Septic inspection in Washtenaw County: what to know
Under the county's Time of Sale regulation, there shall be no sale, transfer or conveyance of a parcel with an onsite system until the seller files an evaluation by a county-certified inspector and the department authorizes the transfer. Exemptions include transfers between spouses, life estates, foreclosure, tax-sale redemption, joint-ownership changes, premises built within the prior 24 months and unoccupied new homes.
If an evaluation fails, the owner submits a corrective plan within 30 days, escrows 1.5 times the cost and finishes within 180 days of approval, and the sale itself is not blocked if remediation is assured. The department keeps the most recent report for as long as the property has a system plus three years, and reports are available under FOIA. The fee schedule was out of reach, so ask for it before you book.
Permits for septic inspection in Washtenaw County
A pumper hired during the inspection needs EGLE septage licenses under Part 117.
Washtenaw County Health Department, Environmental Health (septic systems pages). No one may install or replace a system without department approval (regulation Sec. 3:7). Ask the department for the remaining permit steps, fees and isolation distances. The Washtenaw County septic rules
When an inspection cannot wait
- Sewage backing up into the house or surfacing in the yard: call your local health department.
- An alarm sounding, or a wet, foul-smelling patch over the tank or field.
- A routine inspection on the one-to-three-year cycle EPA suggests.
- A buyer's inspection with a closing date weeks away (check your county's sale rule first).
Before you book
Get the county's current list of certified inspectors and ask each one for its evaluation fee.
- Ask the county health department for your permit and as-built drawing.
- Clear the lids and note the tank size and last pumping date.
- Ask whether the visit includes pumping, the filter cleaning and a written report.
- Ask your county if it registers or certifies the inspector.
What septic inspection costs
The estimate below is the Michigan-wide one and not a Washtenaw County price. The same table is on the septic inspection page. How we estimate costs. Prices as of Oct 19, 2026.
| Item | Figure | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated range, not a quote | $130 to $520 per inspection | Built from one national published range, adjusted by the Michigan septic tank servicer median wage ratio (1.00). No Michigan septic company published a range we could count. |
| Septic tank servicer wage, Michigan mean | $24.85 an hour | What Michigan septic tank servicers are paid (BLS, May 2025, statewide), not what you are charged. |
| Routine septic maintenance, pumping and inspection (U.S. EPA) | $250 to $500 every three to five years | EPA's national figure for maintenance fees, undated. It is not a Michigan price. |
| Wayne County, health department evaluation | $358 | Fee schedule effective Jan 16, 2024. A $161 "transfer evaluation" is listed separately, and the schedule does not say who performs it. |
| Macomb County, property transfer evaluation | $384 | 2026 schedule; excludes pumping. |
| Ottawa County, real estate evaluation, sewage only | $347 | Fees effective Oct 1, 2026; sewage and water together $461. |
| Saginaw County, mortgage or performance evaluation, septic only | $440 | Fee schedule effective Oct 1, 2026. |
| St. Clair County, septic evaluation only | $225 | Fee schedule as of Oct 1, 2026. |
| Muskegon County, septic evaluation | $150 | 2026 schedule; the county describes evaluations as voluntary. |
How we estimate costs: the Estimated range row is a model, not a quote. It takes one published national range for this job (a cost guide from a third-party site that we have not verified and do not cite) and multiplies it by Michigan's septic tank servicer median wage ratio to the US (1.00, BLS 2025 data). No permit or evaluation fee is added: the county rows are shown as the schedules print them. The wage and fee rows are what workers are paid and what a county charges, and neither is a price you will be quoted. We have not collected Michigan septic quotes, and one company's published pumping price is not a range. Your tank, soil and site move a real quote outside any range, so get written quotes. Full method.
Questions about septic inspection
What does septic inspection consist of?
EGLE lists tank inspection, scum and sludge measurement, filter cleaning, alarm and pump testing and a drain field walk. It also checks inspection ports for standing water and looks for leaking fixtures.
How are septic systems inspected?
By a visual check of the tank, filter, controls and drain field, with the tank usually opened and measured. Some counties require the tank to be pumped during the evaluation, as Saginaw County does.
How much does a septic inspection cost in Michigan?
Our estimate for a routine inspection is $130 to $520 per inspection, a model and not a quote. Counties that do evaluations publish fees, from $150 in Muskegon County to $440 in Saginaw County for septic only. Private evaluators set their own.