Wells and septic in Missaukee County: what buyers should know

Outside Lake City and McBain, just about every home in Missaukee County runs on a private well and a septic system — there’s no city water or sewer once you’re out in the townships. The permits for both come from the county’s health department, District Health Department #10. And here’s something that surprises a lot of buyers: Michigan is the only state with no statewide septic code, so the rules get set locally, county by county.

In Missaukee, the county does not require a septic inspection when a house is sold. Two of the counties in this same health district — Manistee and Kalkaska — do require one before a sale can close, but Missaukee doesn’t. An inspection here is voluntary, though your lender might ask for a “mortgage evaluation” before approving the loan. So put your own well and septic inspection right in the offer — don’t count on one already having been done. And if you’re buying vacant land to build on, get a “perc test” first to make sure the soil will pass for a drain field.

Worth keeping half an eye on: lawmakers in Lansing have floated a statewide septic-inspection law more than once. Nothing has passed yet, but it’s the kind of thing that could change for septic owners down the road.