The entire Fangezhuang minefield is covered by the Quaternary alluvium, and the bottom gravel layer is an important confined aquifer in the upper part of the coal-bearing strata. When the shallow coal seam was mined, because of the rich aquifer, in order to ensure that it was not affected by the overburden during the mining process, it was necessary to study the height of the overburden fracture zone and reasonably leave a waterproof and safe coal pillar. The 3553S fully mechanized mining face of Fangezhuang Mine was taken as an example, the height of the water-conducting fracture zone was predicted by the empirical formula method, and then measured by downhole drilling method. Finally, the development height of the fractured water-conducting fracture zone was comprehensively judged. The results showed that the height of the water-conducting fracture zone predicted by the empirical formula method  basically consistent with the field test results. The combined results showed that the maximum height of the water-conducting fracture zone after the mining face was 37.23 m.