 feet.

Median depth

140 ft

18–1,340 ft across 1,012 records

Median depth to water

59 ft

3–1,040 ft across 1,300 records

Median yield

40 gpm

2–20,000 gpm across 720 records

What a well costs in Butte County

A median-depth well, borehole only

$4,900–$8,400estimate

But depth is what drives the bill, and it varies. Across the range local wells actually hit — 60 to 365 ft — drilling runs $2,100–$22,000. 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 140 ft from 1,012 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 Butte County location

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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 1,500Butte County records retrieved on 2026-09-29.

Only 1,012 of those 1,500 records report a total depth, so the median is drawn from those. We do not fill the gaps.

Butte County sits 31 of 44 Idaho counties by median well depth — shallower 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 1949 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 75% of located wells in Butte 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 Butte County

Septic systems here are permitted by Southeastern Idaho Public Health (208-233-9080), 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 Butte 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 Southeastern Idaho Public Health what septic evaluation is required.
Have a title company confirm water rights and easements.
Have boundaries and acreage confirmed by a licensed surveyor.

Keep reading

Nearby counties

This is a screening tool, not an inspection

Everything shown here comes from public records about other properties near the point you selected. Nearby records describe those wells, not this parcel.

These records cannot tell you whether a well drilled on this parcel would find water, at what depth, or at what yield, and they say nothing about whether the parcel can be permitted or built on.

Records are incomplete. Idaho Department of Water Resources well logs are mostly from July 1987 onward, and older wells may be missing, unreported or inaccurately located.

Use this to decide what questions to ask and what to budget for investigating. Confirm anything you intend to rely on with the people listed below before you buy.

Who can actually answer these questions

Licensed Idaho well driller — What depth and yield to realistically expect, and what drilling this site would cost
Central District Health or Southwest District Health — Whether a septic system can be permitted, and what site evaluation is required
Title company — Water rights, easements, liens and what actually conveys with the parcel
Licensed land surveyor — Actual boundaries and acreage
County planning and zoning — Permitted uses, setbacks and whether the parcel is legally buildable