CHAPTER 13-B.  SUBSURFACE WATERS--WELL DRILLERS

§3098.  Licensing of water well and other drillers

A.  Every person, firm, or corporation engaged or desiring to engage in the business of drilling water wells for underground water, drilling monitoring wells, geotechnical bore holes, heat pump wells, cathodic protection holes, and/or seismic shot holes, as well as reworking water wells, or plugging and abandoning wells or bore holes, excluding oil and gas wells, in the state of Louisiana shall file an application with the office for a drilling license, using forms prepared by the office, setting out qualifications therefor and such other information including any examination, oral or written, as may be required by the office.  The fees for such license and renewal shall be as follows:

(1)  Those persons, firms, or corporations who drill less than twenty-five domestic water wells yearly shall pay a license and annual fee of fifty dollars.

(2)  For all other persons, firms, or corporations who drill water wells, and/or drill monitoring wells, geotechnical bore holes, heat pump wells, cathodic protection holes, seismic shot holes, as well as reworking water wells, or plugging and abandoning wells or bore holes, excluding oil and gas wells, the license fee and annual renewal fee shall be one hundred dollars.

B.  All licenses shall expire on June thirtieth of each year, and shall not be transferable, and shall be renewable annually, upon completion of six hours of continuing education as approved by the office and upon payment of the required fee.

C.  Nothing in this Chapter shall prevent a person who has not obtained a license pursuant thereto from constructing a water well on his own or leased property intended for use only in a single family house which is his permanent residence, or intended for use only for watering livestock on his farm, and where the waters to be produced are not intended for use by the public or any residence other than his own.  However, such person shall comply with all rules and regulations as to the construction of wells as set out by the provisions of this Chapter.

D.  This Section shall not apply to any person who performs labor or services at the direction and under the personal supervision of a licensed well contractor.

E.  A license may be renewed and shall be renewable without examination for the ensuing year by making an application not later than the expiration date and paying the applicable fee.  Such application shall have the effect of extending the validity of the current license until the new license is received or the applicant is notified by the department that the license has been refused.  On application made after June thirtieth of each year, the license will be renewed only upon payment of the applicable fee, plus a penalty of five dollars for each month the application is delinquent.  Delinquency in excess of one year may, in the discretion of the advisory committee, be deemed as a waiver of the driller's right for renewal; and if he should apply thereafter, the department may require that he be considered as a new applicant, including the requirement for examination.

F.  Any person whose license has been revoked may, upon application for a new license, be required, in the discretion of the advisory committee, to take the examination and in all other ways be considered as a new applicant.

Added by Acts 1980, No. 715, §1.  Acts 1984, No. 313, §1, eff. July 2, 1984; Acts 1989, No. 31, §1, eff. June 15, 1989; Acts 1997, No. 122, §1; Acts 2009, No. 437, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2010.