HB 2808 updates Oregon’s laws governing water well construction, alteration, abandonment, and conversion by increasing several fees and tightening administrative requirements for well contractors and certain landowners. The bill raises the start-card fee for new or modified wells from $350 to $490, increases contractor licensing and renewal fees, raises the fee for landowner permits from $500 to $550, and increases continuing-education course fees charged by the Water Resources Department. It also preserves and clarifies existing requirements for advance notice, confidentiality of start-card information, and department authority to inspect and enforce well-related rules.
The bill expands and formalizes the information that must be submitted before work begins on a well, including location, depth, purpose, timing, and GPS coordinates, and it authorizes the Water Resources Commission to set precision standards for GPS equipment. It also keeps in place licensing, bonding, and continuing-education requirements for water well constructors, including welding-related training standards and the ability of the department to suspend or revoke licenses for violations. For landowners who build or modify wells on their own property without a contractor license, the bill increases the permit fee and maintains the requirement for a bond or letter of credit and advance notice before sealing the well.
The bill’s main legal effect is to amend ORS 537.747, 537.753, and 537.762, along with a 2001 law governing continuing education for well constructors, while directing the resulting fees into Water Resources Department operating funds for inspection, enforcement, licensing, and training costs. It also applies retroactively to July 1, 2025, ratifying fees collected after that date but before the bill’s effective date, and it takes effect immediately as an emergency measure. In practical terms, the bill affects licensed water well constructors, well-drilling businesses, landowners who perform their own well work, and the Water Resources Department.
Overall sentiment appears generally supportive but not unanimous. The bill moved through committee and floor votes with clear majorities, including unanimous support in one early committee vote, but it also drew meaningful opposition in later committee and floor votes, especially in the House and Senate third-reading votes. The lack of recorded committee transcript discussion limits insight into detailed arguments, but the vote pattern suggests broad acceptance of the need to update fees and administrative controls, alongside some resistance to the higher costs imposed on the regulated industry and landowners.
The main point of contention is likely the fee increases and the added compliance burden. Supporters appear to view the bill as a funding and oversight measure that helps the Water Resources Department cover inspection, licensing, and enforcement costs and improve well-construction accountability. Opponents likely object to the higher costs for contractors, continuing education, and private landowners, as well as the retroactive ratification of fees and the emergency clause that accelerates implementation.
HB 2808 amends Oregon’s well-construction regulatory statutes by increasing fees, reinforcing licensing and bonding requirements, and expanding pre-work reporting obligations to the Water Resources Department. It directs fee revenue into department operating funds for inspection, enforcement, licensing, and continuing education, and it authorizes rulemaking on GPS precision and special timing exceptions. The bill affects water well constructors, permit applicants, landowners constructing wells on their own property, and the Water Resources Department, while also ratifying fees charged on or after July 1, 2025.
The bill appears to have received generally favorable treatment overall, passing both chambers, but with notable opposition at later stages. Early committee action was unanimous, while later committee and floor votes showed a meaningful minority of no votes in both the House and Senate. That pattern suggests broad agreement on the need to update the program, paired with concern about the size of the fee increases and the added regulatory requirements.
The principal controversy is the increase in fees for start cards, licensing, renewals, landowner permits, and continuing education, which directly raises costs for well contractors and some property owners. Another likely point of concern is the bill’s retroactive validation of fees collected after July 1, 2025, before enactment, and its emergency clause, which makes the changes effective immediately. Supporters emphasize funding for inspections and enforcement and stronger oversight of well work, while opponents appear to focus on affordability, administrative burden, and the pace of implementation.