Free Water Testing

Where to get free water testing

Free water testing usually comes from a public program: a local or state health department, a university extension program or, for lead, a water utility. Each program decides what it tests, who can use it and whether a fee applies, so start with the office that serves your address. A free test is worth the most when a state-certified laboratory runs it, because that result is one you can act on.

• Local and state health departments. EPA's guidance for private well owners says your local health department may provide private well testing for free. CDC says local or state health or environmental departments often test for nitrates, total coliforms, fecal coliforms, volatile organic compounds and pH, and that these departments or your county government should have a list of the state-certified laboratories in your area. EPA's home water testing fact sheet adds that county health departments often help with tests for bacteria or nitrates.
• University and extension programs. Some universities run testing through their extension programs. In Pennsylvania, for example, Penn State Extension says its drinking water clinics often offer free testing to a limited number of households at its workshops, and preregistration is required. The programs we track are in the table at the end of this page.
• Water utilities, for lead. If your home is on public water, CDC says many public water systems will test drinking water for residents on request. Some mail kits: DC Water offers annual free lead testing to its residential and commercial customers, with a kit of two sample bottles that you fill yourself. A utility program serves its own customers only, so ask your utility whether it runs one.

If your home is on a private well, no utility tests your water for you. CDC says that as a well owner you are responsible for testing your well, and that your local government can help you get your well water tested. Start with your county or city health department, then check the state programs below.

To see the certified labs and public programs in your state, browse water testing by state.

Free tests from water treatment dealers

Some companies that sell water treatment equipment offer to test your water in your home. Whether it is free or not, that test is the seller's own check, not a result from a state-certified laboratory, and it is not the result to base a treatment decision on.

Two public agencies give the same order of steps:

• Test first, from an independent source. EPA's home water testing fact sheet advises finding out what is in your water, and what you might want to remove, before contacting potential dealers.
• Use a certified laboratory. The Ohio Attorney General's consumer advice is to test your water first if you are considering a water treatment system, not to rely on in-home tests performed by a salesperson, and to have the water tested by a certified laboratory. The Attorney General notes that those results may show you don't need a treatment system.

An in-home visit is not the issue in itself. EPA's fact sheet notes that laboratories may sometimes send a trained technician to collect the sample or to analyze it in your home. What matters is who runs the analysis. If someone offers you an in-home test, ask:

1. Which substances does the test measure, and how: test strips, a meter or a laboratory?
2. Does a laboratory certified by your state for drinking water analyze the sample?
3. Will you get a written report with a measured level and unit for each substance?

If the answer to the second question is no, treat the result as a reason to test with a certified lab, not as a diagnosis. A certified-lab report also gives you the same numbers to show any dealer you talk to.

Free tests at home improvement stores

Home improvement stores sell water test kits, and some offer free ones. Home Depot's own guide to testing your water, dated August 2023, mentions free kits in its item on professional lab testing kits: it says a sample sent to a certified lab usually carries a lab fee, that the vast majority of Home Depot stores offer free testing kits, and that readers should ask their local store. The guide does not say what the free kit tests or whether it includes the lab analysis and its fee, so ask the store before you rely on it.

The same guide describes two kinds of test. Do-it-yourself kits, it says, suit quick checks and give results within minutes, but those results might not be as detailed as professional lab tests. A lab test takes longer and may cost more, and it can cover contaminants a home kit can't test for.

Before you use a free store kit, ask the same three questions as for a dealer test: what it measures, whether a lab certified by your state for drinking water analyzes the sample, and whether you get a written report with measured levels. A store kit that you read yourself is a screening, not a certified-lab result. Our list of certified water testing labs shows the labs certified to test drinking water in the states we cover.

When a free test is enough

A free test is enough when it gives you a certified-lab result for the tests your water needs. A free screening is a good reason to test, but it is not the last word.

A free certified-lab test is a complete result. If a health department or state program has a state-certified lab analyze your sample, the result counts the same as one you paid for. For a private well, CDC recommends testing at least once every year for total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH, using a state-certified laboratory. If a free program covers those and your results are within the benchmarks your report compares them to, no treatment is needed based on that result. Our guide to how to read your lab report explains the numbers.

A free screening helps you decide when to test. Penn State Extension says its clinic results are not official and do not come from a state-accredited laboratory. They are meant to help participants decide how soon to test with a state-accredited lab. Store kits you read yourself and in-home dealer tests fall in the same group.

Pay for a certified-lab test when the result decides something. Use a state-certified lab:

• before you buy treatment equipment (EPA and the Ohio Attorney General both advise testing first);
• to confirm a high reading from a screening, a store kit or a dealer test;
• when a buyer, seller or lender asks for a water test (ask them which tests they need and who may collect the sample before you order);
• when no free program covers the tests your area calls for. CDC suggests asking your health department which other germs or chemicals to test for where you live.

For lead, CDC notes that water sampling results can vary with the time of day, the season, the method of sampling, the flow of water and other factors. Follow the kit's instructions exactly, and take a repeat sample from the same tap the same way.

If no free option fits, our guide to well water testing cost shows verified prices from certified labs, each with the date we checked it.

Free and low-cost water testing programs by state

These are the state, county and university programs we track in the states where we list certified labs. Each row shows the program's price as the program publishes it (free, a fee, or no listed price), who can use it, the date we last verified it and a link to the program's own page. The "Where" link opens that state's page, with its certified labs and programs.

Each program sets its own rules about who can use it, which tests it runs and how to get a sample in. Check the source link before you plan around a program.