We are considering a well?

When you say "dig it ourselves" -- if you mean "hand-dig a well ourselves" then that really isn't a good idea. Especially anywhere in Florida near a coast... which sounds like right where you live. The ground in our state is very close to sea level and mostly sand, which means the water table is very high and the ground is unstable. So when you dig a hole, if the sides aren't shored up all the way down, the sand will cave into the hole and could easily kill you. My water table (I live in south FL) is about 4' in the cow fields (can't dig a post hole deeper than 5'), 6' in my back yard, and 10' up next to the house.

That said, you did answer provide all the pertinent data in your question: the well is on your property, and for your personal use, so use the exemption legislated in FL s.373.326(2) and you can put in the well without a permit (normally issued by the local water management district). Any well you do put in has to stay under a 2" diameter, so that rules out hand-digging. Unless you're just going to use your well for watering your garden or your livestock, you should probably go down deeper than 20'.

The last 2 wells I put in were both 2" diameter wells and I hired them done with no permit under this statute. (I've used that exemption many times to put in wells for my cows.) You should try to find a guy whose father and grandfather before him have drilled wells in your county. My guy knew exactly what depth the best water would be found in this part of the county (most of Florida has a lot of tanins in the ground water that make the flavor of the water horrible (so you have to treat the well water if you don't know where the good stuff is). The right depth is "critical" knowledge before drilling a well. Because I didn't need a permit and he only went down 75', he put it in cheaply.

Digging a well is quite simple, but it can take more than two people to actually dig. one down the hole doing all the digging, 1 to work the windless winch at the top & the third to empty the full bucket.

Anyone can dig a hole, but if your unfamiliar where to locate water then it could become a big waste of time. Providing you know what your looking for through the earth's strata's, co's only an expert in the profession will know this. It's not a job for the in experienced.

Not knowing your local authorities conditions, I'd first consult your local council to get their advice.

digging holes downwards in the ground can be a dangerous past time, co's knowing if & when the sides of a hole are going to cave in.

Many wells that I have seen are dug very close to streams & in a rocky strata. When they were started, very game diggers planted explosives in the bottom of the well & quickly left the well & waited for the explosion that blew rocks, sand out of the well.

Knowing from what areas in the earth's strata's where your likely to find water is a skilled trade & just digging a hole in your back yard could end up a white elephant or become an air raid shelter if it doesn't produce water!

Do lots of research & talk with people in the know, before you actually put a shovel into the ground!

Cheers!

Usually, you can go to the department of agriculture and ask them for maps showing the water tables in your area. Things differ from state to state, but the agriculture department is the one that usually has this information. Once you have a map showing the water tables and the depths then you can check with your county or city as to whether you need a permit. A great deal of the time you don't need a permit unless the well is going to be over a certain depth or if the ground water in your area is regulated. Digging a well is not an easy project. Depending on the depth of the available water it can become quite laborious and costly. You could check with any drilling companies in you area for some information and assistance. If you have a very shallow water table in your area then it is quite possible you could dig the well yourself. BE SURE that if it is a large diameter dug well you constantly check for gas in the hole. In years past, many people died digging water wells because of the gas that accumulates in the bottom of the hole. Have you definitely decided on a manner with which you are going to do the digging? If you locate a very small and not very productive vein of water the larger the hole of the well the greater the reservoir will be so you will have more water available. If you find a very productive vein of water then this will not be a factor. Good luck with your endeavor and be very careful. I worked for a well-driller for years when I was younger and it is quite hard work. Of course, we used professional equipment and had to drill quite deep to secure a sufficient amount of water for the customers.

NO one DIGS a well anymore,its illegal and very dangerous,,,if the h20 table is less than 20 feet a well point is put on a length of 1 1/4 in pipe and driven into the ground,then a pump is attached to the pipe and there u go,,,i have simplified it basically thats how its done if the h20 table is more than 20 feet we wont go there

Well digging is not something that should be undertaken by a typical homeowner as a DIY project. It requires specialized equipment and permits that are usually only granted to licensed well drillers. Also, it may not be allowed depending on local ordinances for where you live.

Call your local Health Department. They regulate that