Out in the county, you're on a well and septic in Midland County

In and right around the city of Midland, homes are on municipal water and sewer. But out in the county’s rural townships, a house usually runs on its own well and a septic system. If you’re buying, building, or replacing a system out there, the Midland County Department of Public Health issues the well and septic permits and checks the soil at each site before a system goes in.

Michigan has no statewide law requiring a septic inspection when a house is sold, and Midland County doesn’t require one on its own. So if a rural home runs on septic, it’s smart to ask the county for any records and have the system looked at before you close, even though nobody’s forcing the issue. In fact, the county health department offers a soil “perc” test for people thinking about buying a piece of land, which tells you whether it can support a septic system at all — useful before you buy bare land to build on.