Water Bore Drilling & Installation prices in Perth
This page publishes no job prices, because a Perth bore cannot be priced honestly without the address. Depth to the watertable, the ground, the access and the water quality all change the job, and each is something you can check yourself before a contractor visits.
Call (08) 6311 4037Water bore rules
The WA Government's own lines on garden bores, bore construction and the sprinkler roster, and Before You Dig Australia's, each with the page it comes from and the date it was read. Most turn on your address, so check yours on the Perth Groundwater Map.
| Rule | Applies to | Source |
|---|---|---|
| WA does not require a licence for a garden bore that waters fewer than 2,000 m2 of domestic garden and lawn from the shallow watertable aquifer, such as Perth's Superficial aquifer.About water bore drilling | a domestic garden bore | WA Government, Garden bores: frequently asked questions · read |
| In a proclaimed groundwater area, for 2,000 m2 or more of garden and lawn, for commercial use, or on an artesian aquifer, a licence is required from the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation. Perth's Leederville and Yarragadee aquifers are artesian.About water bore drilling | a proclaimed groundwater area | WA Government, Garden bores: frequently asked questions · read |
| Constructing, deepening or altering an artesian well, or any non-artesian well in a proclaimed groundwater area, needs a 26D licence first; a watertable bore built for standard domestic purposes, such as a garden bore, does not. A 26D licence requires the bore to be built by a certified driller.About water bore drilling | an artesian well, or a well in a proclaimed area | WA Government, Types of water licences and permits · read |
| The Perth Groundwater Map gives, for your property, the estimated depth to the base of the watertable aquifer: the maximum bore depth for non-commercial use without an approved groundwater licence.About water bore drilling | your address | WA Government, Perth groundwater map · read |
| The same map shows whether your area suits a garden bore. The Department lists areas generally unsuitable: the Cottesloe Peninsula, around Secret Harbour and Port Kennedy, within 200 m of the ocean or the Swan River Estuary, in and around the Perth foothills, near wetlands and near contaminated sites.About water bore drilling | your address | WA Government, Perth groundwater map · read WA Government, Garden bores: frequently asked questions · read |
| From 1 September to 31 May, garden bore sprinklers may run once a day, before 9am or after 6pm, on two rostered days a week. The days are set by the last digit of your house number, or your lot number if there is none.About bore and reticulation connection | your house number | WA Government, Check garden bore water restrictions · read |
| Sprinklers must not be used from 1 June to 31 August each year.About bore and reticulation connection | every property | WA Government, Garden bores: frequently asked questions · read |
| Using sprinklers between 9am and 6pm, during the winter switch-off or outside your rostered days can be fined A$100.About bore and reticulation connection | every property | WA Government, Check garden bore water restrictions · read |
| If a shared bore's system cannot water only on each property's rostered days, the bore can be registered to avoid an infringement.About bore and reticulation connection | a shared bore | WA Government, Garden bores: frequently asked questions · read |
| Watering a new lawn or garden outside the roster while it establishes needs a temporary exclusion, applied for first.About bore and reticulation connection | a new lawn or garden | WA Government, Garden bores: frequently asked questions · read |
| Garden bore water is not safe to drink without testing, treatment as required and ongoing monitoring.About water bore drilling | any garden bore | WA Government, Garden bores: frequently asked questions · read |
| Lodge a Before You Dig Australia enquiry before digging. It is free to lodge; in some instances, asset owners may charge to supply information.About water bore drilling | any job value | Before You Dig Australia, FAQs · read |
This lists each source's own lines as read; it is not legal advice, and it sets no price.
What moves the number
Depth comes first, and it is an address question. The WA Government's Perth groundwater map estimates the depth to the watertable and to the base of the Superficial aquifer beneath a property, and the map's own page describes that base as the maximum allowable bore depth for non-commercial use without the Department's approval. Ground comes second: sand on the coastal plain is drilled and gravel-packed, while the Hills are lateritic clay and gravel over granite, hammered rather than drilled, with water in fractures. The Department's garden bore guidance names areas in and around the Perth foothills as generally unsuitable because groundwater is patchy and yields are likely to be unproductive, so a Hills quote should talk about a range. Location matters on the coast too: land within 200 m of the ocean or the Swan River Estuary is on the same list, because of saltwater intrusion risks. Then access, meaning whether a rig can reach the spot the bore needs to be. Last, water quality: iron staining is common in Perth, and the map carries an iron staining risk tab beside an acid sulphate soil risk tab, so it shows before the job whether the sprinklers, not just the bore, need thought.
How a quote gets made, and the fees that are not the contractor's
The contractor needs the address to know the ground and the likely depth, the block to know the access, and the retic to size the pump. Ask for the work to meet the Minimum Construction Requirements for Water Bores in Australia, which the Department says garden bore construction should meet, and ask for the bore log at the end. The government's own fees are separate from any contractor's price. Western Australia does not require a licence for a garden bore watering under 2,000 m² of domestic garden and lawn from the shallow watertable aquifer, but from 0.2 hectares up, for commercial use, or on an artesian aquifer such as Perth's Leederville and Yarragadee aquifers, the Department's approval is needed. Its page of fees for water applications, last updated 18 May 2023, lists an assessment fee for an application to construct or alter a well of A$172 at low risk, A$215 at medium risk and A$269 at high risk. That page describes its fee structure as the one for the mining and public water supply sectors, so it does not say what a household applicant would pay; the Department's number is 1800 508 885. The one penalty the sprinkler rules set for a household is a fine of A$100.
Costs and fees by service
None of these pages publishes a job price. Each sets out what to check at your address, and what the WA Government says about it.
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Last reviewed · Updated · First published