Florida Underground Injection Control (UIC) Well Permits (Chapter 62-528)
- Endless Life Design
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
Beneath much of South Florida, drainage wells, air-conditioning return-flow wells, and disposal wells move fluid underground — and each of them falls under the state's Underground Injection Control program. When a project's drainage or HVAC design relies on an injection well, the permit comes before the pour. Endless Life Design coordinates that authorization as part of the site plan.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
What Underground Injection Control Covers
The Well Classes (I Through VI)
Class V Wells in South Florida
Construction/Clearance and Operation Permits
General Permits and Exemptions
Protecting Underground Sources of Drinking Water
County and Municipality Inspection Comments for Permit Approval
Related Resources
Why Choose Endless Life Design
WHAT UNDERGROUND INJECTION CONTROL COVERS
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection administers the federal Safe Drinking Water Act's Underground Injection Control (UIC) program in Florida under Chapter 62-528, F.A.C. The program regulates wells that place fluid below the land surface, with the central purpose of protecting underground sources of drinking water from contamination.
THE WELL CLASSES (I THROUGH VI)
Injection wells are grouped into classes:
Class I — deep wells injecting waste or treated effluent below the lowermost underground source of drinking water; most of Florida's are secondary-treated domestic effluent.
Class II — oil and gas operations.
Class III — solution mining of minerals.
Class IV — hazardous-waste wells, banned and repealed.
Class V — shallow wells injecting into or above an underground source of drinking water.
Class VI — geologic carbon sequestration.
CLASS V WELLS IN SOUTH FLORIDA
Class V is the group that touches everyday construction. Group 6 stormwater wells drain surface and storm runoff, or control lake levels, by discharging into a subsurface formation — a common drainage solution in Miami-Dade's porous limestone. Closed-loop air-conditioning return-flow wells, swimming pool drainage wells, cooling-water wells, and aquifer storage and recovery wells round out the category.
CONSTRUCTION/CLEARANCE AND OPERATION PERMITS
Class I and Class III wells require individual permits before construction, operation, or abandonment. Many Class V wells require a Construction/Clearance Permit under Rule 62-528.635 and then an Operation Permit under Rule 62-528.640, which is issued for up to five years and must be renewed at least 60 days before it expires.
GENERAL PERMITS AND EXEMPTIONS
Lower-risk wells are handled more simply. General permits cover the construction of closed-loop air-conditioning return-flow wells and swimming pool drainage wells, and certain Group 1 and pool wells are exempt from the operation-permit requirement when they meet the rule's criteria, including applicable drinking-water standards.
PROTECTING UNDERGROUND SOURCES OF DRINKING WATER
No injection may endanger an underground source of drinking water. The Department will not authorize a new well until any required corrective action is complete, and it limits injection pressure so fluid cannot move into drinking water through nearby wells. UIC authorization is coordinated with the well-construction permit and any delegated local program.
COUNTY AND MUNICIPALITY INSPECTION COMMENTS FOR PERMIT APPROVAL
Common comments include:
Drainage well proposed in the site plan without UIC authorization.
Operation permit lapsed because renewal was not filed 60 days before expiration.
Well sited near a drinking-water source without the pressure or clearance demonstration.
Closed-loop air-conditioning return well not registered under its general permit.
Abandonment of an old well not permitted or plugged as the rule requires.
RELATED RESOURCES
WHY CHOOSE ENDLESS LIFE DESIGN
Endless Life Design is a licensed Florida general contractor serving Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties across construction, engineering, architecture, interior design, and 3D rendering. We coordinate the specialized environmental and water permits that sit alongside the building permit, so the regulatory path is mapped and managed before the work begins.
Endless Life Design — Licensed Florida General Contractor. Visit endlesslifedesign.com, call (305) 680-3283, or email endlesslifedesign@endlesslifedesign.com.
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