What to know about well and septic in Iron County

Once you leave Iron County’s four cities and the little village of Alpha, most of the county runs on private wells and septic systems rather than municipal water and sewer. If you’re buying a home out in the townships — or one of the thousands of lake cabins this county is famous for — that’s something to look into before you sign.

Michigan is the only state in the country with no statewide septic code. Instead, the rules are left to local health departments — here, the Dickinson-Iron District Health Department, which issues the permits for installing or replacing a septic system from its offices in Crystal Falls and Iron River, working under an environmental health code shared across much of the Upper Peninsula. The department does not require a septic inspection when a property changes hands — some Michigan communities do, but Iron County is not one of them. What it does offer is what it calls a mortgage evaluation: an inspection of the well and septic that some home loan programs require, which you can request through the department.

What that means for a buyer is simple: unless your lender insists, no one is going to check the septic system for you automatically. It’s well worth arranging your own inspection of the well and septic before closing — whether through the health department or a private inspector — especially on an older or seasonal lake property, so you know what you’re getting before the money changes hands. You can reach the Dickinson-Iron District Health Department at didhd.org.