Groundwater Conservation Districts in North Texas: What Property Owners Need to Know
Quick Answer
Most North Texas counties have a GCD that issues permits and sets spacing rules. Domestic wells under 25,000 gpd are generally exempt from production limits.
Texas groundwater law is built on the rule of capture — a landowner generally owns the groundwater beneath their property and can pump it. But since 2001, most Texas counties have an additional layer of oversight: a Groundwater Conservation District (GCD) that manages aquifer sustainability, sets drilling rules, and issues permits.
Understanding whether your county has a GCD, and which one, is the first step before drilling a water well anywhere in North Texas.
What GCDs Are and Why They Exist
GCDs are created under Texas Water Code Chapter 36. The Texas Legislature authorized them as the state’s preferred method for locally managing aquifer resources — the idea being that communities closest to the resource are best positioned to balance competing demands.
GCDs can:
- Require a permit before any new well is drilled
- Set minimum spacing between wells (typically measured from a property line or existing well)
- Limit total production for large-volume (non-exempt) wells
- Require meters and periodic reporting for production above a threshold
- Collect well completion data and maintain local records
GCDs cannot block a landowner from drilling a domestic well outright — the exemption for domestic/livestock use is guaranteed by Water Code Section 36.117 — but they can regulate how and where it is constructed.
GCD Map for the North Texas Service Area
| GCD | Counties | Aquifer Systems Managed |
|---|---|---|
| North Texas GCD | Collin, Cooke, Denton | Trinity, Woodbine, Seymour |
| Upper Trinity GCD | Wise, Parker, Hood | Trinity (Paluxy, Glen Rose, Twin Mountains; Antlers in Wise County) |
| Red River GCD | Grayson, Fannin | Woodbine, Trinity |
| Prairielands GCD | Johnson, Ellis, Somervell | Trinity, Woodbine |
| Northern Trinity GCD | Tarrant | Trinity |
| Middle Trinity GCD | Erath | Trinity |
| No GCD | Dallas, Kaufman, Rockwall, Hunt, Navarro, Palo Pinto | — |
Note on Palo Pinto County: Palo Pinto falls within Groundwater Management Area 8 for regional planning purposes but has no active Chapter 36 GCD. The Palo Pinto County Municipal Water District No. 1 is a water utility, not a regulatory GCD.
What “Exempt Well” Means
Most residential customers are drilling domestic or livestock wells — these are almost always exempt wells under Water Code Section 36.117. The statewide default threshold is production under 25,000 gallons per day, but in GCD counties the local district’s rule controls — some North Texas districts exempt domestic and livestock use by category with no volume cap, while others apply a pump-capacity test (17.36 gpm) regardless of use.
An exempt classification means:
- No GCD production permit or metering requirement (in most districts)
- The well can still be drilled without an extended review process
- The driller must still hold a TDLR license
- A completion report must still be filed with TDLR
Individual GCDs can still require notification or a simplified registration for exempt wells. Always verify with the district.
Counties With No GCD: TDLR and TWDB Only
If your property is in Dallas, Kaufman, Rockwall, Hunt, Navarro, or Palo Pinto, there is no GCD. The protections for groundwater quality and well construction come entirely from:
- TDLR licensing — the driller must be a licensed Texas Water Well Driller
- TWDB completion reports — filed within 60 days of finishing the well, per 16 TAC §76.70(1)
- TDLR construction standards — minimum casing depths, sanitary seal requirements, setback distances
We serve all 19 counties, including both GCD and non-GCD counties. We handle the permit application and reporting on your behalf for every well we drill.