Ocala Well WaterMarion County, FL
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What is the water doing?

No water, or pressure keeps droppingStart the five checks Pump won't stop, or clicks on and offUsually the pressure tank Water smells, stains or tastes wrongSulfur, iron or hardness Is my water safe to drink?The two tests that answer it

Well pumps and well water in Ocala, FL

There are 37,175 state well records across Ocala's 13 ZIP codes, and the median depth runs from 40 feet in one of them to 130 feet in another. That spread is the most useful local fact for anybody about to pay for a pump.

A bay horse leaning over a wooden paddock fence on a green horse farm

How deep Ocala wells are

Ocala ZIP codes cover the city and a large stretch of unincorporated county around it, and the wells under them are not alike. 34477 has a median of 40 feet, the shallowest of any ZIP code in the county with a sizeable number of records. 34471 has a median of 130. Most of the rest sit between 90 and 110, around the county median of 105.

A shallower well is less drop pipe and cable to pull and a pump that works less hard, so the same failure is usually a smaller bill. A pump at 130 feet is a rig job whoever does it. Knowing which end you are at before anybody quotes is the point of this page.

Ocala ZIP codes: well records and median well depth. The county median is 105 feet. Source: Florida Well Data, Marion County well records
ZIP codeWell recordsMedian depth
344725,956105 ft
344735,763100 ft
344804,680100 ft
344823,783110 ft
344743,069100 ft
344812,931100 ft
344762,496100 ft
344772,32140 ft
344701,70493 ft
344711,667130 ft
344751,31895 ft
3447992590 ft
3447856295 ft

34472 and 34473 alone hold more than 11,000 of Ocala's well records, which makes them two of the busiest well ZIP codes in the county.

Your own well's depth, and the depth the pump is set at, are on its completion report, which the county health department holds. It is worth having a copy before the day something fails.

Florida Well Data, Marion County well records · Florida Department of Health in Marion County, Drinking water

No water in Ocala? Check these first

The same order works on every well in the county, and the first two checks cost nothing.

  1. Is it the whole house? If only one tap is dry, it is that fixture, not the well.
  2. The breaker. Reset the pump's double breaker once. If it trips again, stop and call a licensed well contractor.
  3. The pressure switch. Gauge near zero? Many switches have a reset lever on the side.
  4. The pressure tank. A solid thud all the way up means it is waterlogged.
  5. The control box, then the pump itself, which is a job for a licensed contractor.

What each symptom means, and the six questions to ask before you agree to a new pump.

Who handles permits in Ocala

Well construction, which is drilling, replacing or abandoning a well, is permitted by the Florida Department of Health in Marion County under delegation from the water management district that covers the parcel. The county straddles two districts and the line is not straight, so the health department is also who can tell you which side you are on.

Plumbing work in the house, including softeners and filters, is Marion County Building Safety for unincorporated addresses. Inside Ocala city limits it may be the city instead, and an Ocala mailing address does not mean you are inside the city, so give them the address and ask.

Florida Department of Health in Marion County, Drinking water · St. Johns River WMD, Well construction permitting · Southwest Florida WMD, Well construction permits · Marion County Building Safety, Permitting FAQs

Well permits in Marion County, in full.

What Ocala well water is usually like

Marion County wells draw from the Floridan aquifer through limestone, so the water is usually hard and often carries sulfur or iron. None of that means the well has gone wrong, but each has its own fix, and bacteria and nitrate need a lab test because you cannot taste them.

UF/IFAS Extension Marion County, Water quality series: hard water · Florida Department of Health, Private well water testing

Fiberglass water treatment tanks plumbed together with blue pipe outdoors Guide Well water treatment in Ocala: iron, sulfur and hard water Ocala well water is hard, often sulfurous and sometimes full of iron. Which problem you have, what treats each, what a system costs, and the order it goes in. Rows of clean glass test tubes standing in a metal laboratory rack Guide Well water testing in Ocala and Marion County Florida does not test private wells for you. What to test for, how often, what a lab test costs, which results matter for health, and where a sample goes. A person working through figures on a calculator at a desk Guide Well pump replacement cost in Florida Florida well pump replacement runs about $1,000 to $5,000 and up. What each part of the bill is for, the published ranges, and the four things that move it.

Before you hire anyone

Calling a well contractor? Check three things first.

  1. 1The license. Every Florida water well contractor is licensed. Ask for the number and look it up at the state's contractor verification clearinghouse.
  2. 2The diagnosis before the price. A pressure switch reading, the tank's air charge and the cable readings, before anybody quotes a new pump. The six questions to ask.
  3. 3The permit, if a rig is coming. A new well needs one before drilling starts, and it is the contractor's job to have it. Who issues it.

Public offices, free to call

Florida Department of Health in Marion CountyWell permits, well records, and which water district your parcel is in352-622-7744
Marion County Building SafetyPlumbing permits in unincorporated Marion County352-438-2400

Ocala Well Water is an independent guide. It takes no calls, collects no details, and no company pays to be mentioned. How this site works.