Get your water tested in Montana.
The short answer
Montana’s list has 36 labs certified to test drinking water: 15 in Montana and 21 in other states. 2 of the labs here are named for a water utility and may test only its own water, so they come last.
Certification is test by test, so check that a lab is certified for what you want tested, and call first: it will say which bottles to use and how soon the sample has to arrive.
From the state
Montana State Environmental Laboratory
Private well testing packages for bacteria, metals, nutrients, anions, organic chemicals and more, open to the public. Samples can be mailed, sent by the lab's free courier, or dropped off at the lab.
Environmental Laboratory, Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, checked Oct. 10, 2026
Labs in Montana
13 labs, by city.
| Lab | City | Phone | Certified for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy Laboratories, Inc. | Billings | (800) 735-4489 | Bacteria, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals |
| Bridger Analytical Laboratory | Bozeman | (406) 582-0822 | Bacteria, minerals and other inorganics |
| Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology | Butte | (406) 496-4747 | Minerals and other inorganics |
| MSM Laboratory | Butte | (406) 491-5562 | Bacteria |
| Alpine Analytical | Helena | (406) 449-6282 | Bacteria, minerals and other inorganics |
| DPHHS State of Montana Environmental Laboratory | Helena | (406) 444-3444 | Bacteria, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals |
| Energy Laboratories, Inc. | Helena | (406) 442-0711 | Bacteria, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals |
| Montana Environmental Laboratory | Kalispell | (406) 755-2131 | Bacteria, minerals and other inorganics |
| Aqua Tech Laboratory | Lewistown | (406) 538-6988 | Bacteria |
| Missoula CCHD Water Lab | Missoula | (406) 523-4755 | Bacteria |
| RD Water Lab, LLC | Missoula | (406) 721-8179 | Bacteria |
| Water Technologies Laboratory | Missoula | (406) 549-8868 | Bacteria |
| Mission Mountain Laboratories | Ravalli | (406) 370-1089 | Bacteria |
Labs in other states
21 labs Montana certifies outside the state, by state and city. Ask whether a lab takes samples by mail, and how fast they have to arrive.
| Lab | City | Phone | Certified for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weck Laboratory Inc. | Hacienda Heights, CA | (626) 336-2139 | Radioactivity |
| Eurofins Eaton Analytical, Inc. | Pomona, CA | (626) 386-1100 | Minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals |
| Eurofins Denver | Arvada, CO | (303) 736-0100 | Minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals |
| Pace Analytical Services LLC- Florida | Ormond Beach, FL | (386) 672-5668 | Minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals |
| Anatek Labs | Moscow, ID | (208) 823-2839 | Bacteria |
| Pace Analytical Services LLC- Peoria | Peoria, IL | (309) 683-1775 | Minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals |
| Culligan Analytical Laboratory | Rosemont, IL | (847) 430-1284 | Bacteria, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals |
| Eurofins Eaton Analytical, LLC- South Bend | South Bend, IN | (574) 233-4777 | Minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals |
| Pace Analytical Services LLC- MPLS | Minneapolis, MN | (612) 607-1700 | Minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals |
| Eurofins Built Environmental Testing East - Cary | Cary, NC | (919) 481-1413 | Asbestos |
| SGS North America, Inc. | Wilmington, NC | (910) 350-1903 | Minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals |
| Astro-Chem Lab Inc. | Williston, ND | (701) 572-7355 | Bacteria |
| EMSL Analytical, Inc. | Cinnaminson, NJ | (800) 220-3675 | Minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals |
| ALS Laboratory Group Environmental Division | Cincinnati, OH | (513) 733-5336 | Asbestos |
| Pace Analytical Services, Inc.- Pitts | Greensburg, PA | (724) 850-5600 | Radioactivity |
| Eurofins Lancaster Laboratories Environmental, LLC | Lancaster, PA | (717) 656-2300 | Minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals |
| Pace Analytical NCT&I | Mt. Juliet, TN | (615) 758-5858 | Minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals |
| NOVA Biologics, Inc. | Conroe, TX | (936) 756-5333 | Bacteria |
| Anatek Labs, Inc. | Spokane, WA | (509) 838-3999 | Minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals |
| Energy Laboratories, Inc. - Casper | Casper, WY | (307) 235-0515 | Minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals |
| PACE Analytical-Sheridan | Sheridan, WY | (307) 672-8945 | Bacteria, minerals and other inorganics, organic chemicals |
Labs run by water utilities
2 labs named for a water utility or its plant. A utility’s lab may test only its own system’s water, so call before taking a sample there.
| Lab | City | Phone | Certified for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billings Public Utilities Department | Billings | (406) 657-8346 | Bacteria, minerals and other inorganics |
| Great Falls Water Plant Lab | Great Falls | (406) 727-1325 | Bacteria |
What to ask a lab to test
- On a private well: no one else tests it. What to test a well for, and how often.
- On city water: your utility tests what leaves the plant, not what your own pipes add. Testing your tap for lead.
- What it costs: fees vary by lab and by test, and some states test wells for free. What a water test costs.
- Anything your utility’s report flags: a lab certified for that contaminant can test your own tap. Montana utilities’ reports.
Source: Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, Water Laboratory Certification Program, certified laboratories, read Oct. 10, 2026. Labs are listed as the state lists them; what each is certified for is as far as the list says. Certifications change, so a lab’s own word is the latest.
A lab named for a water utility is listed apart. Distances on town pages are straight lines between ZIP code centers from the Census 2020 gazetteer. How labs are listed here.
Where to go next
- Testing a private wellWhat to test for every year, what else depends on where you live, and reading the results.How to test well water
- Montana utilitiesEvery utility with a full report: what its results show, and its violations.Montana tap water
- Labs in other statesEvery state TapBuff has read, and where to find the rest.Certified labs by state