Well Registration FAQs
Program Overview
Well registration is the next critical step for effective, sustainable groundwater management under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). A well registry demonstrates to the State our commitment to managing the sustainability process effectively, supports ongoing studies required by the State to fill key data gaps, and supports long-term planning efforts by the North Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA). Well registration also equips the North Kings GSA with the tools needed to respond if groundwater conditions are not on track with our sustainability goals, ensuring the agency can take action if necessary. The agency has been successful at keeping local groundwater efforts intact under SGMA because of our proactive approach so far. Maintaining this momentum makes sure we keep the State out of groundwater management decision-making and leave it in the hands of local leaders who know our area’s unique assets and challenges.
The North Kings GSA is a locally run agency, with a Board of Directors made up of people with a deep knowledge and respect for the area – the directors have a vested interest in making sure the community thrives. The Board of Directors is comprised of seven seats representing the North Kings GSA’s member agencies: Fresno Irrigation District (Seat 1); Garfield and Internal Water districts (Seat 2); Bakman Water Company, Biola CSD, CSU Fresno, and City of Kerman (Seat 3); City of Clovis (Seat 4); City of Fresno (Seat 5); County of Fresno (Seat 6); At-Large (Seat 7).
Because of the foresight and planning by our community’s water leaders since the passage of SGMA, the North Kings GSA has avoided severe consequences other regions now face.
Well registration is a tool we’ll use to demonstrate that local control is working, and it’s how landowners can do their part to help keep groundwater management in local hands.
Regions that failed to demonstrate they had systems in place to manage groundwater effectively are facing costly and strict requirements from the State, including pumping limitations, fees, and mandated data reporting directly to the State.
The North Kings GSA has powers vested by the State under California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) to manage groundwater resources locally by developing and implementing a Groundwater Sustainability Plan. This authority includes the ability to implement rules, regulations, and policies like well registration to support long-term sustainability efforts. The GSA Board of Directors adopted the Well Registration Program Policy (NKGSA Policy 2025-001) at its April 24, 2025 meeting, making well registration a requirement.
The North Kings GSA has included domestic wells in its registry process to gain a better understanding of where these wells are located, how many are in the region, and who owns and/or relies on a domestic well for household purposes so the agency can be a helpful resource to these well owners. The North Kings GSA is actively working to halt the chronic groundwater level decline that has historically occurred in the region but anticipates groundwater levels will continue to decline until stabilizing by 2040, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act deadline for sustainability. The information gathered from the registry helps the agency understand who might be impacted by this expected decline, and supports the development of tools and communications capabilities between the GSA and well owners so they have resources to respond and plan to current groundwater conditions.
It is important to note that registration does not mean the North Kings GSA plans to regulate, meter, or restrict private domestic well pumping. Wells pumping less than 2 acre-feet (~652,000 gallons) per year for household purposes (e.g. cooking, drinking, sanitation, lawns, gardens) are considered “de minimus” pumpers. The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) is designed to protect de minimus pumpers by bringing about sustainable groundwater conditions and therefore reducing the impact of declining groundwater levels on domestic wells.
Yes. While the well registration requirement is new for the North Kings GSA, well registration is already ongoing and required in nearby GSAs, including North Fork Kings and McMullin Area (MAGSA), both within the Kings Subbasin. Expanding these efforts across the Kings Subbasin strengthens our collective ability to achieve groundwater sustainability by 2040 under SGMA.
The first public announcement about well registration was made in November 2022 via the GSA’s website and email blast to stakeholders, recapping the Board’s approval to develop Subcurrent, the well registration platform. Since then, the GSA has continued to publish and distribute updates and information about registration.
The well registration requirement is part of the North Kings GSA’s proactive approach to groundwater management under SGMA. It follows the GSA’s voluntary registration effort that began in March 2024. Full participation from all well owners is needed to demonstrate the right mechanisms are in place to fill key data gaps and manage groundwater effectively over the long term. After more than a year of voluntary registration, well registration became mandatory on May 1, 2025, with a deadline of November 30, 2025. The registration deadline has since been extended to January 30, 2026.
By registering your well, you’re directly helping to:
– Keep groundwater management in local hands
– Provide the data needed for groundwater sustainability
– Protect access to water now and for future generations
– Develop tools needed to effectively manage groundwater
Additionally, well registration is a prerequisite to access funding incentives for well meter installation through a new (coming soon) Fresno Irrigation District grant program. It is also one of the eligibility requirements for domestic well mitigation through the Kings Subbasin’s My Dry Well Program.
Registration Requirements
All groundwater wells located within the North Kings GSA must be registered by the November 30, 2025, deadline. Owners of agricultural, industrial, private domestic (household), school district, and public water system wells should complete the registration. Wells used for the extraction of anything other than groundwater do not need to register.
To check if your well falls within the North Kings GSA boundaries, visit subcurrentapp.com/register/verifyMap and use our mapping tool to search and find out.
Yes, registering inactive or abandoned wells is required. Properly destroyed wells do not need to be registered.
