Minnesota well driller experience: 4 definitions

Key takeaways

• Compare individual years rather than a combined total.
• Match the work to the right definition before checking figures.
• Ask which wells the applicant worked on personally and what tasks the hours cover.
• Keep unclear claims unresolved until you have supporting records.

The Minnesota Department of Health's licensing applications page sets out what counts as a year of experience for several kinds of well work, and this post uses that page as its reference. Licensing Applications - MN Dept. of Health

This post covers four of those definitions: drilling, pump installation, sealing, and dewatering wells. For each one, it gives the requirement as the page states it, then explains how to use it when you read a driller's listing. The page is the authority here. Check it for current wording before you rely on any figure in this post.

If you are comparing more than one driller, the most useful habit is to read each listed year the way the page defines it. Rather than asking whether a driller seems experienced, ask whether a specific year contains the wells, hours, and type of work a definition names. The same questions then apply to every listing, which makes the comparison fairer.

Why does a year of experience need a written definition?

A written definition gives you a fixed standard to compare a listing against. Years of experience on a list or in a conversation can mean different things to different people, and a standard removes some of that guesswork. The Minnesota page defines a year of experience by the work the applicant did during that year, which means the question you ask is not only how many years a driller has worked but what happened in each of those years.

That shift matters for a homeowner. A listing that says a driller has a certain number of years in the trade does not, by itself, show that the work matches the definitions. You are looking for the wells, the hours, and the type of work inside each year.

Does a year of drilling experience require a set number of wells?

Yes. Under Minnesota's definition, a year of experience is a year in which the applicant personally drilled at least ten wells and worked at least 1,000 hours drilling, sealing, and installing pumps in wells.

The definition joins its two conditions with "and," so a year needs both the ten wells and the 1,000 hours. A year with many wells but few hours does not meet this definition as written, and a year with many hours but fewer than ten wells does not meet it either.

Two more details deserve attention. First, the definition counts wells the applicant personally drilled. If a listing gives a company's total well count, ask which of those wells the applicant drilled personally. Second, the hours are tied to three kinds of work: drilling, sealing, and installing pumps in wells. Hours spent on other tasks do not fit this line of the definition.

The word "personally" appears in three of the four definitions in this post, so it is worth reading closely each time. When you check a listed year, write down the well count and the hour total for that same year. If either number is missing, ask for it before you decide whether the year matches.

How many hours make a year of pump installation experience?

A year of pump installation experience consists of 1,000 hours. The page lists the work that counts toward those hours: installing well pumps or pumping equipment, or installing, repairing, and modifying pitless units, pitless adapters, well casings above the pitless unit or pitless adapter, well screens, and well diameters.

This definition sets an hour total and does not name a number of wells. That sets it apart from the drilling, sealing, and dewatering definitions, which each include a well count. When you compare a listing, look for hours tied to the tasks in this list. A line that says only "pump work" without an hour figure does not give you the number the definition uses.

The list goes beyond pumps themselves. It includes pitless units, pitless adapters, well screens, and casings above a pitless unit or adapter. A listing may mix pump tasks with these other tasks, so ask which hours went to which work. Keep track of the tasks each listed hour belongs to, because the definitions name different tasks and a single total can hide the difference.

How many wells does a year of sealing experience require?

The sealing definition requires five wells and 1,000 hours in the same year. The page says a year of experience is a year in which the applicant personally sealed a minimum of five wells and worked a minimum of 1,000 hours clearing obstructions, removing or perforating casing, and grouting wells.

"Minimum" sets a floor. A count of six sealed wells still meets the well requirement, and an hour total above 1,000 still meets the hour requirement, as long as the hours fall into the tasks the definition names.

What counts as a year of dewatering well experience?

A year of dewatering well experience is a year in which the applicant designed, field supervised, or personally drilled five dewatering wells and worked a minimum of 500 hours designing, constructing, or field supervising the construction of dewatering wells.

The well count here is tied to three roles, not one: designing, field supervising, or personally drilling the wells. The definition uses "or" between those roles, so a listing should say which role the applicant had for each well it counts. The hour requirement uses a different set of activities, namely designing, constructing, or field supervising the construction of the wells. A listing should describe the dewatering work in those terms so you can match it to the definition.

