About this list
- Agency
- Pennsylvania DEP - Laboratory Accreditation Program
- Format
- PDF bulk reports, analyte-level (June 2024: STALE)
- Homeowner flag
- Not stated in the report.
Old list. This list is from PA DEP's bulk drinking-water reports printed June 11, 2024 (chemistry and microbiology; the microbiology file is named 06-13-2024). PA DEP's own private-well water-testing page still links these two June 2024 reports (checked Nov 14, 2026); its live lab search did not respond to us on Oct 29 or Nov 14, 2026. Labs may have been added, dropped or changed since then.
Old list · certified as ofSTALE - report dated 6/11/2024
PA DEP Accredited Labs Report - Drinking Water (chemistry + microbiology). Fetched 2026-10-29 (UTC).
Official sourceTesting your well in Pennsylvania
How often to test
We have not found a Pennsylvania recommendation yet. EPA's advice applies: test every year for coliform bacteria, nitrate, total dissolved solids and pH.
Free testing
We found no statewide free testing program in Pennsylvania. Ask your county health department whether it runs one.
Testing programs and help
- Penn State Extension runs a private water supply education program; it says over 200 private wells were tested in the 2025 program year through its webinars and workshops. Test kits are available through county Extension offices or Penn State's Agricultural Analytical Services Lab. [1]
- Penn State's lab sells its drinking water test kits through many county Extension offices. You collect the sample yourself and send the kit to the lab by overnight mail with payment. Bacteria samples must reach the lab within 30 hours of sampling, and the lab cannot accept bacteria samples on a Friday. It says tests are generally complete within 10 to 14 business days after the lab receives the sample. [2]
Buying or selling a home
- Penn State Extension says that in Pennsylvania there are no state regulations that require private well owners to maintain their well or test their drinking water. It says it is also important to test the water in a home with a private well before purchase. [3]
What testing costs at the state lab
Penn State Agricultural Analytical Services Laboratory (a university lab accredited by PA DEP for drinking water analysis; no effective date printed)
| Test | Price |
|---|---|
| Standard (WD01): total coliform, E. coli, pH, total dissolved solids | $60 |
| Agriculture / Septic (WD04): Standard plus nitrate-nitrogen | $70 |
| Aesthetics / Corrosivity (WD02): Standard plus hardness, alkalinity, corrosivity index, copper, iron, manganese | $85 |
| Aesthetics / Corrosivity plus lead (WD03) | $125 |
| Trace (WD07): Standard plus arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, nickel, zinc | $130 |
| Extensive (WD08) | $220 |
| Bacteria (total coliform and E. coli), single test | $40 |
| Nitrate nitrogen, single test | $15 |
| Arsenic, single test | $30 |
| Lead, single test | $25 |
Prices as published when we checked on 14 Nov 2026. Private certified labs set their own prices.
Show the numbers
| Item | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | 49 counties | |
| Zone 2 | 17 counties | |
| Zone 3 | 1 counties |
Radon in indoor air, not in water. EPA: Zone 1 = highest potential (average indoor radon may be above 4 pCi/L); Zone 2 = 2 to 4; Zone 3 = below 2. EPA says the map should not be used to decide whether an individual home needs testing. Source: U.S. EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county list (EPA 402/A-16/001, spreadsheet Sep 2025), accessed 2026-11-01.
Sources
- Penn State Extension, Private water supply education and water testing
- Penn State Agricultural Analytical Services Laboratory, Drinking Water Testing: test packages and individual analyses service fees (no effective date printed)
- Penn State Extension, Best Management Practices for Private Water Wells (updated May 13, 2022)
- U.S. EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county list (EPA 402/A-16/001, spreadsheet Sep 2025)
Loan test (FHA, VA, USDA) in Pennsylvania
- VA. Test results are valid for 90 days from the date the local health authority certifies them, unless the local authority says otherwise. VA’s chapter names no list of contaminants: the water must meet the local health authority’s requirements, or EPA guidelines where it has none. Your lender may ask for specific tests.
- FHA. A well test is required in the situations FHA’s handbook lists, among others, and the report may not be more than 180 days old at disbursement.
- USDA. Guaranteed loans need a water quality test for a private well, done by the local health authority or a state-certified lab, and no more than 180 days old at closing.
Here:
- 2 labs on the Pennsylvania list print a loan or home-sale package price on their own site: see the price table.
Lenders can ask for more (extra tests, a particular lab, who takes the sample): ask your lender before you book. Federal rules as read on Nov 3, 2026 source 1 source 2 source 3. Full comparison: VA, FHA and USDA well water test requirements. Loan test kits sold by mail, with price and days to results: kits compared.
