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How deep are water wells in Dallas, Texas?

Home water wells in and around Dallas, Texas vary a lot in depth: the middle half are 35 to 335 feet deep (median 46 ft, 30 wells drilled in the last 10 years), so look at the wells closest to the tract. Most draw from younger formations above the Woodbine (63%), and 33% draw from the Woodbine Aquifer, according to the state's Northern Trinity and Woodbine model (TWDB). Estimated cost of a complete well at the median depth: $3,500 to $9,500.

Updated every day from Texas Water Development Board driller reports. Last update: November 11, 2026, using the state file of November 10, 2026.

See the wells and layers at an exact pointDallas County
What is under Dallas, TexasUnderground column at the center of Dallas: median well 46 ft, middle half 35 to 335 ft, water at 16 ft, and the layers of the state's model with their thickness.Above the Woodbine: 0 to 722 ftAbove the WoodbineWoodbine: 722 to 1,076 ftWoodbinecontinues to 3,008 ft02004006008001,000ftGround level · 504 ft above sea levelMedian well: 46 ftWater standing in the well from 16 ftWater level16 ftMedian well46 ftMiddle half35–335 ft

Under Dallas, Dallas County

Layers at the center of Dallas from TWDB's Northern Trinity and Woodbine model (quarter mile cells, summarized here to about 1.3 miles), at true depth scale. The well and the water are the median of 30 real wells.

Home wells in and around Dallas

Each dot is a home well from a state driller report, colored by depth. Tap one for its details and official report. Tap an empty spot to see what is under that point.

See underground

Well depth (ft)

  • <100
  • 100
  • 200
  • 300
  • 400
  • 600
  • 800+

Dashed line: Dallas and about 2 miles around it

Key figures

Typical depth (middle half)
35 to 335 feet
Median depth
46 feet
Deepest 10% are past
860 feet
Water level (median)
16 feet
24 wells
Yield (median)
16 gpm
25 wells, gallons per minute
Wells used
30
In the last 10 years
Inside the city limits
19
the rest within 2 miles
All years on file
80
median 50 ft, since 2001
Confidence
Standard (30 or more wells)

When the wells were finished, the water stood a median 16 feet below the surface (24 wells), well above the bottom: the typical well holds about 30 feet of water.

What is under Dallas, TexasUnderground column at the center of Dallas: median well 46 ft, middle half 35 to 335 ft, water at 16 ft, and the layers of the state's model with their thickness.Above the Woodbine: 0 to 722 ftAbove the WoodbineWoodbine: 722 to 1,076 ftWoodbinecontinues to 3,008 ft02004006008001,000ftGround level · 504 ft above sea levelMedian well: 46 ftWater standing in the well from 16 ftWater level16 ftMedian well46 ftMiddle half35–335 ft
Layers at the center of Dallas from TWDB's Northern Trinity and Woodbine model (quarter mile cells, summarized here to about 1.3 miles), at true depth scale. The well and the water are the median of 30 real wells.

Which formation do wells in Dallas draw from?

Most draw from younger formations above the Woodbine (63%), and 33% draw from the Woodbine Aquifer, according to the state's Northern Trinity and Woodbine model (TWDB).

Layer (state's model)ShareWellsTypical depth (ft)
Above the Woodbine63%1933–42
Woodbine33%10320–830
At or just below the base of the WoodbineWashita and Fredericksburg3%1—

For 83% of these wells the report says where the water enters and we use the middle of that interval; for the rest we use the bottom of the hole, which tends to read one layer too deep.

The layers under the center of Dallas

From the state's model, at 504 feet above sea level. These are the model's depths at that one point, not those of any particular lot.

Depths in feet below ground.
Layer (state's model)Top (ft)Bottom (ft)Thickness (ft)
Above the Woodbineshale, chalk and marl0722722
Woodbinesandstone with shale7221,076354
Washita and Fredericksburglimestone, marl and clay1,0761,656580
Upper Trinitysandstone, limestone and marl1,6562,402746
Lower Trinitysandstone with shale and limestone2,4023,008607

Depth over time

There are not enough wells in both 2003 to 2007 and 2021 to 2025 (at least 30 in each) to say with confidence whether wells in and around Dallas are getting deeper. For reference, the median was 44 feet in 2001 to 2005 (22 wells) and 100 feet in 2021 to 2025 (14 wells).

