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The Well Permitting Section (Well Permitting), along with the New Jersey State Well Drillers and Pump Installers Examining and Advisory Board (Board), review license applications submitted by individuals looking to become New Jersey licensed well drillers and pump installers. Applicants who pass the required certification exams and meet the appropriate experience requirements will be granted a license. There are eight license types that Well Permitting and the Board administer.

  1. Master Well Driller license
  2. Journeyman Well Driller license
  3. Journeyman (Class B) Well Driller license
  4. Environmental Resource & Geotechnical (ERG) Well Driller license
  5. Dewatering Well Driller license
  6. Vertical Closed Loop Geothermal (VCLG) Well Driller license
  7. Elevator Borehole Well Driller license
  8. Pump Installer license

To view a list of responsibilities, required certification exams, and experience requirements for each license type, use this document

Navigate to the other tabs to find information for study materials, scheduling exams, license application, and continuing education information for currently licensed well drillers and pump installers.

 

To Schedule an Exam:

  1. Visit https://test-takers.psiexams.com/ngwa
    1. Click on the VIEW AVAILABLE TESTS button
    2. Select the test that you need to take by clicking on the appropriate box
    3. Click the LOGIN/REGISTER button to book a timeslot for the exam
  2. Exams may also be scheduled by calling PSI at (855) 579-4642.

Additional exam information may be obtained by visiting NGWA’s website:  www.ngwa.org

 

The completed, notarized, application and all supporting documentation shall be mailed to the following address, in accordance with N.J.A.C. 7:9D-1.17:
Well Permitting Program
Division of Water Supply and Geoscience
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
Mail Code 401-04Q
PO Box 420
Trenton, NJ 08625-0420

List of Suggested Study Materials
The lists of study materials on this page are for the New Jersey regulatory exam modules that are offered through the National Ground Water Association’s testing vendor, PSI.

To see a list of study materials for the National Ground Water Association’s technical exams, visit the following website: https://www.ngwa.org/advance-your-career/certification/contractor-certification/certification-exams. Study materials listed on this website will help with the technical exams, such as Water Systems General, Augering and Monitoring, and General Drilling. The National Ground Water Association also provides online courses which offer a broader understanding of various topics related to well drilling and water systems. These courses can be found here:  https://www.pathlms.com/ngwa.

Master Well Driller

Journeyman Well Driller, and Environmental Resource and Geotechnical Well Driller

Dewatering Well Driller

Vertical Closed Loop Geothermal Well Driller and Pump Installer

Journeyman (Class B) and Elevator Borehole Well Driller

Information for Licensees:  Licensees will need to obtain continuing education points (CEPs) in one of the following categories:  technical/industry or safety.

All licensees, except those who meet the criteria of number 3 below, shall obtain CEPs to be eligible for license renewal as follows:

  1. On or after 4/1/2023, and every three years thereafter, all applicants for renewal licenses shall demonstrate that they have completed at least 21 CEPs within the prior three-year period:
    • Individuals must obtain a minimum of 10 technical/industry CEPs and a minimum of four (4) safety CEPs.
  1. CEPs shall be obtained a minimum of 90 days prior to the license term expiration;
  2. Licensees who have been licensed for less than three years shall not be required to demonstrate that they have completed the required number of CEPs prior to their first license renewal.

Licensees cannot carry points over from one licensing cycle to the next. Once 21 CEPs are achieved for a licensing cycle, in the proper categories, no more are needed for that cycle.

Licensee CEP totals will be updated as we receive the information from the course providers. Course providers have 45 days to send attendance information into the Well Permitting office. To view your CEP status and how many points we have recorded for you, visit the DEP Dataminer.

The Course List will be updated as new courses become available. Courses will be assigned unique identifiers. A licensed individual cannot take the same course more than once in a licensing cycle. If you have already taken or intend to take a course that is not listed on the course list, submit this completed application, with the required attachments, to wdpilicensing@dep.nj.gov. If a course provider has not obtained course approval, the licensee may submit an application for consideration of approval by the State Well Drillers and Pump Installers Examining and Advisory Board (Board) and Department. Please be advised, however, that by taking any course not yet approved you are doing so at your own risk as the course may not meet the course criteria requirements of N.J.A.C. 7:9D-1.9(g).

Course List for 2023 – 2026

The Course List for 2023-2026 is valid from April 1, 2023 until March 31, 2026.
Email your course completion certificates to wdpilicensing@dep.nj.gov. A staff member will review what you submitted and add points to your license for approved courses. More detailed course submittal information, including what course providers submit course completion information to the Department, can be found using the Course List link above.

Information for Course Providers:  The Board and Well Permitting staff will review requests for seminars, workshops, training courses, college courses, or other means designated to fulfill the CEP requirements. Once courses are approved, they will be posted in a link above. Course providers seeking to have a course approved should fill out the application and submit it either to wdpilicensing@dep.nj.gov or to the following address:

Well Permitting Program
Division of Water Supply and Geoscience
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
Mail Code 401-04Q
PO Box 420
Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0420

All submitted courses will be reviewed pursuant to N.J.A.C. 7:9D-1.9(g). Course provider applicants will receive written notification from the Department, upon the Board’s recommendation, of the decision to approve or deny CEPs for the course.

Approved course offerings can be viewed above. This will be updated as new courses become available. Courses will be assigned unique identifiers.

All courses shall be reevaluated after the end of the licensing cycle for which they are approved. You will be notified if your course will be accepted for the next licensing cycle.

Please read our FAQs if you have any further questions.

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Last Updated: February 1, 2024