Has anyone put in a septic system or installs septic systems in Washington County? We have a buyer for oanur house but the county (Washington County is the only county in the state that requires this!) requires that the septic system be inspected before the title gets transferred (compliance report). If it says non compliant (and ours might being built in 1987) can the property owner still transfer property and give a discount (with estimates) or does it have to be done before the property is transferred? the verbiage in the document doesn’t really say one way or the other?
Compliance inspections; existing systems.
(1) A compliance inspection of an existing system must be conducted:
(A) Prior to the transfer of any real property, unless the age of the
existing system is less than 5 years;
(B) When deemed necessary by the Department to ascertain the
compliance of an existing system.
(2) A compliance inspection of an existing system must first determine
whether the soil dispersal system, sewage tanks, or conditions pose an
imminent threat to public health and safety. A determination must then
be made as to whether the sewage tanks and soil dispersal area are
failing to protect groundwater. The inspection must also verify
compliance with Section 4.3 (3).
(3) The Agency’s inspection report form for existing SSTS supplemented
with any necessary or locally required supporting documentation, must
be used for the existing system compliance inspections in sub-items (A)
to (D). Allowable supporting documentation includes tank integrity
assessments made within the past three years and prior soil separation
assessments.
(A) A tank integrity and safety compliance assessment must be
completed by a licensed SSTS inspection, maintenance,
installation or service provider business, or a qualified employee
inspector with jurisdiction. An existing compliant tank integrity
and safety compliance assessment is valid for three years
unless a new evaluation is requested by the owner or owner’s
agent or is required by the Department or local unit of
government.
(B) A soil separation compliance assessment must be completed by
a licensed inspection business or a qualified employee inspector
with jurisdiction. Compliance must be determined either by
conducting new soil borings or by prior soil separation
documentations made by two independent parties. The soil
borings used for system design or previous inspections are
allowed to be used. If the soil separation has been determined
by two independent parties, a subsequent determination is not
required unless requested by the owner or owner’s agent or
required by the Department or local unit of.
(C) Determination of hydraulic performance and other compliance in
Section 4.3(1) must be completed by either a licensed inspection
business or a qualified employee inspector with jurisdiction.
(D) A determination of operational performance and other
compliance in Section 4.3 (4) and Section 4.4, must be
completed by a licensed advanced inspection business, a
qualified employee with an advanced inspector certification with
jurisdiction, or a service provider. A passing report is valid until
a new inspection is requested.
(4) A certificate of compliance or notice of noncompliance for an existing
system must be based on the results of the verifications in item 3.
Chapter Four • Subsurface Sewage Treatment Regulations Effective 06/05/2018
Washington County Development Code 36
Procedures for resolving any
periodically saturated soil
discrepancies.
certificate of compliance or notice of noncompliance for an existing
system must be signed by a licensed inspection business or a qualified
employee inspector with jurisdiction. The certificate or notice for an
existing system must be submitted to the Department or local unit of
government with jurisdiction and the property owner or owner’s agent no
later than 15 days after a compliance inspection. The completed form
must also be submitted to the owner or owner’s agent. The certificate of
compliance for an existing system is valid for three years from the date
of issuance, unless a new inspection is requested by the owner or
owner’s agent or is required by the Department or local unit of
government.
(5) If a compliance inspection for an existing system indicates that the
system is noncompliant, the notice must be signed by a licensed
inspection business or qualified employee inspector with jurisdiction,
contain a statement of noncompliance and specify the reason for
noncompliance or each component as specified in Section 8.13(3).
https://www.co.washington.mn.us/DocumentCenter/View/90/Chapter-4?bidId=
It really doesn’t say if it has to be compliant before the transfer only that the inspection needs to be done and a compliant or non compliant report be done. It also states that if found non compliant you have 6 months to make it compliant.
We are having an inspection done Friday and the buyers are eager to close ASAP! But if found non compliant then what? From what I’ve been reading about the septic systems in Washington County and Lake Elmo is that most are failing because of new codes and Redoximorphic soil layers being close to the ground surface. It seems like they are trying to find more ways to get money out of you!!! The inspection alone is $425 then another $50 to file with the county. And again…they are the only county in the state that requires this!!
