What to know about well and septic in Marquette County

Marquette is the biggest county in Michigan by area. The cities of Marquette, Ishpeming, and Negaunee have municipal water and sewer. Across most of the rest of this big, forested county, homes run on private wells and septic systems. If you’re buying a place out in the townships — a home, a camp, a lot on a lake — look into the well and septic before you sign.

Michigan has no single statewide code for residential septic systems. Instead, the rules are left to local health departments — here, the Marquette County Health Department. It issues the permits for installing or replacing a septic system, under the Upper Peninsula Environmental Health Code as adopted by the county. Some Michigan counties force a septic inspection when a property is sold. Marquette County isn’t one of them — it has no point-of-sale ordinance. There’s one wrinkle worth knowing. When you apply for a new well permit, the county will evaluate the existing septic system as part of approving the well. And as everywhere, many mortgage lenders want proof that the septic works before they’ll close the loan.

So unless a lender or a well permit forces the issue, no one will inspect the septic for you at sale. Arrange your own inspection of the well and septic before closing, through the health department or a private inspector. That goes double for an older or seasonal property. If you’re not sure where to start, the health department can point you to permit records or a private evaluator.