About this list
- Agency
- Vermont Department of Health - Public Health Laboratory
- Format
- PDF table with embedded per-lab scope sheets
- Homeowner flag
- Labs highlighted green accept private samples.
Vermont Department of Health - Laboratories Certified for Drinking Water Analysis. Fetched 2026-11-15 (UTC).
Official sourceTesting your well in Vermont
How often to test
- Bacteria every year. Inorganic chemicals and gross alpha radiation every five years. [1]
Free testing
We found no statewide free testing program in Vermont. Ask your county health department whether it runs one.
Buying or selling a home
- Vermont law (27 V.S.A. § 616) requires the seller of property with a drinking water supply that is not served by a public water system to give the buyer, within 72 hours of signing the sale contract, Department of Health informational materials on the potential health effects of drinking contaminated groundwater and on the availability of Health Department test kits. It applies to contracts signed on or after January 1, 2013. Not complying does not affect the marketability of title; liability is limited to a civil penalty of $25 to $250 per violation. [2]
- The Health Department's Real Estate Transactions page lists this as required by law: if you are selling a home that is not connected to a public water system, you must give the buyer a copy of Well Water Testing: A Home Buyer's Guide. It also recommends testing before putting the home on the market, and notes that some mortgage lenders have their own testing requirements. [3]
- The Vermont Department of Health says you are not required to test your water when you sell your home, but the owner is required to give the potential buyer the Well Water Testing: A Home Buyer's Guide, which describes the benefits of testing drinking water. The Health Department suggests testing your water before putting your home up for sale. [4]
State lab and rules
- New or deepened drilled wells: the state's rules require a set of tests, which the Health Department Lab sells as a New Well or Spring Testing Package. [4]
What testing costs at the state lab
Vermont Department of Health Laboratory (no effective date printed; the Lab's price list page was last updated Oct 30, 2026)
| Test | Price |
|---|---|
| Bacteria (Kit A) | $14 |
| Inorganic chemicals (Kit C) | $100 |
| Gross alpha radiation (Kit RA) | $45 |
| New Well or Spring Testing Package | $151 |
| Nitrate and nitrite (N3N2, homeowners) | $24 |
Prices as published when we checked on 1 Nov 2026. Private certified labs set their own prices.
Show the numbers
| Item | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | 0 counties | |
| Zone 2 | 12 counties | |
| Zone 3 | 2 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.
- Vermont Department of Health, How to test your drinking water
- Vermont Statutes, 27 V.S.A. § 616, Groundwater source testing; disclosure of informational material (added 2011, No. 163 (Adj. Sess.), § 4, eff. Jan. 1, 2013) (read from the Internet Archive capture of March 15, 2026; the live legislature site did not connect)
- Vermont Department of Health, Real Estate Transactions (last updated Nov 3, 2026)
- Vermont Department of Health, New drilled well testing: what you need to know (updated Mar 4, 2026)
- Vermont Department of Health Laboratory, Forms & Ordering Information: water and radon test kit prices (no effective date printed; page last updated Oct 30, 2026)
- U.S. EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county list (EPA 402/A-16/001, spreadsheet Sep 2025)
Loan test (FHA, VA, USDA) in Vermont
- 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:
- 3 labs on the Vermont 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 Vermont 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. 6 labs on this list are on our register so far; 3 say they take homeowner samples and 3 print a price.
| Lab | Bacteria (coliform / E. coli) | Nitrate | Arsenic | Lead | Basic well panel | Home sale / loan package | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Endyne, Inc. Lebanon, NH · You collect it, or lab staff can | Total Coliform/e. coli - $25/$30(count) source | – | – | Lead Test Kit - $50 Includes: First Draw and Flush Lead source | Common Health Risks/Primary Contaminants Package - $185 source | FHA/HUD/VA Package (for Mortgage Lending) - $85 source NH Well Water Test for Home Buyers - $315 source | Some of the more complicated analyses can take up to two weeks to complete. |
| Nelson Analytical Manchester, NH · You collect the sample with the lab's bottles | Total Coliform & E. coli Bacteria $30.00 source | Nitrate $20.00 source | Arsenic $25.00 source | Lead $25.00 source | Standard Test $80.00 source Standard Plus Arsenic Test $100.00 source | FHA/VA/RD Minimum Requirements Test $75.00 source FHA Plus Test $110.00 source | Nelson Analytical Lab will usually process your water sample in approximately 1 to 3 days. |
| Seacoast Analytical Services Lee, NH · You collect the sample with the lab's bottles | Total Coliform & E.coli Bacteria Present/Absent $45.00 source Total Coliform & E.coli Bacteria MPN Count $65.00 source | – | Total Arsenic $45.00 source | – | – | Loan Water Test $115.00 source | 3 Days Or Less Turn Around |
Say they take homeowner samples: Endyne, Inc., Nelson Analytical, Seacoast Analytical Services.
Prices exactly as each lab prints them, read 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 Vermont 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.