PeriodMedian depth (ft)Wells
2001–20054422
2006–201014017
2011–2015under 10 wells9
2016–20203618
2021–202510014

What a well costs in Dallas

At the median depth for Dallas (46 feet), a complete home well would cost roughly $3,500 to $9,500: $25 to $60 per foot for drilling, casing and seal, plus $2,500 to $6,500 for the pump, pressure tank, controls and hookup at the well. Across the whole middle half of depths (35 to 335 feet) the range runs from $3,500 to $26,500. This is TerraFunded's estimate from published Texas prices, not a quote, and it leaves out trenching and the line to the house. Get prices from at least two licensed drillers.

Where it sits

Nearby places

Median depth of home wells in each place.

All Texas cities and towns

Common questions

How deep do you have to drill a well in Dallas, Texas?

Home water wells in and around Dallas, Texas vary a lot in depth: the middle half are 35 to 335 feet deep (median 46 ft, 30 wells drilled in the last 10 years), so look at the wells closest to the tract. One in ten goes past 860 feet. The depth a given tract needs depends on where it sits and what layers the driller hits.

What aquifer or formation do wells in Dallas draw from?

Most draw from younger formations above the Woodbine (63%), and 33% draw from the Woodbine Aquifer, according to the state's Northern Trinity and Woodbine model (TWDB). This is an estimate from the state's regional model, not a survey of the lot.

How much does a water well cost in Dallas?

At the median depth (46 feet), a complete well would cost roughly $3,500 to $9,500, by TerraFunded's estimate from published Texas driller prices. The real price comes from a licensed driller's quote.

How deep is the water in Dallas?

When the wells were finished, the water stood a median 16 feet below the surface (24 wells), well above the bottom: the typical well holds about 30 feet of water. The level moves with drought and from one well to the next.

Do I need a permit to drill a well in Dallas?

Dallas is inside the North Texas Groundwater Conservation District. Groundwater conservation districts in Texas can require registering or permitting a new well, keeping set distances from property lines and other wells, and paying fees. Rules differ from district to district: ask the district before drilling.

How these numbers are made

We count new and replacement domestic (home) wells whose coordinates fall inside the place boundary or within 2 miles of it. We use the last 10 years when there are at least 30 wells; otherwise all since 2001. The median is the middle well and the middle half runs from the 25th to the 75th percentile.

To tell which layer a well draws from, we take the ground elevation at its location, subtract the depth of the interval where water enters (or the bottom of the hole when the report does not give one) and see which layer of the state's model that point falls in.

For 83% of these wells the report says where the water enters and we use the middle of that interval; for the rest we use the bottom of the hole, which tends to read one layer too deep.

How well it works: In 7,977 wells in the area of the state's Northern Trinity and Woodbine model (North and Central Texas) where the State of Texas recorded the aquifer, our estimate of the formation the well draws from names the same layer of the state's model in about 74% of them, and that layer or the one next to it in at least 95%; among the 3,130 of those wells that the state places in a Trinity layer (Paluxy to Hosston) it is about 56%.

  • The layers come from the Texas Water Development Board's Northern Trinity and Woodbine model, with quarter mile cells, summarized here to about 1.3 miles. It is a regional model, not a survey of any lot: between one model point and the next, the real depth of each layer can differ.
  • In this model every layer is at least 30 feet thick, even where the real rock is thinner or missing. Thin layers and the edges of the model are approximate.
  • Inside the Trinity this atlas does not name single model layers: it groups the Paluxy and Glen Rose (upper Trinity) and groups the Hensell, Pearsall and Hosston (lower Trinity, Twin Mountains and Travis Peak), because the check against the state's codes shows the method cannot separate them reliably.
  • "Near or below the base of the Trinity" means the well reaches the bottom of the model or passes it, often by tens of feet. Older rock that the model does not include may lie there.
  • We never use the model's water levels. The water level on this page is the one each driller measured when the well was finished.

These are depths of real wells drilled nearby, not a promise about any property. Groundwater can change over short distances and with drought. A licensed water well driller can tell you what to expect on a specific tract.

Read the full methodology · Download the data (CSV, CC BY 4.0)

How to cite

TerraFunded (2026). Texas Well Atlas: Underground. From Texas Water Development Board driller reports and groundwater availability models (data as of November 10, 2026). https://terrafunded.com/wells/places/dallas-tx. License CC BY 4.0. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.24126380.

Sources