Does Michigan require a septic inspection when you sell a house? County by county

No statewide time-of-sale septic law that we can cite

No statute we can cite requires a septic inspection when a house is sold. The statutory Seller’s Disclosure Statement asks the seller to describe the condition of septic tanks and drain fields “if known”, but a disclosure is not an inspection. The sale rules that exist are county ordinances, adopted under the Public Health Code, which lets a local health department set regulations at least as stringent as state law. Senate Bill 771 of 2026 would change that by requiring local point-of-sale ordinances to be consistent with or stricter than a new statewide Part 128. The Senate placed it on third reading on June 17, 2026, and when we checked the bill page on Oct 19, 2026 it showed no later action. A 2024 House bill, HB 6173, would have revised the disclosure form to reflect a septic inspection. It stalled, with nothing later that we saw. Until something passes, your county decides.

The county table

The table covers the 15 most populous Michigan counties and the two counties from the next 15 where we found a sale rule. “No rule found” means the pages and code we can cite name none. It does not mean the county says there is none. Only Livingston and Jackson say that.

County	Evaluation at sale	Report valid	Published fee
Wayne (outside Detroit)	Required (per the county page and a 2017 brochure; confirm with the county)	Not stated	$358 county evaluation, and a $161 “transfer evaluation” the schedule does not explain (2024)
Macomb	Required for contracts on or after Aug 1, 2002	1 year	$384 county evaluation, excluding pumping (2026)
Washtenaw	Required	Skipped if certified in the previous 12 months	Not found
Ottawa	Required	Code says 12 months, flyer says six	$347 sewage only, $461 with water (Oct 1, 2026)
Ingham	Required	12 months	Not found
Livingston	County says it has no point-of-sale program	n/a	n/a
Jackson	County says it has no requirement	n/a	n/a
Oakland	No rule found	n/a	n/a
Genesee	No rule found; $5 records search	n/a	n/a
Saginaw	No rule found; voluntary mortgage or performance evaluation	n/a	$440 septic only
Muskegon	No rule found; voluntary evaluation	n/a	$150
St. Clair	No rule found; evaluation offered as a consultative service	n/a	$225
Monroe	No rule found	n/a	n/a
Kent	No rule found in the regulations; the county’s page says an evaluation is often required before a sale	n/a	$295 septic and well, $250 septic only
Kalamazoo	No rule found; the county offers a Mortgage or Condition Evaluation for real estate transactions	n/a	$270 well and septic (2025)
Shiawassee (27th by population)	Required, 2001 ordinance	12 months	$502 septic only, by the county
Grand Traverse (22nd)	Required only where the dwelling is within 300 feet of surface water; effective Jan 1, 2026	36 months	$200 county review of a septic-only report

In the other counties ranked 16 to 30, the published text holds no such rule. Berrien and Allegan counties are in the same position: their ordinance and regulations name no sale rule, but both health departments take requests to evaluate a system before a sale. Berrien’s 2026 application lists $160 for sewage, and Allegan’s form, dated 2018, lists $225 for septic only. Ask the county health department what applies to your sale. Fees change every year: Macomb’s is a calendar-2026 schedule, Wayne’s dates from January 2024, and Ottawa’s took effect Oct 1, 2026.

What the five required programs have in common

The programs name who may evaluate: Macomb says health department staff or a county-registered evaluator, Washtenaw a county-certified inspector, Ingham a county-certified private inspector or the department, and Wayne the department or a registered private evaluator. Macomb says the owner is responsible, the report has to reach the health department at least five days before closing, and the tank must be pumped with the evaluator on site but not within 30 days before the evaluation. Washtenaw’s regulation bars any sale, transfer or conveyance until the seller files the evaluation by a county-certified inspector and the department authorizes the transfer. Ottawa’s code makes it unlawful to sell without a Real Estate Evaluation and says the seller must give the buyer the results at closing, with a civil citation or misdemeanor ticket possible for failure. Ingham’s regulation, adopted April 25, 2006 according to the county’s brochure, requires the well and septic inspection before closing, with a county notice of conformance or non-conformance within five business days of the completed report. Wayne’s page says the system needs to be satisfactorily functioning before sale, though we have not seen the ordinance text, so confirm it with the county.

When the system fails the evaluation

None of these counties blocks a closing for a failed system if the repair is secured. Macomb requires a corrective action plan and escrow, with repairs within 180 days of plan approval. Washtenaw wants a corrective plan within 30 days and an escrow of one and a half times the repair cost. Ingham’s brochure sets the escrow at 150 percent of the bids. Ottawa’s materials say a correction order does not stop the closing, and they do not say which party pays. So in these counties a failed result means a plan, an escrow and a deadline instead of a blocked sale.

Exemptions you should ask about

Each program carries its own exemptions. Macomb’s include connecting to municipal water and sewer within six months, the first three years of original occupancy, an evaluation within the prior 12 months, a refinance only, immediate demolition and certain spousal or court transfers. Washtenaw’s include transfers between spouses, foreclosure, premises built within the prior 24 months and unoccupied new homes. Ingham exempts a new well and septic with final approval within two years, and a name removal or divorce, and requires an inspection at title transfer for land contracts.

If your county is not on the list

Call the county health department and ask two questions: is an evaluation required at transfer, and where is the permit file. EPA says the permit and as-built drawing usually sit with the local permitting authority. Even where a county has no rule, lenders may ask for an evaluation: Saginaw County offers mortgage evaluations for buyers and lenders, and Montcalm and Clinton counties offer mortgage evaluations by application. Our buying a house with a septic system guide covers what to ask for, and the county rules tool shows what we have on file for your county.

One gap matters in Wayne County: its sale rule applies outside the City of Detroit, and who issues septic permits inside Detroit is unclear from our sources, so ask the city.