# New Jersey — Private well water testing at property sale: which states require it

For New Jersey, testing required at sale? is Every contract of sale of (1) real property the potable water supply for which is a private well located on the property, or (2) any other real property the potable water supply for which is a well that has less than 15 service connections or that does not regularly serve an average of at least 25 individuals daily at least 60 days out of the year, shall include a provision requiring, as a condition of the sale, the testing of that water supply for at least the parameters prescribed pursuant to sections 3 and 4 of this act; what must be tested is bacteria (total coliform); nitrates; iron; manganese; pH; all volatile organic compounds for which maximum contaminant levels have been established pursuant to P.L.1977, c.224 (C.58:12A-1 et seq.); and lead; authority is Private Well Testing Act, verified against its source on 2026-08-19.

- **State:** New Jersey _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Testing required at sale?:** Every contract of sale of (1) real property the potable water supply for which is a private well located on the property, or (2) any other real property the potable water supply for which is a well that has less than 15 service connections or that does not regularly serve an average of at least 25 individuals daily at least 60 days out of the year, shall include a provision requiring, as a condition of the sale, the testing of that water supply for at least the parameters prescribed pursuant to sections 3 and 4 of this act _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **What must be tested:** bacteria (total coliform); nitrates; iron; manganese; pH; all volatile organic compounds for which maximum contaminant levels have been established pursuant to P.L.1977, c.224 (C.58:12A-1 et seq.); and lead _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Authority:** Private Well Testing Act _(verified: appears in the quote below)_

## What the source says

> 2. a. Every contract of sale of (1) real property the potable water supply for which is a private well located on the property, or (2) any other real property the potable water supply for which is a well that has less than 15 service connections or that does not regularly serve an average of at least 25 individuals daily at least 60 days out of the year, shall include a provision requiring, as a condition of the sale, the testing of that water supply for at least the parameters prescribed pursuant to sections 3 and 4 of this act. b. Closing of title on the sale of the real property shall not occur unless both the buyer and the seller have received and reviewed a copy of the water test results. At closing, the buyer and seller both shall certify in writing that they have received and reviewed the water test results. C.58:12A-28 Water test parameters. 3. Every water test conducted in accordance with this act shall include a test for at least the following parameters: bacteria (total coliform); nitrates; iron; manganese; pH; all volatile organic compounds for which maximum contaminant levels have been established pursuant to P.L.1977, c.224 (C.58:12A-1 et seq.); and lead.

## Source

- https://pub.njleg.state.nj.us/Bills/2000/PL01/40_.PDF

Last verified: 2026-08-19. Review by: 2027-08-19.
Part of [Private well water testing at property sale: which states require it](https://referencesource.org/well-water-testing-at-property-transfer/).