Ingham County, Michigan: septic system and well inspection at sale
Checked on November 9, 2026 against the official rule. Rule set by Ingham County Health Department (Point of Sale Regulation).
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.
The rule
| Question | What the official text says |
|---|---|
| What is required | Inspection and evaluation of the septic system and/or well by an Ingham County-certified private inspector or the Health Department before closing; report filed with the Health Department, which issues a conformance or non-conformance notice within 5 business days Source: docs.ingham.org |
| Triggered by | transfer of residential property (land contracts only when title transfers) Source: docs.ingham.org |
| Deadline | prior to closing Source: docs.ingham.org |
| Who arranges it | homeowner or their agent hires a certified inspector or ICHD Source: docs.ingham.org |
| Who pays | owner pays the inspector (who sets own fees) plus an administrative fee to the County Source: docs.ingham.org |
| How long a report is valid | conformance letter valid for 12 months Source: docs.ingham.org |
| Exemptions |
Source: docs.ingham.org |
| Fee | 2006 fee schedule: $150 application, $300 well+waste evaluation, $175 waste inspection (outdated) Source: docs.ingham.org |
| If the system fails | House can be sold before repairs if the Health Department approves a corrective action plan or permit, contractor contract, and an escrow agreement of 1.5 times repair cost; repairs within 180 days of closing; escrow released only with written County authorization Source: docs.ingham.org |
| Who may inspect | Ingham County Health Department (certified private inspectors). official page (health.ingham.org) Source: docs.ingham.org |
| In force since | April 25, 2006 Source: docs.ingham.org |
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. Rule set by: Ingham County Health Department (Point of Sale Regulation).
In force since 2006 (as the official text states).
Checked on November 9, 2026: read on the official site.
Compared with other Michigan rules
- In force since 2006: the 2nd oldest of the 4 Michigan local rules whose start year we could read. Oldest: Ottawa County (1984), Ingham County (2006), Elk Rapids Township (2024).
Our census of official rules, checked November 9, 2026; start dates as the official text states them.
Private wells in Ingham County
In 2015 about 5,089 of Ingham County’s 286,085 residents (2%) got their drinking water from a private well, by the USGS estimate. That is the 80th highest share of the 83 Michigan counties in the USGS table, and the 73rd highest number of private-well users.
This rule covers the well as well as the septic system. USGS models about 1,922 private-well users in Ingham County with arsenic above 10 µg/L, EPA’s limit for public water (2010 population base; 95% range 1,585 to 2,329), the 31st highest of 82 Michigan counties. It is a screening estimate, not a result for any one well.
Source: USGS county water use 2015 (Dieter et al., 2018); USGS domestic-well arsenic estimate (Ayotte, Medalie and Qi, 2017). Ranks count the Michigan counties in the USGS table (1 = highest).
Soils and septic systems here
USDA soil surveys rate 97% of Ingham County’s rated land “very limited” for a conventional septic drain field, 3% “somewhat limited” and 0% “not limited”, the 47th highest “very limited” share of 78 Michigan counties with survey data. The most common limits: slow percolation (dense or clay soil) on 83%; a high water table (saturated soil near the surface) on 76%; ponding on 31%.
Where soils are limited, inspections more often find drain fields that sit in seasonally wet soil, and replacement systems are often mounds or other engineered designs. A county-wide rating, not a test of one lot: a site evaluation decides. Source: USDA NRCS Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO), via Soil Data Access, rating “ENG - Septic Tank Absorption Fields”, read November 15, 2026.
Certified labs nearest to Ingham County for a well water test
Labs on the Michigan certified drinking-water list that the list marks as taking samples from homeowners or outside clients, certified for coliform bacteria, nearest first. All of them are outside Ingham County.
| Lab | Town | Distance | Certified on the list for |
|---|---|---|---|
| EGLE Laboratory Services | Lansing, MI | 10 miles | coliform bacteria, nitrate, arsenic |
| Oakland Co. Health Division Laboratory | Pontiac, MI | 56 miles | coliform bacteria, nitrate, arsenic |
| Saginaw County Health Department Laboratory | Saginaw, MI | 59 miles | coliform bacteria, nitrate |
Source: EGLE - State of Michigan Certified Laboratories: Chemistry + EGLE - State of Michigan Certified Laboratories: Microbiological + EGLE - State of Michigan Certified Laboratories: Lead and Copper + EGLE - Certified Radiological Laboratories + EGLE - In-State Certified PFAS Laboratories (SOM Certified Labs - Chemistry 3/11/2026 (chemistry, microbiological, lead and copper lists); 9/8/2025 (radiological, in-state PFAS lists); read November 15, 2026). Straight-line distance from the centre of Ingham County (the average of its Census ZIP-area points); “approx.” = lab placed at its ZIP centre. Call the lab first: lists do not say which household tests each lab takes or what it charges.
Nearest other sale-time rules
Buying or selling near a county line? These are the closest other local rules in our census to Ingham County.
| Rule | State | Distance | Covers | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washtenaw County | Michigan | about 44 miles | Septic system and well | November 9, 2026 |
| Macomb County | Michigan | about 76 miles | Septic system and well | November 9, 2026 |
| Isabella County and Secord Township | Michigan | about 76 miles | Septic system and well | November 9, 2026 |
| Ottawa County | Michigan | about 83 miles | Septic system and well | November 9, 2026 |
| St. Joseph County | Indiana | about 115 miles | Septic system and well | November 13, 2026 |
Straight-line distance between county centres (the average of each county’s Census ZIP-area points). Townships, villages and health districts are placed at the centre of their county.