Texas Water Well Driller and Pump Installer License Renewal

Last reviewed October 2026 · 6 min read

Water well drillers and pump installers in Texas are licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), and a person whose license has expired may not legally offer well drilling or pump installation services. A driller or installer license is valid for two years from the date of issue. To renew, you complete 8 hours of continuing education from a registered provider within the license's term (1 hour on the Water Well Driller/Pump Installer laws and rules, 7 on water well industry topics), answer the criminal conviction question, and pay $430 for a driller or pump installer license or $650 for a combination license. TDLR mails a renewal notice about 60 days before expiration. Late renewals cost 1.5 times the fee for up to 90 days and 2 times the fee after that; from 18 months, renewal also needs the executive director's approval, and a license expired three years or more means a new license and the exam again.

At a glance

Who needs it: Well drillers and pump installers, licensed by TDLR. A person whose license has expired may not legally offer well drilling or pump installation services in Texas
Renews every: Two years: a driller or installer license is valid for two years from the date of issue. Go by the expiration date on your license
Renewal notice: TDLR mails a renewal notification approximately 60 days before your license's expiration date. Renewing before it expires is your responsibility: contact TDLR if you haven't received a notice
Continuing education: Renewing on or after March 1, 2025: 8 hours, 1 hour dedicated to the Water Well Driller/Pump Installer laws and rules and 7 hours in topics directly related to the water well industry, and you're issued a two-year license. Courses must be completed within the term of the license being renewed (a license expiring January 1, 2026 counts courses taken between January 1, 2024 and January 1, 2026). For a late renewal, the hours must be completed within the period immediately before the license expired
Courses that count: Only courses from a TDLR-registered provider. You get no credit for attending the same course more than once, and no partial course credit. Providers must monitor attendance, online courses included: miss their monitoring requirements and no hours are given
Your CE record: The provider reports your hours to TDLR and issues a completion certificate: keep a copy for one year after the course, since a TDLR inspector may ask to see it. Check your hours in TDLR's continuing education course lookup; no certificate within 15 days of the course, ask the provider first
Renewal fee: $430 for a Well Driller license, $430 for a Pump Installer license, $650 for a Combination (Well and Pump) license
Criminal history: Answer the criminal conviction question on the application, or the renewal won't be processed and is sent back. With a conviction (other than a minor traffic violation) or a guilty or no contest plea resulting in deferred adjudication, send TDLR's Criminal History Questionnaire with the application; a review can take one to six weeks
Up to 90 days late: Expired 90 days or less: renew by paying 1.5 times the renewal fee: $645 for a driller or installer license, $975 for a combination license
Over 90 days to 18 months late: Expired more than 90 days but less than 18 months: renew by paying 2 times the renewal fee: $860 for a driller or installer license, $1,300 for a combination license
18 months to 3 years late: Expired at least 18 months but less than 3 years: renewal needs the executive director's approval, through TDLR's Request to Executive Director for Expired License Renewal form, and costs 2 times the renewal fee
3 years or more: Expired 3 years or more: you must apply for a new license and take the licensing exam again
Apprentices: A Well Driller/Pump Installer Apprentice registration renews with 1 hour of CE and TDLR's apprentice registration form: $65 for a well driller or pump installer apprentice, $115 for a combination apprentice
Unlicensed assistants: A licensed driller or pump installer may directly supervise no more than one unlicensed assistant at a time and must always be on site with them. Only a licensee who has held their license in Texas for at least 2 years may use one, and the assistant can't be primarily responsible for the drilling or installation, or contract, bid, advertise or accept payment for it. Registered apprentices have no fixed limit: as many as the licensee can properly supervise
Questions: water.well@tdlr.texas.gov, (800) 803-9202 (in Texas only) or (512) 463-6599

CE has to fall inside the license's own two-year term: hours taken before your current license was issued don't count toward this renewal.

Still holding a one-year license? Ask TDLR how many CE hours you owe: its renewal page asks 4 hours to renew a one-year license, while its CE page asks 8 for any renewal on or after March 1, 2025.

An expired license means you may not legally offer well drilling or pump installation services, even while you're inside a late-renewal window.

How to renew

Find the expiration date on your driller or installer license and set a reminder at least three months ahead: TDLR's mailed notice comes only about 60 days before.
Check your CE hours in TDLR's continuing education course lookup, and finish the 8 hours (1 on laws and rules, 7 on water well topics) with registered providers before the license expires.
Start your renewal from TDLR's Renew a License page (Water Well Drillers and Pump Installers), answer the criminal conviction question and pay $430, or $650 for a combination license.
Renew your apprentices' registrations too: 1 CE hour each and $65, or $115 for a combination apprentice.
Check TDLR's license search shows the renewed license. No notice or renewal confirmation? Email water.well@tdlr.texas.gov or call (512) 463-6599.

