Florida's water well contractor exam is a written, comprehensive, standardized statewide test of three things: your knowledge of applicable rules, your ability to construct, repair and abandon wells, and your ability to run the contracting business. Before a District schedules you, you must document age 18 or older, knowledge of the well rules, two years of well experience with three qualifying letters and a ten-well list of which at least seven were constructed by you, and 12 approved coursework hours split with at least six on drilling technology or rules. A grade of 70% or more passes; you get three attempts within 12 months of becoming eligible; and a license issued by any District is valid statewide.
What the exam covers and how it runs
It is a written, comprehensive, standardized statewide examination of rules knowledge, well construction ability and business management, with a passing grade of 70% and monthly scheduling by your Water Management District.
Florida licenses water well contractors under Chapter 62-531 of the Florida Administrative Code, alongside Chapter 62-532, which governs well permitting and construction. The exam itself is prepared by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in consultation with the Water Management Districts and industry representatives, so the questions are standardized across the state rather than varying by region.
The rule describes the format precisely: the examinations are written and comprehensive, though a District can administer the exam orally if you request it. Exams are given monthly, on a schedule each District sets, and you take the exam in the District where you live or have your principal place of business. Out-of-state applicants test in the District where most of their business will take place.
Scoring is straightforward. Seventy percent or more is a passing grade, and results are reported only as pass or fail. After grading, you are entitled to review your exam in the District office under staff supervision, but the exams themselves are not released to applicants or the public.
Sources checked: Water Well Construction Rules, Forms, and Reference Documents | Florida Department of Environmental Protection — DEP water well construction program page; Florida adopted rule 62-531.350, Water Well Contractor Examinations — Rule 62-531.350, F.A.C.
Eligibility you must document before scheduling
You apply to a Water Management District with proof of age, rules knowledge, two years of experience, 12 approved coursework hours, and a nonrefundable fee; the District schedules your exam only after reviewing the complete application.
Applications go to the Water Management District on District-provided forms, delivered by mail, hand delivery or electronic transmittal, with a nonrefundable application fee set by rule. The District will not schedule your exam until it has reviewed the application and confirmed you meet every other licensing condition in the chapter.
A license is issued only after you pass the exam, and once issued it is valid in every Water Management District in Florida. That means your choice of District matters for scheduling and review, but not for where you can later work.
If any application information changes between applying and licensure, including your address or principal place of business, you must update the application within 30 days of the change, or upon receiving the license, whichever comes first.
- At least 18 years of age
- Knowledge of the Department and District rules that regulate water wells
- At least two years of experience in constructing, repairing or abandoning wells
- At least 12 approved coursework hours earned in the two-year period directly preceding July 31 of the biennial renewal cycle
- Certificates of completion for the approved coursework, or Department or Administrator confirmation in lieu of certificates
- A request for the contractor examination itself, included with the application
Sources checked: Florida adopted rule 62-531.300, Application Requirements for Water Well Contractors — Rule 62-531.300, F.A.C.
How to prove two years of well experience
You need two kinds of documents: attestation letters from three qualifying industry persons, and a list of ten wells from the preceding five years of which at least seven were constructed by you.
The letters attest to how long you have worked in well construction, repair or abandonment as a major activity. Each must come from one of four qualifying signer types: a water well contractor, a water well driller, a water well parts and equipment vendor, or a water well inspector employed by a governmental agency.
Check the well list separately from the reference letters. You list at least ten wells you constructed, repaired or abandoned within the preceding five years, and at least seven of them must have been constructed by you, as Florida defines construction. For every well on the list you need the owner's name and address, the location, primary use, approximate depth and diameter, and the approximate completion date.
Run the check below on your own list before you submit it. Repaired and abandoned wells count toward the total of ten, but they do not count toward the seven constructed wells.
Practice check
Amara applies through her Water Management District. She submits three letters attesting to two years of well work as a major activity, from a licensed water well contractor, a water well driller, and a water well parts and equipment vendor. Her well list covers the preceding five years and names ten wells: six she constructed, three she repaired, and one she abandoned. Every entry includes the owner's name and address, location, primary use, approximate depth and diameter, and approximate completion date. Does her documentation satisfy the experience requirement?
Show answer
No. Her letters and list format are fine, but only six of her ten wells were constructed by her, and the rule requires at least seven.
Check each element against the rule. Three letters from qualifying signer types: satisfied. Ten wells within the preceding five years, each with the required owner, location, use, depth, diameter and date details: satisfied. Constructed count: failed, because at least seven of the ten wells must have been constructed by the applicant. Repairs and abandonment jobs fill the list but not the constructed minimum. Amara should replace three repaired or abandoned entries with wells she constructed before submitting.
Sources checked: Florida adopted rule 62-531.300, Application Requirements for Water Well Contractors — Rule 62-531.300, F.A.C.
Approved coursework hours and the six-hour split
You need 12 approved coursework hours earned in the required two-year window, with at least six on drilling technology or Florida well rules and no more than six on safety, business management or accounting.
Approved coursework and continuing education credits are governed by the Water Well Contractor Continuing Education Program Manual, effective August 2019, which the rule adopts by reference. The Department publishes the manual and its attendance and completion forms on its website.
The distribution matters as much as the total. At least six of your twelve hours must relate to water well drilling technologies, methodologies and practices, or to Florida's water well licensing, permitting and construction statutes and rules. No more than six hours may relate to industry health and safety, business management, or accounting practices.
One more wrinkle: completed coursework hours can be converted one time, either to continuing education credits for licensing or toward license point reduction, but never both. Plan which use you want before you claim them.
Practice check
A candidate completes 12 hours of approved coursework within the required two-year window: 4 hours on drilling technologies and 8 hours on business accounting. Assuming every course is approved, does this split satisfy the coursework requirement for licensure?
Show answer
No. The 4 technical hours fall short of the six-hour minimum, and the 8 accounting hours exceed the six-hour maximum.
The rule sets two independent constraints on the 12 hours. The minimum requires at least six hours on drilling technologies, methodologies and practices or on Florida's well licensing, permitting and construction statutes and rules; 4 hours fails it. The maximum caps health and safety, business management and accounting content at six hours; 8 hours breaks it. A 6-and-6 split, with six technical or rules hours and six business or accounting hours, would satisfy both limits.
Sources checked: Florida adopted rule 62-531.300, Application Requirements for Water Well Contractors — Rule 62-531.300, F.A.C.
Retakes, results and statewide licensure
You get three chances to pass within 12 months of becoming eligible; after that you file a new application and fee, and a passed exam leads to a license valid in every Florida District.
The 12-month clock and the three attempts start when you become eligible, not when you first sit down for the exam. If you have not passed after three opportunities within that window, you must submit a new application and a new fee to the District.
Results are reported as pass or fail. After you pass and satisfy the licensing conditions, the District issues a licence valid in every Florida Water Management District.
Sources checked: Florida adopted rule 62-531.350, Water Well Contractor Examinations — Rule 62-531.350, F.A.C.; Florida adopted rule 62-531.300, Application Requirements for Water Well Contractors — Rule 62-531.300, F.A.C.
Application mistakes that cost candidates time
The avoidable delays come from miscounted wells, mis-split coursework, and requesting an exam date before the application is complete.
Each of these follows directly from a rule requirement, so a careful pre-submission review catches all of them.
- Counting repaired or abandoned wells toward the seven-constructed minimum on the ten-well list
- Listing wells from more than five years back, or omitting owner, location, use, depth, diameter or completion-date details
- Using attestation letters from people outside the four qualifying signer types
- Splitting the 12 coursework hours with fewer than six technical or rules hours, or more than six safety, business or accounting hours
- Omitting the exam request, the fee, or the coursework completion certificates from the application packet
- Failing to report an address or business-location change within 30 days during the application period
Sources checked: Florida adopted rule 62-531.300, Application Requirements for Water Well Contractors — Rule 62-531.300, F.A.C.
Building a study plan from the tested areas
Study in three tracks that mirror the rule's stated exam purpose: Florida's well rules, construction and repair practice, and contracting business management, anchored to the current rule texts on DEP's rules page.
The examination rule defines its own scope: it is designed to determine your knowledge of applicable rules, your ability to construct, repair and abandon a well, and your ability to supervise, direct, manage and control the contracting activities of the business. Build your plan around those three abilities rather than around a generic drilling curriculum.
The rule text does not publish item counts, exam duration or weighted topic areas, so treat any third-party breakdown of question totals with caution and confirm current exam structure with your District. What you can rely on is the rule framework itself: Chapter 62-531 for licensing and Chapter 62-532 for permitting and construction requirements, both available through the Department's water well construction rules page.
As a study plan, use the current rule chapters to identify the requirements you need to learn, and use the District’s approved course and reference guidance for construction and business topics. The examination rule does not supply a detailed weighted technical syllabus.
Sources checked: Water Well Construction Rules, Forms, and Reference Documents | Florida Department of Environmental Protection — DEP water well construction program page; Florida adopted rule 62-531.350, Water Well Contractor Examinations — Rule 62-531.350, F.A.C.
Your next steps
Confirm your paperwork against the two checks in this guide, complete the coursework split, apply to your District, and study the current rule texts before your monthly exam date.
Use this checklist to review the requirements described here, then check your District’s current application instructions for the complete submission requirements.
- Audit your ten-well list: at least ten wells in five years, at least seven constructed by you, full details on each
- Collect three attestation letters from qualifying signer types
- Complete or verify 12 approved coursework hours with at least six technical or rules hours and at most six safety, business or accounting hours
- Download the current Chapter 62-531 and 62-532 rule texts from the Department's water well construction rules page and use them to structure the rules portion of your study
- Submit the application form, fee, certificates and exam request to your Water Management District
- Schedule your exam for one of the District's monthly dates and remember you have three attempts within 12 months of eligibility
Sources checked: Water Well Construction Rules, Forms, and Reference Documents | Florida Department of Environmental Protection — DEP water well construction program page; Florida adopted rule 62-531.350, Water Well Contractor Examinations — Rule 62-531.350, F.A.C.; Florida adopted rule 62-531.300, Application Requirements for Water Well Contractors — Rule 62-531.300, F.A.C.
Sources checked
Facts checked against the current adopted rules 62-531.300 and 62-531.350, F.A.C.: