Septic rules in Ingham County
Ingham County Health Department, on Cedar Street in Lansing, has required a well and septic inspection before closing since its Board of Commissioners adopted a point-of-sale regulation on April 25, 2006, according to the county brochure. The inspection comes from a county-certified private inspector or from the health department, which issues a conformance or non-conformance notice within five business days of the completed report. A conformance letter is valid for 12 months.
Exemptions include a new well and septic system with final approval in the last two years, a name removal or divorce, and properties on municipal water and sewer, and land contracts need an inspection at title transfer. A sale can close before repairs if there is a corrective plan, a permit, a contractor agreement and an escrow of 150 percent of the bids, with repairs within 180 days and the funds released only with the department's written authorization.
The brochure estimates 1,200 failing private sewage systems in the county, which is a county estimate. Permits and point-of-sale requests go through online forms, and the county page links EPA's SepticSmart guidance and the Michigan Saves loan program. Ingham's fee schedule for septic permits and point-of-sale administrative fees is not on the county pages we can cite, so ask before you book. Lansing, East Lansing, Okemos, Holt and Haslett are in our set, and Lansing and East Lansing also touch neighboring counties. The pre-sale inspection page covers the process.
The county's rules, line by line
- Who permits septic systems
- Ingham County Health Department, Environmental Health, 5303 S. Cedar St, Lansing
- Governing code
- County regulation for inspection of residential onsite water and sewage systems at property transfer, adopted April 25, 2006 (title and number not found)
- Inspection at sale
- Required before closing for residential transfers. Conformance letter valid 12 months; the sale may close with a corrective plan and escrow of 150 percent of the bids, repairs within 180 days.
- Permit steps
- Online well and septic application; the area sanitarian visits for soil borings; conventional permits by the sanitarian; engineered or alternative systems need engineer plans and a plan review fee (read in the county's sale brochure).
- Installers and evaluators
- County certifies point-of-sale inspectors (list dated 09/22/2025). Installer licensing not found.
- Records
- Ask the department how to request records for your address.
- Still to confirm with the county
- Septic permit and point-of-sale fee amounts not found.
Rules and fees change every year. Confirm with the health department before you rely on a line. "No rule found" means the pages and code we have say nothing on that line; it is not the county saying there is no rule. Use the county rules lookup to compare counties.
Septic services in Ingham County
- Septic pumping in Ingham CountyIn Ingham County a conformance letter lasts 12 months, so the pumping you do for a sale should be dated close to the inspection.
- Septic inspection in Ingham CountyIngham County requires a well and septic inspection before closing, by a county-certified inspector or the health department.
- Drain field in Ingham CountyIngham County's sanitarians visit the site for soil borings, and engineered systems need plans by an engineer.
What septic work costs
These are the Michigan-wide estimates from our model, not Ingham County prices. The county's own permit and evaluation fees are in the table above.
| Job | Estimated range | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Septic pumping | $255 to $810 | per visit |
| Septic inspection | $130 to $520 | per inspection |
| Drain field | $890 to $6,025 | per repair |
Estimates, not quotes. How we estimate costs.
All septic services
Cities in Ingham County
These cities, each with 10,000 or more residents, follow Ingham County rules for septic. Each city page points back here.