Water Testing in Michigan: What Gets Tested, What It Costs, and When a Lender Requires It
A buyer's guide to well water tests in Genesee, Washtenaw and the 16 other counties we serve
A Michigan well water test checks for coliform bacteria, E. coli (Escherichia coli), nitrate, nitrite, lead and arsenic, and compares each result with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) drinking water standard. Michigan Property Inspections offers water testing from $175 when added to a home inspection, with lab results back in 2 to 7 business days. A lender requires the test on every Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) loan with a private well, on Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans when the well is new, flagged by the appraiser or close to a farm, landfill or industrial site, and on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) loans, where the report may be no more than 120 days old at closing.
What does a well water test check for?
Total coliform and E. coli. The EPA says coliform bacteria are not a health threat by themselves; they are the indicator that other, harmful organisms can reach the water through a cracked cap, an ungrouted casing or a flooded well pit. E. coli signals fecal contamination. Both come back "present" or "absent," and a safe well reads absent for both.
Nitrate and nitrite. These come from fertilizer, feedlots and leaking septic systems. The EPA limit is 10 milligrams per liter (mg/L) for nitrate and 1 mg/L for nitrite. Infants under six months who drink water above the limit can develop blue baby syndrome, which the EPA warns can be fatal if untreated.
Lead. Groundwater here rarely carries lead. It comes from solder in homes built before 1986 and faucets sold before 2014. The federal action level is 15 parts per billion (ppb), and Michigan's own action level dropped to 12 ppb on January 1, 2025.
Arsenic. It occurs naturally in bedrock, and the standard is 0.010 mg/L, the same as 10 ppb. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) ties long-term exposure to cancer and to skin, blood vessel, heart and nerve damage. A U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) study found elevated arsenic in wells across Genesee, Huron, Lapeer, Livingston, Oakland, Sanilac, Shiawassee, Tuscola and Washtenaw counties. In Genesee County, only 81 of the 224 well analyses the USGS reviewed, about 36 percent, came in at or below 10 ppb, and the highest, 96 ppb, was a 260-foot well in Davison Township. That sample leaned toward wells with a reason to be tested, but it is why arsenic belongs on every well test here.
How much does water testing cost in Michigan?
Our water testing starts at $175 when added to a home inspection. The inspector draws the sample during the inspection, delivers it to the lab, and results arrive in 2 to 7 business days; the home inspection report itself is a same-day digital report.
The county and state option is cheaper. Washtenaw County Environmental Health in Ann Arbor sells sample bottles for a $15 coliform test with results in 24 hours and $15 arsenic and lead tests with results in 5 days. EGLE's Drinking Water Laboratory in Lansing mails kits statewide, $16 for coliform and $18 each for arsenic and lead under the fee schedule that runs through September 2026, with new prices on October 1, 2026. EGLE says to allow 5 to 7 business days to process a kit order, plus shipping, and up to about 10 business days for results after the lab receives the sample.
Buyers order a private test anyway because FHA and VA require a disinterested third party to collect and transport the sample, and because the state lab route can run three weeks with shipping, longer than most inspection contingencies.
When does a lender require a water test?
VA loans. VA rules say water from an individual well must meet the local health authority's standards, or the EPA's where the county has none, so every VA purchase with a well gets a lab test. A disinterested third party, never the Veteran or another interested party, must collect and transport the sample, and results are valid for 90 days unless the local authority says otherwise.
FHA loans. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Handbook 4000.1, last revised August 12, 2026, requires a well water test when the home is newly built, when the appraiser reports a problem with the well or the water, when the water is reported or known to be unsafe, or when the property is close to a dump, landfill, industrial site or farm. The report may not be more than 180 days old at disbursement, and the well must sit at least 10 feet from the property line, 50 feet from the septic tank and 100 feet from the drain field, or 75 feet where the local health department allows it. Being within 100 feet of the septic system no longer triggers a test by itself.
USDA loans. The analysis must come from the local health authority or a state-certified laboratory, must meet state or local standards or the EPA limits, and may be no more than 120 days old at closing. Conventional loans carry no federal water rule, so the test is the buyer's call.
Does Washtenaw County require water testing when a home is sold?
Yes. Washtenaw County's Time of Sale program requires the well and septic system to be inspected before a home is sold, by an inspector certified through the county, and the county lists arsenic, coliform bacteria and nitrate as required tests for every well on a home being sold. That is the seller's evaluation. A buyer-side test is separate, adds E. coli, nitrite and lead, and the results belong to you. Outside a county program like Washtenaw's, a test happens only when a lender or the buyer asks for it.
What happens when something fails?
Coliform present: do not drink the water until a clean retest. Washtenaw County's guidance is to find the cause, disinfect the well and plumbing, hold the chlorinated water in the system for at least 8 hours, flush it away from the septic field, and resample. Arsenic over 10 ppb: EGLE says a point-of-use reverse osmosis unit or an arsenic adsorption cartridge works best, and to look for units certified by NSF International. Lead on a VA loan means a central filter for the whole house, which the Veteran must acknowledge in writing has to be maintained. We test; we never repair or remediate, so nothing in the report is a sales pitch.
How often should you test a private well after you move in?
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) recommends coliform bacteria, nitrate and nitrite every year, arsenic every three to five years, and lead and copper at least once. The EPA adds total dissolved solids and pH to the yearly list and says to test more often when an infant, an older adult or someone pregnant or nursing lives in the house.
