Out in the township, you're on a well and septic in Ionia County

If you’re buying a home in one of Ionia County’s townships — outside the cities and village centers — there’s a good chance it runs on a private well for water and its own septic system for waste, not municipal utilities. That’s normal out here, but it’s worth understanding before you buy.

A septic system is your responsibility, and replacing a failed one is expensive — a new drain field can run into many thousands of dollars, far more than a routine tank pump-out. Michigan is the only state in the country with no statewide septic code, so the rules are set locally. In Ionia County, wells and septic systems are handled by the Ionia County Health Department, which issues the permits and inspects new systems.

Ionia County doesn’t require a countywide septic inspection when a home is sold, though the health department will inspect an existing well and septic system on request — which often happens for a sale or refinance. Either way, the smart move as a buyer is to get both the septic system and the well water checked before you sign, and to find out where the tank and drain field are and when the tank was last pumped. You can reach the Ionia County Health Department’s Environmental Health division in Ionia (ioniacounty.org).