Big Stone County, Minnesota: septic system inspection at sale
Checked on November 9, 2026 against the official rule. Rule set by Big Stone County.
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 | Seller must provide a septic system inspection by an MN-licensed inspector to the buyer at or before closing Source: bigstonecounty.gov via wayback 2024-08-13 |
| Triggered by | sale or transfer of property (contract-for-deed completion exempt if pre-ordinance) Source: bigstonecounty.gov via wayback 2024-08-13 |
| Deadline | at or before closing Source: bigstonecounty.gov via wayback 2024-08-13 |
| Who arranges it | seller Source: bigstonecounty.gov via wayback 2024-08-13 |
| How long a report is valid | new-system certificate 5 years; existing system that passes 3 years Source: bigstonecounty.gov via wayback 2024-08-13 |
| Exemptions |
Source: bigstonecounty.gov via wayback 2024-08-13 |
| Who may inspect | Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) licensing of SSTS businesses. official list (webapp.pca.state.mn.us) Source: webapp.pca.state.mn.us |
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: Big Stone County.
Checked on November 9, 2026: read on the official site.
Septic systems in Big Stone County: the state’s count
MPCA counts 1,770 septic systems (SSTS) in Big Stone County in 2025, the 72nd highest number of Minnesota’s 87 counties. Licensed inspectors and the county did 6 compliance inspections of existing systems that year: 0.3% of the county’s systems, against 2.11% statewide (the 82nd highest share). The county issued 25 construction permits in 2025 and 669 from 2002 to 2025. MPCA’s table marks the county as requiring a compliance inspection at property transfer, which matches the rule on this page.
Source: MPCA, 2025 Subsurface Sewage Treatment Systems Annual Report (April 2026), Appendix A, as reported by each county; ranks among the 87 counties in the table (1 = highest). MPCA counts all compliance inspections of existing systems, whatever the trigger (property transfer, building permit and others).
Private wells in Big Stone County
In 2015 about 1,310 of Big Stone County’s 5,040 residents (26%) got their drinking water from a private well, by the USGS estimate. That is the 61st highest share of the 87 Minnesota counties in the USGS table, and the 81st highest number of private-well users.
As we read it, this rule covers the septic system, not the well.
Source: USGS county water use 2015 (Dieter et al., 2018). Ranks count the Minnesota counties in the USGS table (1 = highest).
Soils and septic systems here
USDA soil surveys rate 87% of Big Stone County’s rated land “very limited” for a conventional septic drain field, 13% “somewhat limited” and 0% “not limited”, the 79th highest “very limited” share of 85 Minnesota counties with survey data. The most common limits: slow percolation (dense or clay soil) on 95%; a high water table (saturated soil near the surface) on 82%; ponding on 20%.
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 Big Stone County for a well water test
Labs on the Minnesota 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 Big Stone County.
| Lab | Town | Distance | Certified on the list for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Health and Human Services | Marshall, MN | 75 miles | coliform bacteria, nitrate |
| RMB Environmental Laboratories, Inc. – Detroit Lakes | Detroit Lakes, MN | 97 miles | coliform bacteria, nitrate, arsenic |
Source: MDH Accredited Labs in Minnesota Accepting Drinking Water Samples from Private Well Users (October 2026; read November 15, 2026). Straight-line distance from the centre of Big Stone 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 Big Stone County.
| Rule | State | Distance | Covers | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traverse County | Minnesota | about 27 miles | Septic system | November 9, 2026 |
| Lac qui Parle County | Minnesota | about 34 miles | Septic system | November 9, 2026 |
| Swift County | Minnesota | about 39 miles | Septic system | November 9, 2026 |
| Grant County | Minnesota | about 40 miles | Septic system | November 9, 2026 |
| Pope County | Minnesota | about 48 miles | Septic system | November 9, 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.