Septic inspection when selling a house in Colorado
0 statewide rules and 10 local rules from official sources.
General information, not legal advice. This is our summary of the official rule as we read it. The ordinance or code and the health department decide: confirm with them before you list, sign or close.
Local rules in Colorado (10)
| Where | What | When | Rule set by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archuleta County | Septic system | before transfer is completed; application at least two weeks before expected closing | Archuleta County Water Quality Department |
| Boulder County | Septic system | before closing; certificate can take up to 10 business days | Boulder County Public Health |
| Clear Creek County | Septic system | prior to close of the transaction | Clear Creek County |
| Elbert County | Septic system | Use Permit with licensed inspector report | Elbert County |
| Gunnison County | Septic system | before sale/transfer; goal to review within 2 working days | Gunnison County Community Development |
| La Plata County | Septic system | before the transfer; permit issued ~5 business days after complete application | La Plata County Public Health Department |
| Larimer County | Septic system | transfer of title | Larimer County Department of Health and Environment |
| Pueblo County | Septic system | prior to sale; system pumped and inspected | Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment |
| Summit County | Septic system | Use Permit required at point of sale (and at major remodel) | Summit County Environmental Health (Colorado) |
| Teller County | Septic system | sale | Teller County Public Health |
1 page above still lack some details from the official text; they are kept out of search results until we have read more of the rule.
When the local rules started
5 local rules in Colorado state a start date in the official text we read; the other 5 do not.
- 2008 Boulder County (2008)
- 2019 Archuleta County (2019-01)
- 2019 Gunnison County (2019)
- 2019 La Plata County (January 1, 2019)
- 2026 Teller County (July 24, 2026)
Published costs in Colorado
Fee items from official fee schedules and guides, with the year each applies to. They are different items (acceptance fees, inspections, escrow), so we list them rather than average them.
| Jurisdiction | Item | Amount | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archuleta County | transfer acceptance fee | $115 | 2024 | archuletacounty.gov |
| La Plata County | Continued Use Permit fee | $120 | 2026 | cms9files.revize.com |
| Gunnison County | Transfer of Title application fee | $60 | 2026 | gunnisoncounty.org |
| Boulder County | Property Transfer Certificate fee | $500 | 2026 | bouldercounty.gov |
| Clear Creek County | Use Permit fee | $100 | 2026 | co.clear-creek.co.us |
| Pueblo County | health-department inspection incl. pumping coordination | $385 | 2026 | pueblocounty.gov |
| Pueblo County | review fee when certified inspector's report submitted | $140 | 2026 | pueblocounty.gov |
| Pueblo County | bacteriological water test | $25 | 2026 | pueblocounty.gov |
Private wells in Colorado
About 286,474 of Colorado’s 5,456,574 residents (5%) got their drinking water from a private well in 2015, by the USGS estimate. The 10 counties with a whole-county rule listed here hold about 50,157 of them (18%); the largest by well users: Elbert County (18,555), Teller County (6,215), La Plata County (5,298).
Source: USGS county water use 2015 (Dieter et al., 2018); 64 counties in the USGS table.
Where private wells (and usually septic systems) are most common
Colorado ranks 34 of 45 states and territories by people on private wells (USGS 2015). In 5 of its 64 counties more than half of residents drink from a private well; homes there usually also treat wastewater on site, so a septic check and a well test tend to come up together at sale. The highest shares:
- Park County: 84% of 16,510 residents on a private well
- Elbert County: 75% of 24,735 residents on a private well
- Custer County: 55% of 4,445 residents on a private well
- Dolores County: 52% of 1,978 residents on a private well
- Washington County: 52% of 4,864 residents on a private well
- Hinsdale County: 47% of 774 residents on a private well
- Lake County: 45% of 7,485 residents on a private well
- Conejos County: 45% of 8,130 residents on a private well
USGS county water use 2015 (Dieter et al., 2018). The USGS table counts well users, not septic systems; no national county count of septic systems exists.
Soils for septic drain fields in Colorado
Across the 19 counties with USDA soil survey data, 52% of rated land is “very limited” for a conventional septic drain field. Most limited: Denver County (86%), Yuma County (70%), Costilla County (69%). Least limited: Kit Carson County (26%), Cheyenne County (34%), Washington County (38%).
Source: USDA NRCS Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO), via Soil Data Access, rating “ENG - Septic Tank Absorption Fields”, read November 15, 2026. County-wide ratings, not a test of one lot.
How the neighbouring states compare
Colorado has 10 local rules. Of its 7 neighbouring states, 2 have a statewide rule at sale; a buyer moving across the line may meet a different rule. From our register of official rules:
- Arizona: statewide septic system rule at sale.
- New Mexico: statewide septic system rule at sale.
- Kansas: no statewide rule; 3 local rules (counties, cities or townships).
- Nebraska: no statewide rule; 1 local rule (counties, cities or townships).
Well water test: 26 labs on the Colorado certified drinking-water list (CDPHE Drinking Water Lab Certifications (Looker Studio report on cdphe.colorado.gov/dwlabs), Live report, no edit date shown; data read by the report at 2026-11-02 20:39 UTC (Looker Studio dataTimestamp)) are marked as taking samples from homeowners or outside clients and certified for coliform bacteria. See certified well-water labs and testing advice in Colorado.
Other states: all states.