Still tracking this in a spreadsheet? On a paid plan, get emailed 90, 60, 30, 7 and 1 days before it expires, by default.

Start free

Deadline checklist

6 months outLook up your completed CE hours with TDLR and book the courses you still need: 8 hours, 1 of them on the laws and rules.
3 months outCheck TDLR has your current mailing address, since its renewal notice comes by mail about 60 days out.
60 days outFinish your CE, then renew and pay $430 (or $650 for a combination license). Answer the criminal conviction question.
30 days outConfirm the renewal shows in TDLR's license search; renew your apprentices' registrations too.
Expiration dayAfter today you may not legally offer well drilling or pump installation services until you renew, and the fee is 1.5 times for up to 90 days.

The license isn't the only thing expiring

Most lapses that cost contractors work aren't the license itself. They're one of these, renewing on a different date:

Your registered apprentices' registrations
General liability insurance policy
Workers' compensation policy (or exemption)
Certificates of insurance (COIs) you've given to clients and GCs
Commercial auto insurance

LicenseLedger keeps every one of those dates in one place and emails you before each one expires, with reminders far enough ahead to finish CE and paperwork.

Track your renewal dates free

Frequently asked questions

How often do you renew a Texas water well driller license?

Every two years: a driller or installer license is valid for two years from the date of issue. TDLR mails a renewal notice approximately 60 days before it expires.

How many CE hours does a Texas water well driller or pump installer need?

8 hours for a renewal on or after March 1, 2025: 1 hour on the Water Well Driller/Pump Installer laws and rules and 7 hours on water well industry topics, completed within the term of the license being renewed. Apprentices need 1 hour.

How much does it cost to renew a Texas well driller or pump installer license?

$430 for a Well Driller or Pump Installer license and $650 for a Combination (Well and Pump) license. Apprentice registrations are $65, or $115 for a combination.

What if my Texas water well driller license expired?

Expired 90 days or less, you renew at 1.5 times the fee; more than 90 days but less than 18 months, at 2 times the fee; at least 18 months but less than 3 years, at 2 times the fee with the executive director's approval. Expired 3 years or more, you apply for a new license and take the licensing exam again.

Official sources

Rules, fees and CE requirements change. Confirm the current requirements with the official source before you renew:

TDLR, Renew a Water Well Driller and/or Pump Installer License

This guide is general information, not legal advice.

Other Texas guides

All Texas guides on one page

Get a reminder before this renewal is due

Add this license, your insurance policies and the COIs you collect from subs to LicenseLedger, and get an email before each one expires. Free for up to 3 records, no credit card required.

Start free

Not ready to sign up? Get the free tracking spreadsheet

Texas Water Well Driller and Pump Installer License Renewal

Last reviewed October 2026 · 6 min read

At a glance

Who needs it: Well drillers and pump installers, licensed by TDLR. A person whose license has expired may not legally offer well drilling or pump installation services in Texas
Renews every: Two years: a driller or installer license is valid for two years from the date of issue. Go by the expiration date on your license
Renewal notice: TDLR mails a renewal notification approximately 60 days before your license's expiration date. Renewing before it expires is your responsibility: contact TDLR if you haven't received a notice
Continuing education: Renewing on or after March 1, 2025: 8 hours, 1 hour dedicated to the Water Well Driller/Pump Installer laws and rules and 7 hours in topics directly related to the water well industry, and you're issued a two-year license. Courses must be completed within the term of the license being renewed (a license expiring January 1, 2026 counts courses taken between January 1, 2024 and January 1, 2026). For a late renewal, the hours must be completed within the period immediately before the license expired
Courses that count: Only courses from a TDLR-registered provider. You get no credit for attending the same course more than once, and no partial course credit. Providers must monitor attendance, online courses included: miss their monitoring requirements and no hours are given
Your CE record: The provider reports your hours to TDLR and issues a completion certificate: keep a copy for one year after the course, since a TDLR inspector may ask to see it. Check your hours in TDLR's continuing education course lookup; no certificate within 15 days of the course, ask the provider first
Renewal fee: $430 for a Well Driller license, $430 for a Pump Installer license, $650 for a Combination (Well and Pump) license
Criminal history: Answer the criminal conviction question on the application, or the renewal won't be processed and is sent back. With a conviction (other than a minor traffic violation) or a guilty or no contest plea resulting in deferred adjudication, send TDLR's Criminal History Questionnaire with the application; a review can take one to six weeks
Up to 90 days late: Expired 90 days or less: renew by paying 1.5 times the renewal fee: $645 for a driller or installer license, $975 for a combination license
Over 90 days to 18 months late: Expired more than 90 days but less than 18 months: renew by paying 2 times the renewal fee: $860 for a driller or installer license, $1,300 for a combination license
18 months to 3 years late: Expired at least 18 months but less than 3 years: renewal needs the executive director's approval, through TDLR's Request to Executive Director for Expired License Renewal form, and costs 2 times the renewal fee
3 years or more: Expired 3 years or more: you must apply for a new license and take the licensing exam again
Apprentices: A Well Driller/Pump Installer Apprentice registration renews with 1 hour of CE and TDLR's apprentice registration form: $65 for a well driller or pump installer apprentice, $115 for a combination apprentice
Unlicensed assistants: A licensed driller or pump installer may directly supervise no more than one unlicensed assistant at a time and must always be on site with them. Only a licensee who has held their license in Texas for at least 2 years may use one, and the assistant can't be primarily responsible for the drilling or installation, or contract, bid, advertise or accept payment for it. Registered apprentices have no fixed limit: as many as the licensee can properly supervise
Questions: water.well@tdlr.texas.gov, (800) 803-9202 (in Texas only) or (512) 463-6599

