As of November 19, 2007, anyone that sells their home in Weschester county that has a private water well must have it tested when they sign the contract of sale. The county introduced this law to monitor the water quality in the area regarding private wells. It requires the seller to have their well tested by a certified laboratory for a number of substances including chemicals, metals and other contaminants. The price for this test is estimated to be between $400 and $450 and must be paid for by the seller. The test must be ordered within 10 days of the signing of the contract. The law also states that the buyer and seller cannot waive the testing because a copy of the test results must be sent by the laboratory to the Department of Health and serious fines could result. This new law also affects tenants who rent a property that is supplied with well water. For more information and a list of certified laboratories, please visit the Department of Health website at
www.westchestergov.com/health.