What Pennsylvania labs say on their own websites
State lists say what a lab is certified for, not whether it takes your sample or what it costs. We read each lab’s own site; a second reader re-checked every fact below. 42 labs on this list are on our register so far; 19 say they take homeowner samples and 6 print a price.
| Lab | Bacteria (coliform / E. coli) | Nitrate | Arsenic | Lead | Basic well panel | Home sale / loan package | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABE Laboratories LLC Bath, PA · You collect the sample with the lab's bottles | Total Coliform/E. coli $64 source | Nitrate $43 source | Arsenic $59 source | First Draw (FD) Lead $59 source | EPA Annual Water Quality Bundle $125 source ABE Safe Water Signature Bundle $224 source | FHA/VA Bundle $174 source | After we receive your sample, testing typically takes 3–7 business days. |
| Agricultural Analytical Services Laboratory University Park, PA · You collect the sample with the lab's bottles | Bacteria (Total Coliform and E. Coli) $40.00 source | Nitrate Nitrogen $15.00 source | Arsenic $30.00 source | Lead $25.00 source | WD01 Standard ... $60.00 source WD04 Agriculture / Septic ... $70.00 source | – | In general, tests are complete within 10-14 business days after sample receipt by the laboratory. |
| Analytical Laboratories, Inc Telford, PA · You collect the sample with the lab's bottles | Bacteria (Coliform) $ 50 3 source | – | Arsenic $ 40 14 source | Lead $ 40 14 source | RLT (Coliform Bacteria, pH, nitrate, hardness) $ 90 7 source DW1 (Coliform Bacteria, pH, nitrate, hardness, iron, manganese) $ 145 14 source | – | Turnaround Time (business days): Bacteria (Coliform) 3; DW1 14; RLT 7 |
| Cattaraugus County Department of Health Laboratory Olean, NY · Lab staff collect the sample | $30* Microbiological Test (coliform bacteria, E. Coli) source | $32* Nitrate Test (NO3) source | – | – | – | $210* Private Well Tests to Satisfy HUD Requirements source | – |
| Criterion Laboratories Inc Bensalem, PA · You collect it, or lab staff can | Coliform & E. Coli $ 55.00 source | – | – | – | Well Water $ 220.00 source Standard Drinking Water $ 200.00 source | – | – |
| LEAP Testing Service Sayre, PA · You collect the sample with the lab's bottles | qualitative test (Presence/Absence; $35) or quantitative test (Most Probable Number; $40) source | – | – | – | – | – | Coliform or Nitrate testing: typically takes 2-3 business days. Metals and other subcontracted tests: typically 10 business days. |
Say they take homeowner samples: A E Kirby Memorial Health Center, ABE Laboratories LLC, Agricultural Analytical Services Laboratory, CWM Environmental, CWM Environmental - Pottsville, Cattaraugus County Department of Health Laboratory, Criterion Laboratories Inc, Garden State Laboratories Inc, LEAP Testing Service, Laboratory, Analytical and Biological Services, Inc, M. J. Reider Associates Inc, Pace Analytical Services LLC - Greensburg PA, Pace Analytical Services LLC - Williamsport, PA, Pace Analytical Services, LLC - Altoona, PA, Pace Analytical Services, LLC - Dubois, Pace Analytical Services, LLC - Erie, PA, Pace Analytical Services, LLC - Wysox, Teaco Laboratories Inc, White Oak Laboratory LLC.
Prices exactly as each lab prints them, read 14 Nov 2026 to 15 Nov 2026; re-checked every 90 days. Labs not shown have not been read yet or print nothing for homeowners. Confirm price and turnaround with the lab.
Labs by contaminant
Labs on the Pennsylvania list for one test, with homeowner-accepting labs first.
Well water by county
Private-well population (USGS, 2015), arsenic estimate, radon zone and nearby labs for each county with at least 1,000 people on private wells, largest first.
Lancaster County237,606 on wellsChester County211,418 on wellsYork County163,853 on wellsMontgomery County163,088 on wellsAllegheny County158,496 on wellsBerks County152,926 on wellsBucks County133,620 on wellsDelaware County103,562 on wellsMonroe County99,435 on wellsNorthampton County95,981 on wellsLuzerne County92,800 on wellsErie County84,384 on wellsCumberland County75,425 on wellsDauphin County74,878 on wellsButler County71,770 on wellsWestmoreland County70,476 on wellsWashington County65,412 on wellsLehigh County61,285 on wellsLackawanna County60,024 on wellsCrawford County59,185 on wellsLebanon County57,407 on wellsAdams County54,283 on wellsMercer County53,453 on wellsFranklin County52,824 on wellsSchuylkill County46,004 on wellsLycoming County43,215 on wellsCentre County42,012 on wellsNorthumberland County41,941 on wellsIndiana County41,578 on wellsBradford County39,231 on wellsBlair County39,117 on wellsLawrence County37,977 on wellsColumbia County34,257 on wellsPerry County32,839 on wellsBedford County31,705 on wellsBeaver County31,618 on wellsSusquehanna County31,518 on wellsSomerset County30,956 on wellsUnion County30,870 on wellsWayne County29,960 on wellsCarbon County27,611 on wellsTioga County26,795 on wellsHuntingdon County25,421 on wellsSnyder County24,269 on wellsClearfield County22,480 on wellsArmstrong County22,294 on wellsClarion County22,073 on wellsJefferson County21,350 on wellsWarren County20,880 on wellsVenango County20,113 on wellsWyoming County19,981 on wellsPike County18,917 on wellsMifflin County18,509 on wellsJuniata County17,763 on wellsFayette County16,793 on wellsMcKean County15,961 on wellsCambria County15,484 on wellsClinton County14,941 on wellsFulton County12,176 on wellsGreene County11,510 on wellsMontour County10,259 on wellsPotter County9,911 on wellsForest County5,813 on wellsSullivan County5,010 on wellsElk County4,392 on wellsCameron County1,666 on wells