CE has to fall inside the license's own two-year term: hours taken before your current license was issued don't count toward this renewal.

Still holding a one-year license? Ask TDLR how many CE hours you owe: its renewal page asks 4 hours to renew a one-year license, while its CE page asks 8 for any renewal on or after March 1, 2025.

An expired license means you may not legally offer well drilling or pump installation services, even while you're inside a late-renewal window.

How to renew

Find the expiration date on your driller or installer license and set a reminder at least three months ahead: TDLR's mailed notice comes only about 60 days before.
Check your CE hours in TDLR's continuing education course lookup, and finish the 8 hours (1 on laws and rules, 7 on water well topics) with registered providers before the license expires.
Start your renewal from TDLR's Renew a License page (Water Well Drillers and Pump Installers), answer the criminal conviction question and pay $430, or $650 for a combination license.
Renew your apprentices' registrations too: 1 CE hour each and $65, or $115 for a combination apprentice.
Check TDLR's license search shows the renewed license. No notice or renewal confirmation? Email water.well@tdlr.texas.gov or call (512) 463-6599.

Still tracking this in a spreadsheet? On a paid plan, get emailed 90, 60, 30, 7 and 1 days before it expires, by default.

Start free

Deadline checklist

6 months outLook up your completed CE hours with TDLR and book the courses you still need: 8 hours, 1 of them on the laws and rules.
3 months outCheck TDLR has your current mailing address, since its renewal notice comes by mail about 60 days out.
60 days outFinish your CE, then renew and pay $430 (or $650 for a combination license). Answer the criminal conviction question.
30 days outConfirm the renewal shows in TDLR's license search; renew your apprentices' registrations too.
Expiration dayAfter today you may not legally offer well drilling or pump installation services until you renew, and the fee is 1.5 times for up to 90 days.

The license isn't the only thing expiring

Most lapses that cost contractors work aren't the license itself. They're one of these, renewing on a different date:

Your registered apprentices' registrations
General liability insurance policy
Workers' compensation policy (or exemption)
Certificates of insurance (COIs) you've given to clients and GCs
Commercial auto insurance

LicenseLedger keeps every one of those dates in one place and emails you before each one expires, with reminders far enough ahead to finish CE and paperwork.

Track your renewal dates free

Frequently asked questions

How often do you renew a Texas water well driller license?

Every two years: a driller or installer license is valid for two years from the date of issue. TDLR mails a renewal notice approximately 60 days before it expires.

How many CE hours does a Texas water well driller or pump installer need?

How much does it cost to renew a Texas well driller or pump installer license?

$430 for a Well Driller or Pump Installer license and $650 for a Combination (Well and Pump) license. Apprentice registrations are $65, or $115 for a combination.

What if my Texas water well driller license expired?

Official sources

Rules, fees and CE requirements change. Confirm the current requirements with the official source before you renew:

TDLR, Renew a Water Well Driller and/or Pump Installer License

This guide is general information, not legal advice.

Other Texas guides

All Texas guides on one page

Get a reminder before this renewal is due

Add this license, your insurance policies and the COIs you collect from subs to LicenseLedger, and get an email before each one expires. Free for up to 3 records, no credit card required.

Start free

Not ready to sign up? Get the free tracking spreadsheet