Property Transfer Without a Septic Inspection

Great question! The answer starts with asking in which county is the house located. In NE Ohio, the County Health Departments manage and control the inspection and installation process of Septic Systems and Water Well Systems. In our area, Summit County requires both a Water System Evaluation when you have a well and a Septic Inspection when the house is not on city sewer.  Stark County only requires a Septic Inspection.

Carroll & Tuscarawas Counties have sanitarians that provide their own inspections. You hire the Health Department to perform the service you need for property transfer. Medina and Portage Counties have limited septic requirements and Wayne County has none.

If you purchase property with a septic or well in a required county, approximately one month after you move in you will receive a letter from the Health Department. In the letter it will state that you violated a code and will need to immediately get a septic inspection and perform any repairs needed, at your cost.

Septic repairs can start under $100 for a riser repair and skyrocket into tens of thousands for a new system depending on the residing county and soil type. Failing septic systems are one of the top 5 reasons buyers walk away from a perspective home; it’s too big of a repair or they just don’t want to deal with it. Failing septic systems with leaching sewage are an environmental hazard and are dangerous to humans and animals.