Preview site: directory listings are examples, and forms are not connected yet. What this means
Rural Contractor NetworkRural pros for land, water, and power
Home › Guides › Know your land

Know your land

Free lookups for soils, flood zones, wetlands, and nearby well records before you clear, dig, drill, or build.

These are free government tools. They open in a new tab. We don't store what you type. Links checked Oct 26, 2026.

The three lookups and why they matter

1. Soils: USDA Web Soil Survey

Soil decides whether a septic drain field will work (the perc test), whether a pond will hold water (it needs enough clay), and what footings and driveways need. In the tool, draw your area of interest, then open the soil ratings for things like septic absorption fields, ponds, and dwellings.

Open Web Soil Survey

A soil map is not a perc test. Your county or a licensed soil tester still has to test the site. Glossary

2. Flood zones: FEMA Flood Map Service Center

Search your address to see the official flood map. Building, septic, and well spots in a mapped flood zone can need extra permits, and lenders usually require flood insurance there.

Open FEMA flood maps

See also what flood insurance covers.

3. Wetlands: USFWS Wetlands Mapper

Shows mapped wetlands, ponds, and streams. The maps are approximate and are not an official wetland determination, but they tell you where to be careful before clearing, filling, or digging.

Open the Wetlands Mapper

About the National Wetlands Inventory

Nearby well depths: public well records

Many states post the drilling logs that drillers file for new wells. Looking up wells near your land shows how deep neighbors had to drill and how much water they got. Records are not complete, and your well can differ.

StateOfficial well-record database
AlabamaGeological Survey of Alabama: well records
ArkansasArkansas water well driller database (hosted by USGS)
ColoradoColorado Division of Water Resources: well permits
IdahoIdaho Dept. of Water Resources: find a well
IllinoisIllinois State Geological Survey: ILWATER map
IowaIowa Geological Survey: GeoSam
KansasKansas Geological Survey: WWC5 water well records
KentuckyKentucky Geological Survey: Geode databases
MichiganMichigan EGLE: Wellogic
MinnesotaMinnesota Well Index
MissouriMissouri DNR: water data and well drilling logs
MontanaMontana Ground Water Information Center (GWIC)
OhioOhio DNR: water wells map viewer
OklahomaOklahoma Water Resources Board: well record search
OregonOregon Water Resources Dept.: well report query
PennsylvaniaPA Groundwater Information System (PaGWIS)
TexasTexas Water Development Board: Groundwater Data Viewer
WashingtonWashington Ecology: well report search
WisconsinWisconsin DNR: groundwater and well data

We list only the databases we opened ourselves (Links checked Oct 26, 2026). Your state isn't here? Ask your state geological survey or water agency, or your county health department.

How to read a well log

  1. Total depth: how deep the hole was drilled, in feet.
  2. Casing depth and size: how far the steel or plastic pipe goes down, and its width. Casing
  3. Static water level: where the water sits in the well when the pump is off.
  4. Yield: gallons per minute (gpm) the well gave during the driller's test, and how long the test ran.
  5. Drawdown and pump depth: how far the water dropped while pumping, and where the pump was set.
  6. Formations: what the drill went through (clay, sand, gravel, limestone, shale) and at what depths water was found.
  7. Grout, date, and driller: how the top was sealed, when it was drilled, and the driller's license number. Grout

General guide; log forms differ by state. A licensed well driller can tell you what nearby logs mean for your site. Water well guide

Request a well quotePlan my landHow-to: Know your land