What do the words "and" and "or" change?

They decide whether conditions must be met together or whether alternatives apply. Read the connecting word before treating a task list as a checklist: otherwise, you could ask for work that the definition does not require. Reading these small words closely keeps you from counting a line as a match when one of its parts is missing.

Where do the four definitions differ?

The four definitions differ mainly in their well counts and hours, and the table below puts those figures side by side. The rows compare the requirements for each type of work; the section for each definition above links to the full wording.

How do you compare a listing with these definitions?

Match each listed year to one of the four definitions by the type of work, then check its well count and hours against that definition. The steps below keep the comparison in order.

1. Split the listing by year. Each definition describes a single year, so a multi-year total should be broken down before you compare.
2. Sort each entry by type of work: drilling, pump installation, sealing, or dewatering.
3. Check the well count and the applicant's role against the matching row in the table.
4. Check that the hours belong to the same year and cover the tasks named for that work.
5. Mark each line that does not fit its definition as written, and ask about it.

A check against these definitions tests the listing, not the work itself. A listing that matches the numbers is consistent with the definitions; it does not, on its own, show how the work was done.

Illustrative example: check a drilling claim

An illustrative listing reports 10 wells and 1,000 hours in one year. First, ask whether the applicant personally drilled those wells. Then check whether the hours covered drilling, sealing, and installing pumps in wells. If both details are supported, the listing matches the drilling definition. If the hours are a combined total across several years, the line remains unresolved until the annual breakdown is available.

What should you have ready before you compare?

Have the driller's listing in writing, broken into individual years, and keep a copy of the four definitions with the page link beside it. A simple sheet with a row for each listed year works well, with columns for the type of work, the well count, the hour total, and the role or tasks named. Filling in the same columns for every year makes gaps easy to see. If a row has a blank in a column the definition uses, you know what to ask.

Bring the questions you plan to ask, too, so you can make notes on the answers. Written notes are easier to compare later than memory of a phone call. For help organizing supporting documents, see private well records to keep. If you need to locate existing documents, see find old well records.

Today, choose one listed year, compare it with the matching definition, and write down the first missing detail to ask the driller about.

What should you ask a driller about a listing?

Start with the year, the well count, the hour total, and the role the applicant had in each well. These questions help you check each line:

• Which years does the listing cover, and how many hours fall in each year?
• How many wells did the applicant personally drill in each year?
• For sealing work, what hours went to clearing obstructions, removing or perforating casing, and grouting wells?
• For pump work, which pumps, pumping equipment, pitless units, pitless adapters, casings, screens, or well diameters were involved in the hours?
• For dewatering work, did the applicant design, field supervise, or personally drill each of the five wells?
• Can the driller show records that support the years, well counts, and hours?

You do not need the driller to use the legal wording. What matters is that the answers describe the same work the definitions name, in plain terms that you can check against the page.

If a line uses a term you do not understand, ask the driller to explain it in their own words and to say which of the four definitions it is meant to match. Write the answer down next to the line it concerns, so the explanation stays attached to the claim it supports.

What should you do if a listing does not match?

Treat a mismatch as a reason to ask more questions, not as a final answer. Ask the driller whether the line was counted differently, whether a missing well count or hour total exists, or whether the work fits one of the four definitions in this post. A clear answer that ties the work to a definition gives you something you can check. A vague answer leaves the line unresolved, and you can say so.

Record the mismatch in your notes with the exact wording the driller used. That way, when you compare the answer with the definition later, you are working from what was said rather than from memory. If the driller explains the line in terms that match one definition, note that too, along with the well count and hours that the explanation supplies.

What do these definitions not tell you?

They do not tell you the quality of the work or cover every rule on the Minnesota page. Use the comparison as one step in your review of a listing, alongside your own questions and whatever records the driller can provide. If you want to understand how a driller works, ask about the work directly and in detail, rather than relying on a listed number alone.

Before you rely on any figure here, go back to the Department of Health page and confirm the current wording: Licensing Applications - MN Dept. of Health.

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