Community residents who are part of a public water system do not need to register. However, community water system managers should contact the North Kings GSA to discuss registering any wells used for public water system supply. Email at wells@northkingsgsa.org or call us at (559) 693-5119.
Registration Process
The well registration process is streamlined through the use of Subcurrent, the well registration platform. To register, visit northkingsgsa.org/wellregistration.
The North Kings GSA has a team ready to support well owners with well registration. While demand for support may increase during certain time windows, we aim to respond within 72 hours after receiving your message. Request an appointment by filling out our request form at northkingsgsa.org/wellregistration and a team member will reach out to you. You can also contact us by email at wells@northkingsgsa.org or call us at (559) 693-5119 to receive assistance. Please note that our team is monitoring during normal agency operating hours, Monday – Friday from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM (closed 12:00 to 1:00 PM for lunch).
The initial deadline for all wells to be registered in Subcurrent was November 30, 2025. The registration deadline has since been extended to January 30, 2026. Starting February 1, 2026, a $100 late registration fee will apply per well. Do not wait to register your wells. Start early to allow adequate time to gather well information and receive support from the North Kings GSA team if needed.
Please include any information you have available when registering your well. Even partial information will help support local groundwater management and improve the North Kings GSA’s understanding of how many wells and what types of wells are within the agency.
If you have a large number of wells, you can use a well registration excel workbook to upload your well information Subcurrent. If you choose this route, we still ask that you set up an account through Subcurrent. You will be able to download the workbook within Subcurrent once you create your account. You can either upload the completed workbook yourself, or email it to our team at wells@northkingsgsa.org and we will upload it into your account for you.
Late Fees
Late registration fees encourage timely well registration so the North Kings GSA can maintain complete, consistent data for all groundwater users. Registrations submitted after the deadline require additional follow-up and processing time, and this fee helps offset those costs. Registration has been open without a late fee since March 2024. The policy requiring registration went into effect May 1, 2025.
Your well registration will not be considered complete unless the late registration fee is paid.
Starting February 1, 2026, the late fee is $100 per well. If the fee is not paid, the registration remains incomplete and the well owner is out of compliance with the North Kings GSA’s Groundwater Extraction Facility Registration Policy — NKGSA-2025-001. The Board of Directors has the discretion to enforce additional fees and penalties for well owners who remain out of compliance.
After registering your well on Subcurrent, you will be prompted to pay the late registration fee. Payment may be submitted online using PayPal or a debit or credit card.
Alternatively, payment can be submitted by cash, check, or money order. Please first register the well in Subcurrent before submitting payment. To make sure your payment is correctly applied to your account, include the first and last name, phone number, and physical address associated with the well(s) you registered, in addition to the four-digit Subcurrent well ID number(s) with your payment. Checks and money orders should be made payable to “North Kings GSA” and should include the well ID(s) in the memo line. Payments submitted without this information will not be applied to your account. Please mail payments to 2907 S Maple Ave, Fresno, CA 93725. You can call (559) 693-5119 or email wells@northkingsgsa.org with questions about accepted payment types, instructions, or payment confirmation.
Yes. Well owners may request a waiver for the late registration fee through Subcurrent. Waiver requests must include a reason for the request and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Approval is not guaranteed and is subject to review.
Use of Information
Access to the well information provided will be limited to the North Kings GSA management and its technical consultants. This information will be used for the purposes of managing groundwater resources locally and addressing data gaps in the Groundwater Sustainability Plan. The support team will also have access to the information solely for the purposes of providing user support. Well registration data will not be disclosed to individuals, agencies, or the State in a way that ties the information back to the individual well owner.
The information collected through well registration will be used for the purposes of managing groundwater resources locally and will also be used to support the long-term sustainable management of groundwater. This is an important piece that connects all the other activities and projects being undertaken to reach targets for groundwater sustainability by 2040.
Additionally, the information allows the GSA to assess the impacts of groundwater level declines on well owners and is essential for the continued reliability of both domestic and production wells. Knowing the location and depths of wells will also help the GSA communicate more effectively with well owners who may be at risk of their wells going dry due to lowering groundwater levels.
Well Registration’s Role in Sustainability
Well registration serves as a key tool for adaptive groundwater management under SGMA. Through the information from well registration, the North Kings GSA can better manage groundwater supply long-term, and plan for the introduction of management actions, if necessary, to meet the State’s expectations for sustainability.
The GSA recognizes the impact that laws and regulations like SGMA can have on local groundwater users and aims to achieve sustainability goals through locally led efforts. This approach allows us to tailor sustainability actions specifically to our region, reduce impacts on residents, and bring the maximum benefits possible along the way.
While we believe our area is well-positioned to achieve sustainability locally by 2040, the latest evaluations show that there is still significant work to be done. Although groundwater trends showed some recovery following the historic 2023 wet year, chronic over-pumping has caused the groundwater table to steadily decline. Well registration is a necessary tool to better understand these trends, manage groundwater effectively, and supports the North Kings GSA’s long-term planning efforts on its path toward sustainability.
