Best well drillers in Avery County, North Carolina
Not a pay-to-play list: these are the 23 drilling companies with wells on record in Avery County, ranked by wells actually drilled here — 380 logged wells in well construction records (Form GW-1) filed with NC DEQ's Division of Water Resources, together with the USGS National Water Information System groundwater inventory (records as of 2026-10-12). Every number links back to the public record.
| # | Company | In Avery Co. since 2016 | All-time in county | Statewide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keith Presnell | 84 | 115 | 441 |
| 2 | Ricky Huffman | 59 | 61 | 222 |
| 3 | Kenny Jordan | 50 | 50 | 73 |
| 4 | Gary Sherrill | 19 | 19 | 97 |
| 5 | Gary Justice | 16 | 20 | 254 |
| 6 | Jonathan L Miller | 11 | 11 | 46 |
| 7 | Rex Meadows | 10 | 11 | 813 |
| 8 | Jonathan Miller | 9 | 22 | 60 |
| 9 | Jerry Watkins | 8 | 8 | 329 |
| 10 | John V. Kuykendall | 8 | 8 | 42 |
| 11 | Milton E. Cave | 6 | 6 | 134 |
| 12 | Kenneth Jordan | 5 | 5 | 70 |
| 13 | Matthew Brown | 4 | 6 | 261 |
| 14 | Richard Reese | 4 | 4 | 87 |
| 15 | Albert Slate | 3 | 19 | 37 |
| 16 | Paul Poyner | 3 | 3 | 116 |
| 17 | Jody W Mullis | 3 | 3 | 28 |
| 18 | Garrett Padgett | 2 | 2 | 298 |
| 19 | Milton E Cove | 2 | 2 | 48 |
| 20 | Randall Main | 2 | 2 | 28 |
| 21 | James Hall | 1 | 1 | 142 |
| 22 | David Hardy | 1 | 1 | 74 |
| 23 | Shane Gossett | 1 | 1 | 60 |
Ranked by wells drilled in Avery County since 2016 (then all-time), from the full NC DEQ + USGS record. A ★ marks a featured sponsor — sponsors must appear in the county record to be listed, and the ranking below them is never reordered.
Who drills the most wells in Avery County?
Keith Presnell has drilled the most Avery County wells in the recent record — 84 since 2016, 115 in the county all-time.
How many well drilling companies work in Avery County?
23 companies in the NC DEQ + USGS record have drilled wells in Avery County; 22 of them have drilled somewhere in North Carolina since 2022. Smaller operators below the record threshold may also serve the area.
How deep is a typical well in Avery County?
The median drilled depth in Avery County is 300 ft, based on 1,987 recorded wells. Depths, water levels, and yields are on the Avery County wells page.
Well depths, static water levels, tested yields, and drilling cost estimates for this county live on the Avery County wells page.
Free. Goes to licensed drillers working Avery County.
Drill in Avery County?
If your company is on this list, your profile is free to claim — confirm your details and add your contact information so Avery County property owners reach you directly.
Claim your profileFree to claim · built from NC DEQ + USGS public well-log records.