Well and Septic Inspections in Michigan, Including the Septic Load Test
A buyer's guide to well and septic tank inspections, from Grand Blanc across the 18 counties we serve
A well and septic inspection answers two questions the rest of a home inspection cannot: is the well's equipment sound, and can the septic tank and drain field handle a household's wastewater? The septic load test checks the drain field: the inspector runs a measured volume of water into the system and watches whether the soil takes it. Michigan Property Inspections offers well inspections from $275, septic inspections from $300, and both together from $500 when added to a home inspection, with a same-day digital report.
According to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), Michigan residents rely on more than 1.3 million septic systems and the state has 1.25 million private household wells. Michigan State University reports that 20 to 30 percent of those septic systems are failing and that Michigan is the only state without a statewide septic code, so what gets checked at a sale depends on the county, the lender and the buyer.
What is a septic tank load test?
A load test, also called a hydraulic load test or flow trial, checks the part of a septic system nobody can open and look at: the drain field. The inspector notes the liquid level at the tank outlet, then sends a measured volume of clean water through. A working field accepts it and the level settles back. A clogged or saturated field backs up: the level climbs and stays high, or water surfaces in the yard.
Michigan has no single protocol for the test, and published health department protocols show the range. Humboldt County, California adds about 150 gallons over 20 to 30 minutes and fails a system when the level rises more than 3 inches with no noticeable drop within 30 minutes. Stark County, Ohio uses half the home's daily design flow, 180 gallons for a three-bedroom house.
What does a septic tank inspection check, and what fails?
Our septic inspection opens the tank and examines it for leaks and cracks, checks the baffles and the effluent filter, evaluates the distribution box, and runs water to the drain field to check absorption and look for saturation.
Washtenaw County's regulation lists what counts as a failure, a checklist that works anywhere in Michigan:
- Sewage backing up into the house
- Effluent discharging onto the ground surface
- Liquid in the septic tank standing above the outlet
- Structural failure of the tank
- Liquid in the drain field above the outlet holes in the pipe
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lists signs a buyer can spot: slow drains, gurgling plumbing, sewage odors, and standing water or bright green, spongy grass over the tank or drain field. The EPA puts repair or replacement of a failed conventional system at $5,000 to $15,000, and EGLE says a conventional system lasts about 25 to 40 years, so its age matters as much as the test.
What does a well inspection cover, and is the well water tested?
A well inspection checks the equipment: the casing and cap, the pump and the pressure tank. Michigan's well construction code calls for the casing to end at least 12 inches above the ground and the well to sit at least 50 feet from a septic tank or drain field. For a mortgage insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) handbook says an existing well must deliver at least three gallons per minute and sit at least 100 feet from the drain field, twice the state distance, or 75 feet where the local authority allows it.
The distances matter: the EPA warns that a failing septic system, or one too close to a well, can put wastewater contaminants in drinking water. What is in the water is a separate lab test, from $175 when added to a home inspection, covered in our guide at https://blog.michiganpropertyinspections.com/water-testing-in-michigan.
Which Michigan counties require a well and septic evaluation when a home is sold?
At least five of the 18 counties we serve run a time-of-sale or point-of-sale program:
- Washtenaw County: the well and septic system must be inspected and approved before a home can be sold, and results are good for 12 months.
- Shiawassee County: Ordinance No. 01-07-26 requires an evaluation before a sale or transfer unless one was done in the previous 12 months.
- Macomb County: wells and septic systems must be evaluated before closing. The evaluation is valid for one year, and the report must reach the health department at least five days before closing.
- Ingham County: the point-of-sale regulation covers wells and septic systems, and approved inspections are valid for 12 months.
- Wayne County, outside Detroit: the septic system must be inspected and functioning satisfactorily before the sale.
That evaluation is the seller's. It comes from an evaluator certified or registered with the county, or from health department staff, and we do not perform county time-of-sale evaluations. Ours is the buyer-side inspection: ordered by you, reported to you, and current the day we are on site.
Does a lender require a well or septic inspection?
Sometimes. On an FHA loan the appraiser must look over the septic system and must require an inspection when there are readily observable signs of failure. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) requires a water test on every private well. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) counts well and septic inspections as valid for 120 days. Conventional loans carry no federal rule, so the inspection is the buyer's call.
How much do well and septic inspections cost in Michigan?
Our well inspection is from $275, our septic inspection from $300, and the well and septic package from $500 when added to a home inspection. Home inspections are from $425. We test; we never repair or remediate, so nothing in the report is a sales pitch.
