Land near Uvalde.

Uvalde County land and well due diligence: Uvalde County UWCD and Edwards Aquifer Authority jurisdiction, domestic registration, non-exempt permits, state well-report limits and appraisal-data checks

For a Uvalde County tract, identify the target aquifer before relying on a well estimate or starting work. Uvalde County UWCD says it governs aquifers in the county other than the Edwards Aquifer. The Edwards Aquifer Authority says it has jurisdiction throughout Uvalde County and requires applications for wells that will withdraw water from or pass through the Edwards Aquifer. Because the authority changes with the aquifer and bore path, ask the licensed driller to identify both in writing, then get a current determination from the applicable district for the exact well location and use.

Uvalde County UWCD's published FAQ describes domestic/exempt wells as household or livestock wells with a maximum production capability of 25,000 gallons a day or 17 gallons a minute. The District says a domestic well must be registered before drilling within its jurisdiction. Its separate page describes an acreage rule for wells drilled into the Edwards Aquifer and says the UWCD does not regulate that aquifer. A tract's acreage or county name alone does not establish which rule applies.

For wells the District treats as non-exempt, its posted checklist describes an application and public-notice sequence that ends with an approval letter serving as the permit to drill. Forms, fees and requirements can change; ask the District for the current version, the required notice, water-use reporting and any permit conditions before budgeting or contracting. For Edwards Aquifer wells, contact EAA about the required construction or drilling-through application before work begins.

Use TWDB's well-report tools to search newer submitted driller reports and older records. TWDB warns that its groundwater database is not a complete well inventory and that submitted report locations may be inaccurate; a missing map point does not prove a tract has no well, and a plotted point does not establish its exact location, current condition, yield, quality or availability. Match reports to the owner history, drill date, driller and state well number, then arrange current testing and inspection. Uvalde CAD also cautions that its acreage and legal-description fields need verification before legal use.

The Land Readiness Passport helps organize the survey, aquifer determination, current district correspondence, registrations or permits, well reports and test results. It is a document organizer, not a finding that a parcel has water, an approved well or a particular yield. Confirm septic permitting and site layout separately with the local authority and qualified professionals.

Facts to help plan the next check

• Uvalde County has two distinct groundwater-management authorities relevant to parcel research: Uvalde County UWCD says it governs county aquifers other than the Edwards Aquifer, while the Edwards Aquifer Authority says its jurisdiction includes all of Uvalde County.
• The Uvalde County UWCD FAQ says the district has no jurisdiction over the Edwards Aquifer; its page directs people whose proposed well may drill into or through that aquifer to ask the driller about EAA permitting before work begins.
• Uvalde County UWCD defines a domestic/exempt well by its listed household or livestock uses and a maximum capability of 25,000 gallons per day or 17 gallons per minute; it says the owner or representative must register such a well before drilling within the District.
• Uvalde County UWCD describes an acreage rule for wells drilled into the Edwards Aquifer and says the UWCD itself has no authority over that aquifer. The acreage question cannot be answered from county name or tract size alone.
• The District’s published FAQ lists minimum separation distances for wells relative to septic systems and certain wastewater facilities; confirm the applicable current separation rule and proposed well location directly with the District and qualified designer.
• For non-exempt wells, the District publishes an application and public-notice sequence and says its office issues an approval letter that serves as the drilling permit; confirm current forms, fee amounts, notice steps and timing with the District.
• The Edwards Aquifer Authority says anyone intending to drill a well into or through the Edwards Aquifer must file the applicable well-construction or drilling-through application; its published program covers new construction, reconstruction and closure.
• TWDB provides different search paths for newer submitted driller reports and older well reports; it says older reports may be archived separately and some plotted coordinates may be inaccurate or absent.
• TWDB warns its Groundwater Database is not a complete inventory of all wells and says submitted driller-report locations are not verified by state staff and may be inaccurate.
• Uvalde CAD’s property-search disclaimer says legal descriptions and acreage amounts are for appraisal use and should be verified before legal use or documents.

Parcel-specific next checks

1. Start with the deed, title commitment, survey and legal description; use the appraisal-district account only as a search key, not a boundary determination.
2. Ask the proposed well driller to identify the target aquifer and whether the planned bore will enter or pass through the Edwards Aquifer.
3. Give the parcel location and proposed well use to Uvalde County UWCD and ask whether the tract is within its jurisdiction and what current registration, permit, spacing and reporting rules apply.
4. If Edwards Aquifer drilling or passage is possible, contact the Edwards Aquifer Authority before drilling and obtain the correct written permit determination.
5. For a domestic well under UWCD jurisdiction, obtain the District’s current registration form and written instructions before drilling; confirm the permitted use and capacity limits.
6. For a non-exempt or commercial-use well, request the current application, notice process, fee schedule, water-use reporting requirements and permit conditions directly from the District.
7. Search TWDB’s Submitted Drillers Report Database and older TCEQ well-report records using owner history, drill date, driller, well number and location; account for missing or inaccurate map coordinates.
8. Treat groundwater database points and historical well reports as research leads. Verify the actual well head, depth, condition, yield, water quality and legal right to use through appropriate records, testing and professionals.
9. Check Uvalde CAD and the Comptroller directory for tax-account and district contacts, then verify ownership, acreage, legal description, exemptions and current tax units with the responsible offices.
10. If septic service is proposed, identify the local OSSF permitting authority and have the site evaluated before relying on a well/septic layout or assumed separation distances.
11. Save dated responses, permits, well reports, test results and the survey together in the Land Readiness Passport; do not treat a map marker or verbal estimate as approval or proof of water supply.

Sources

• Uvalde County UWCD — local groundwater FAQ, aquifer jurisdiction, domestic well registration and separation questions ↗
• Uvalde County UWCD — explains that the district has no jurisdiction over the Edwards Aquifer and points to EAA permitting ↗
• Uvalde County UWCD — domestic/exempt well definition and pre-drilling registration form requirement ↗
• Uvalde County UWCD — current published non-exempt well application and public-notice steps; confirm current forms and fees ↗
• Edwards Aquifer Authority — permits for new construction, reconstruction or closure of wells that withdraw from or pass through the Edwards Aquifer ↗
• Edwards Aquifer Authority — jurisdiction includes all of Uvalde County and describes monitoring and critical-period measures ↗
• Texas Water Development Board — search steps for state well reports, including older records and the limits of map-based lookup ↗
• Texas Water Development Board — database scope and warning that well records and plotted locations may be incomplete or inaccurate ↗
• Uvalde County Appraisal District property search — appraisal acreage and legal descriptions must be verified before legal use ↗
• Texas Comptroller Uvalde County directory — appraisal district contact and taxing-unit reference ↗

Research checked 2026-11-08. Confirm current details for the exact parcel.

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