Billings Public Utilities Department

Looks like a utility or municipal lab

Judging by the name only (this is our label, not the state's). Labs like this usually test their own system. The state list does not say whether it takes samples from the public, so ask before you send one.

At a glance

What it is certified to test

1 of the 9 common well tests on the MT list (see which)

Price

not published on the state list: ask the lab for a quote

Turnaround

not stated on the state list or the lab’s website: ask when you order

Homeowner samples

not stated: ask the lab

Lab facts

Listed by

Montana (Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) - Laboratory Services, Water Laboratory Certification Program)

Address

2251 Belknap, Billings, MT 59101 · Open in Google Maps

Phone

(406) 657-8346

Certificate

The Montana DPHHS Water Laboratory Certification Program - Certified Laboratories (version page as fetched 2026-11-15 (no date printed)) prints no certificate ID or expiry date for this lab.

Public / homeowner samples

Public samples: ask the lab

Not stated in the list.

Left blank on the list

The Montana list (version page as fetched 2026-11-15 (no date printed)) gives no website for this lab.

Tests on the state list

• Named on the official list The state list names this analyte (or a column for it) for this lab.
• Group-level certification Certified for a parent group (e.g. 'Inorganics') that includes this analyte. Confirm the specific test with the lab.
• Partial group certification The list marks the group as 'Partial'. Confirm this analyte with the lab.
• Subcontracted The lab sends this analyte to another accredited lab (MDH 'X*').

DPHHS lists this lab under: Chemistry - Inorganic only (Montana Laboratories); Microbiology (Montana Laboratories). The page names no analytes, certificate number or expiry date. Microbiology: the program page says DPHHS certifies labs that analyze Montana's public drinking water supplies for "chemical and microbiological contaminants" under the Safe Drinking Water Act, where the microbiological drinking-water tests are total coliform / E. coli; the page names no organism or method, so bacteria is shown as a certified group, not a named test. Ask the lab which coliform test it runs. "Chemistry - Inorganic only" names no analyte, so no nitrate or metals certification is shown. Ask the lab. DPHHS also prints the name "City of Billings Public Works- Water Quality".

Nearest labs that take homeowner samples

1 other certified lab that takes homeowner samples is within 25 miles of this lab. Distances are straight-line from the address on the state list (approx. = ZIP-code centre). “Takes homeowner samples” comes from a state list column or the lab’s own website, as named.

Price and turnaround as printed on each lab’s own website and checked by a second reader; – = not published or not read yet.

Around this lab: Yellowstone County, MT

• Private wells: about 12,405 people, 8% of Yellowstone County’s 157,048 residents (USGS, 2015); rank 7 of 56 counties in Montana by people on wells.

• EPA radon zone (indoor air): Zone 2: moderate potential (average indoor radon may be between 2 and 4 pCi/L). EPA says the zone map should not decide whether one home needs testing.
• Arsenic above 10 µg/L (USGS model): about 654 private-well users (95% range 544 to 789; 2010 base), rank 7 of 56 in the state. A screening estimate, not a measurement of any well.
• Older homes (Census ACS 2020–2024): 48% of 74,239 housing units were built before 1980, about the same as the state share of 49%. Homes built before 1986 are more likely to have lead solder or fittings, so test tap water for lead there.
• PFAS in public water nearby (public supply, not your well): 7 public systems serving this county reported EPA UCMR 5 results; 0 had a PFOA or PFOS sample at or above 4.0 ng/L.

County figures describe where the lab is, not the lab. Sources: USGS 2015 water use and 2017 arsenic estimates, EPA radon zones, Census ACS table B25034 (2020–2024), EPA UCMR 5 (2023–2026); details and links on the sources page.

Before you send a sample

Call the lab to confirm it's currently certified for the exact test and method, that it accepts samples from homeowners, and how to collect and ship them. Bacteria samples have short holding times. Status can change between list updates. To check a status, contact the Montana certification program.

Is this your lab?

Labs can ask for corrections through the agency that publishes their state list. Homeowner service, prices and turnaround above come only from the lab’s own website. To ask us to correct or remove this listing, write to us (how we handle listings).