Wells and septic in the townships: get your own inspection in Mecosta County

Outside Big Rapids and the villages, most township homes run on a private well and a septic system. In Mecosta County those are permitted and inspected by District Health Department No. 10 (DHD#10), which handles the well and septic side for ten counties in this part of the state.

Here’s the part that matters when you buy: Mecosta is a “buyer-beware” county for septics. DHD#10 actually requires a point-of-sale septic-and-well evaluation in two of its northern counties (Kalkaska and Manistee), but Mecosta hasn’t adopted that rule — so no one automatically checks the system before a sale here. That makes a private inspection your job. Before you close on a home with a well and septic, pay for your own evaluation: a failed drain field or a bad well can cost many thousands to fix.

DHD#10’s Mecosta office is at 14485 Northland Drive in Big Rapids.