Fillmore County, Minnesota: septic system inspection at sale
Checked on November 9, 2026 against the official rule. Rule set by Fillmore 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 | SSTS compliance inspection by a State-certified inspector (intermediate inspector for pretreatment systems) completed before real estate is sold or transferred; report to buyer/requester and Zoning Office within 15 days Source: cms9files.revize.com |
| Triggered by | sale or transfer of real estate (incl. transfers without a Certificate of Real Estate Value, where inspection is due within 12 months after transfer) Source: cms9files.revize.com |
| Deadline | before sale or transfer; if not done, new owner must complete it and file with Zoning Office Source: cms9files.revize.com |
| Who arranges it | seller, unless buyer and seller agree in writing that buyer assumes it Source: cms9files.revize.com |
| How long a report is valid | existing-system certificate valid 3 years; new-system certificate 5 years Source: cms9files.revize.com |
| Exemptions |
Source: cms9files.revize.com |
| If the system fails | Non-compliant/failing system: bring up to code within 12 months; imminent public health threat: within 10 months. If not done before transfer, escrow of 150% of estimated cost (uninspected) or 115% (inspected, estimate approved) must be set up; frozen-ground sale Nov 1-Apr 30 allowed with escrow, certificate due by June 30. Source: cms9files.revize.com |
| 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 |
| In force since | Ordinance adopted 2013-12-03; amended 2021-10-27 (version read) Source: cms9files.revize.com |
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: Fillmore County.
Checked on November 9, 2026: read on the official site.
Published costs
What the official fee schedule or guide for Fillmore County says, with the year it applies to. The other 2 items published in Minnesota are listed for comparison; they are different items, so we do not average them.
| Jurisdiction | Item | Amount | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fillmore County (this rule) | escrow for non-compliant/uninspected system at transfer (not an inspection fee) | 150% of estimated upgrade cost (uninspected) or 115% (inspected, estimate approved) | 2021 | cms9files.revize.com |
| Douglas County | escrow required at transfer for winter transfer or non-compliant system (not an inspection fee) | $7,500 or 150% of a written estimate | 2020 | douglascountymn.gov |
| Nobles County | escrow if seller gives no Certificate of Compliance (not an inspection fee) | 150% of written installer estimate or 110% of contract price | 2016-2019 ordinance | co.nobles.mn.us |
Inspectors, pumpers and labs set their own prices on top of these; the official source is the one that counts.
Septic systems in Fillmore County: the state’s count
MPCA counts 4,923 septic systems (SSTS) in Fillmore County in 2025, the 40th highest number of Minnesota’s 87 counties. Licensed inspectors and the county did 76 compliance inspections of existing systems that year: 1.5% of the county’s systems, against 2.11% statewide (the 45th highest share). The county issued 110 construction permits in 2025 and 2,356 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 Fillmore County
In 2015 about 8,994 of Fillmore County’s 20,834 residents (43%) got their drinking water from a private well, by the USGS estimate. That is the 30th highest share of the 87 Minnesota counties in the USGS table, and the 41st 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 91% of Fillmore County’s rated land “very limited” for a conventional septic drain field, 9% “somewhat limited” and 0% “not limited”, the 69th highest “very limited” share of 85 Minnesota counties with survey data. The most common limits: slow percolation (dense or clay soil) on 94%; steep slopes on 23%; a high water table (saturated soil near the surface) on 22%.
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 Fillmore 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. 1 of them is in Fillmore County.
| Lab | Town | