Source: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts for Buncombe County, North Carolina.
Quick answer: in Buncombe County, replacing or repairing a well pump or pressure tank does not need a county permit, but a new well or a repair that opens the well seal for other reasons goes through Buncombe County Environmental Health in Asheville. If your well flooded during Hurricane Helene, disinfect and test it before you drink the water.
Wells and water in Buncombe County
A home on a public water main does not need a well. A home beyond the reach of one depends on its own, usually a drilled well in fractured rock. Buncombe County Environmental Health says it permits and inspects septic systems and private drinking water wells, and that roughly half of the county's population uses septic tank systems for sewage. That puts a lot of wells, septic tanks, and drainfields close together, which is why the county ties the two permits together: an application for a well permit has to accompany every septic permit application, except where municipal, community, or shared water is available.
If you are unsure whether your property has a well, the county runs an online Septic, Well, and Well Water Testing portal where you can search well and septic records. A permit record for your parcel can show the date of drilling and who drilled it. A pump contractor often finds that useful.
Permits and records in Buncombe County
- Who permits wells. Buncombe County Environmental Health, in the Permitting Center at 35 Woodfin Street, Asheville. The county page lists weekday hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- What an application needs. The parcel identification number (PIN) and a plat of the property.
- When you do not need a repair permit. State law says no repair permit is required when the work involves only repairing or replacing a pump or tank, or maintenance that does not break or open the well seal.
- When you do. Constructing a well, repairing a well beyond the pump or tank, and abandoning a well all require a permit from the local health department.
What Helene did to Buncombe County
The National Hurricane Center's report on Hurricane Helene records several Buncombe County extremes. A rain gauge 6 miles southeast of Black Mountain measured 21.07 inches of rain. The Swannanoa River at Biltmore reached 27.33 feet, far above its 1916 record of 20.7 feet. The French Broad River at Asheville reached 24.8 feet, above the 23.1 foot record from 1916, and the Ivy River near Barnardsville broke its record by 8.7 feet.
For well owners, that means flooded wellheads, buried utility rooms, washed-out driveways, and power lost for days. NASA-funded researchers estimated about 19,600 private wells were flooded across Western North Carolina, and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services estimated that more than 300,000 people in or near flood-impacted areas rely on private wells. Buncombe County Environmental Health was among the local health departments the state listed for free well disinfection and sample collection kits in October 2024.
If your well sat in floodwater, keep the pump's power off until the water recedes, then have it checked, disinfected, and tested. See no water from well.
Mountain geology and what it does to pump jobs
Buncombe County wells are drilled into fractured crystalline rock. The USGS says water moves through cracks in that rock, so wells are most productive in valleys and draws, where fractures are more numerous, and the same USGS study found valley wells average about three times the yield of wells on ridges. A statewide cost guide says mountain wells in Buncombe, Watauga, and Avery counties can reach 400 feet or more, and that drilling alone in the Asheville metro runs $3,000 to $10,000, with another $2,500 to $5,000 for the pump, tank, and connections.
For a pump replacement, depth is the key number. Published guides say each additional 100 feet of depth adds roughly $500 to $1,000 to a pull and replace job, and a published Asheville-area contractor page lists pump replacement at $500 to $2,000. See the well pump replacement cost guide for how those figures fit together.
Many Buncombe wellheads sit on slopes or at the end of narrow drives, which can make a pull harder, so tell the contractor about access.
Towns and ZIP codes
We accept requests from anywhere in the county, including:
- Asheville: 28801, 28802, 28803, 28804, 28805, 28806, 28813, 28814, 28815, 28816
- Arden: 28704. Fletcher: 28732 (also covered on the Henderson County page)
- Candler: 28715. Enka: 28728. Leicester: 28748
- Weaverville: 28787. Barnardsville: 28709
- Black Mountain: 28711. Swannanoa: 28778. Montreat: 28757. Ridgecrest: 28770
- Fairview: 28730. Skyland: 28776
Weaverville had 4,567 residents in the 2020 census. Wherever you are, tell the contractor how far the wellhead is from the road and whether the drive is paved.
Testing your water in Buncombe County
The county lists water sampling and testing among Environmental Health's services. A flooded well, a new well, or a well that has been worked on is a good time to test. The state's tests for new wells cover bacteria and metals such as lead, arsenic, iron, manganese, and nitrate.
Request a contractor in Buncombe County
Use the form below with your ZIP code and a few words about the problem. We send your request to one independent well contractor serving your area. For more detail on the work itself, read about well pump repair, well pump replacement, and pressure tank replacement. If you are planning a new well, see well drilling. Next door, we also cover Henderson County and Madison County.