Hire with confidence
How to check a contractor, what to ask, and what to get in writing. Reviewed October 30, 2026.
A well, a septic system or a road is a five figure job you only buy once, from someone
you probably found by asking around. Montana gives you real ways to check who you are hiring. Most people never use
them. This page shows you where they are, what to ask, and what to get on paper before anyone shows up with a rig.
The short version
- Confirm the license that applies to the trade. Each trade is licensed by a different office, listed below.
- Get at least two written quotes, itemized the same way, so you can compare them line by line.
- Put scope, price, payment schedule and who pulls which permit in a written contract.
- Keep every document. For a well, make sure you receive your copy of the well log.
Step 1. Check the right license for the trade
Montana does not have one contractor license. Each trade answers to a different office, and a license in one
does not cover another.
- Well drilling
- Water well contractors and drillers are licensed by the
Montana Board of Water Well Contractors,
attached to DNRC. State law makes it unlawful to drill a water well without a valid license, and a licensed driller
must work for a licensed water well contractor. Contractors must carry a $25,000 bond under current law.
The Board keeps a list of licensed drillers and contractors by location on its page, or call the Board at
(406) 444-6643 to confirm a license.
- Pump installation
- Putting a pump in a finished well is not part of well construction under the Board's
rules, so the Board does not license it. The electrical and plumbing connections are licensed work: look up the
electrician through the State
Electrical Board and the plumber through the Board
of Plumbers, both at the Department of Labor and Industry.
- Septic installation
- Septic systems are permitted by your county health department, and installer
licensing is set county by county. Flathead County, for example, requires every installer to be licensed through
the county; Lewis and Clark County requires certification for some system types. Call your county sanitarian, ask
whether the installer is on the county's list, and ask for their license number. Our
septic page reproduces the county rosters we have.
- Excavation, roads and general work
- Since January 1, 2026, construction contractors in Montana are licensed
by the Department
of Labor and Industry, replacing the old registration. Some are exempt, including an independent contractor with
no employees, jobs under $2,500, licensed electricians and plumbers working within their license, and water well
contractors. Ask which applies. To confirm a license, use the
DLI licensee
lookup, or call DLI at (406) 444-7734.
- Wildfire mitigation and clearing
- Montana has no license for fuels reduction contractors. Ask for
references from jobs like yours and walk one if you can. DNRC offers a free
home wildfire risk assessment
that tells you what work is worth paying for before you hire anyone. See our wildfire guide
for cost share programs.
A note on our own listings
The driller counts on this site come from well logs, and the septic lists are reproduced
from county rosters. Neither tells you whether someone's license is current today, and a Featured listing is paid
advertising, not a recommendation. Run the checks on this page for anyone you hire, including anyone you found here.
Step 2. Questions to ask before you hire
Every contractor
- What license applies to this work, and what is the number? Who on your crew holds it?
- Can I talk to two people you did similar work for in this county in the last two years?
- Who pulls the permits, and who schedules the inspections?
- When can you start, and what usually pushes that date back?
- How do you bill: fixed price, per foot, per hour, or per load? What is not included?
Well drillers, also ask
- How deep are the wells you have drilled near my land, and what did they produce? (You can check their answer:
every well log is public at the Ground Water Information Center,
and Montana Water Report shows the wells around a property.)
- What happens to the price if you hit a dry hole or have to go much deeper than expected?
- Is a pump test included? Is the pump, pressure tank and wiring in your price, or a separate contractor?
- Will a licensed driller be on site the whole time the rig is running?
Septic installers, also ask
- Has the site evaluation been done, and does your design match what the county approved?
- Which system type is this, and are you certified by the county to install it?
- Who arranges the county's inspection before the system is covered?
Step 3. Compare quotes line by line
Two quotes are only comparable if they price the same things. Ask each contractor to break the job into lines like
these, and fill in any gaps before you decide.
- A well quote
- Mobilization; drilling per foot; casing per foot; the seal or grout at the top; screen or
perforations at the bottom; well development; a pump test; and what happens on a dry hole. The pump, pressure tank,
pitless adapter, trenching and wiring are often a separate quote.
- A septic quote
- The tank and its size; the drainfield type and size; excavation and fill; any pump or
advanced treatment unit; the permit fee; and restoring the site after.
- An excavation or road quote
- Length and width; depth of base and surfacing; culverts; hauling; and how
rock or water is priced if they hit it.
The cheapest quote is often the one that left the most out. A per foot price with no ceiling is normal for wells,
because nobody knows the depth until they drill; agree in writing what happens at the point where you would want to
stop and talk.
Step 4. Get it in writing
- Scope. What will be built, where, and to what standard. Attach the permit or design.
- Price and how it can change. Fixed price, or unit prices with a point where they must check with you.
- Payment schedule tied to milestones, not dates. Hold a final payment until the work passes its
inspection.
- Permits. Who applies for which permit, and who pays for it.
- Paperwork you will receive. For a well, the well log. For septic, the county's final approval.
- Cleanup and site restoration, and who removes spoils, slash or old material.
Step 5. Paperwork after the work, and who files what
- The driller files the well log
- Montana law requires the driller to file a well log with the Montana Bureau
of Mines and Geology within 60 days of completing the well, and to give the owner a copy. If you do not get yours,
ask, and you can look it up yourself in the
Ground Water Information Center.
- You file the water right paperwork
- The driller does not do this for you. Since January 1, 2026 you must
file a Notice of Intent (Form 602I, $400) with DNRC and have it authorized before putting a new exempt well to use,
and later a Notice of Completion (Form 602). Our well permit guide
walks through it.
- Septic is closed out by the county
- The county inspects the system before it is covered. Keep the final
approval with your property records; a buyer or lender will ask for it.
If something goes wrong
- Talk first, in writing. Describe the problem, what you want done, and a reasonable date. Keep a copy.
- Well construction problems can be reported to the Board of Water Well Contractors. The Board deals
with construction standards; it cannot settle billing or business disputes.
- Defects in a home. For a claim about a construction defect in a single family residence, Montana
law requires written notice to the contractor before a lawsuit, and gives them 21 days to respond in writing.
- Unfair business practices can be reported to the
Montana
Office of Consumer Protection, (406) 444-4500 or (800) 481-6896.
- Licensed trades such as electricians and plumbers: complaints go to DLI Business Standards at
(406) 841-2357.
For anything with real money at stake, talk to a Montana attorney. This page is a starting point, not legal advice.
Sources, checked October 30, 2026: Montana Board of Water Well Contractors (bwwc.mt.gov); MCA 37-43-301,
37-43-302 and 37-43-306; DNRC, Water Well Drilling for the Prospective Well Owner; MCA 85-2-516 and ARM 36.21.639 (well
logs); MCA 85-2-306 and DNRC Notice of Intent handout (Forms 602I and 602); Montana Department of Labor and Industry,
Construction Contractor licensing and HB 239 (2025); MCA 37-45-104 (exemptions); DLI State Electrical Board and Board of
Plumbers; Flathead County and Lewis and Clark County environmental health septic installer pages; MCA 70-19-426 and
70-19-427; Montana Department of Justice, Office of Consumer Protection; DNRC Forestry.
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