About this list
- Agency
- West Virginia Department of Health - Office of Laboratory Services (OLS), Environmental Drinking Water Laboratory Certification Program
- Format
- PDF (~100 pp): one 'Laboratory Certified Parameter List' per certificate - analyte, method and status (Certified / Interim / Not Certified), certificate number, issue and expiration date; chemistry and microbiology certificates in one file
- Homeowner flag
- OLS's list is a set of certificates issued under West Virginia 64CSR 3-13 (public drinking water) and does not say which labs take samples from private well owners. OLS's own pamphlet for household wells tells well owners to call OLS for coliform bacteria and chemistry sampling, so OLS's two certificates (Chemistry, Microbiology) are marked as taking homeowner samples; for every other lab it is not stated.
Certified as ofprinted Thursday, August 20, 2026
WV OLS Environmental Drinking Water Laboratory Certification Program - Laboratory Certified Parameter List. Fetched 2026-11-07 (UTC).
Official sourceTesting your well in West Virginia
How often to test
- West Virginia's Office of Laboratory Services (OLS) advises testing at least once a year for coliform bacteria, nitrate and sodium, best in spring and summer after rainy periods, and again after repairing or replacing parts of the well. As an initial set of tests to check common issues, it lists total coliform, regulated metals, secondary metals and combined nitrate + nitrite. [1]
- The WV Department of Environmental Protection's well fact sheet says to test your water annually for total coliform bacteria, nitrates, pH, total dissolved solids and lead, and to test for fertilizer and pesticide contamination based on surrounding land uses. [2]
Free testing
We found no statewide free testing program in West Virginia. Ask your county health department whether it runs one.
Testing programs and help
- To have your water supply tested for bacteriological safety, complete form SW-253 (Request for Water Analysis) and submit it to your local health department. There is a fee for the sample; your local health department can tell you how much. [3]
- For more information about water testing for private well owners, including West Virginia's certified drinking water labs, OLS says to contact your local health department or the Office of Laboratory Services. [1]
State lab and rules
- Under the Office of Laboratory Services' Drinking Water Laboratory Certification Program, labs certified in West Virginia are inspected every three years and must take part in proficiency testing each year. OLS publishes the list of West Virginia certified drinking water labs. [4]
Show the numbers
| Item | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | 20 counties | |
| Zone 2 | 29 counties | |
| Zone 3 | 6 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
- West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, Office of Laboratory Services, Drinking Water from Household Wells (pamphlet, undated; PDF dated June 2019)
- West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, Monitoring Your Well (fact sheet, undated; PDF created 2006, revised 2017)
- West Virginia Office of Environmental Health Services, Public Health Sanitation Division, Individual Water Supplies
- West Virginia Office of Laboratory Services, Drinking Water Laboratory Certification Program
- U.S. EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county list (EPA 402/A-16/001, spreadsheet Sep 2025)
Loan test (FHA, VA, USDA) in West Virginia
- 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.
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 West Virginia 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. 4 labs on this list are on our register so far; 1 say they take homeowner samples and 0 print a price.
Say they take homeowner samples: Pace Analytical Services, LLC - Morgantown WV.
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 West Virginia 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.
Berkeley County28,982 on wellsJefferson County20,899 on wellsPreston County13,915 on wellsHampshire County12,447 on wellsKanawha County12,430 on wellsMercer County12,356 on wellsMingo County12,014 on wellsGreenbrier County11,969 on wellsPutnam County10,460 on wellsJackson County10,291 on wellsLincoln County9,915 on wellsMorgan County9,726 on wellsWayne County9,259 on wellsBoone County8,975 on wellsRandolph County8,534 on wellsWyoming County8,174 on wellsLogan County8,017 on wellsNicholas County7,345 on wellsFayette County7,199 on wellsMineral County7,027 on wellsHardy County7,023 on wellsWood County7,003 on wellsRoane County6,871 on wellsMonroe County6,861 on wellsUpshur County6,858 on wellsCabell County6,779 on wellsMcDowell County6,089 on wellsBraxton County6,069 on wellsSummers County6,050 on wellsHarrison County6,047 on wellsRaleigh County5,813 on wellsMonongalia County5,733 on wellsMason County5,407 on wellsDoddridge County5,036 on wellsLewis County4,951 on wellsClay County4,909 on wellsPocahontas County4,837 on wellsGilmer County4,736 on wellsRitchie County4,622 on wellsWirt County4,581 on wellsWetzel County4,539 on wellsBarbour County4,143 on wellsPendleton County3,962 on wellsCalhoun County3,907 on wellsMarshall County3,773 on wellsWebster County3,738 on wellsTyler County3,482 on wellsGrant County2,800 on wellsMarion County2,789 on wellsTaylor County2,588 on wellsTucker County2,369 on wellsPleasants County2,149 on wellsHancock County2,087 on wellsBrooke County1,635 on wellsOhio County1,421 on wells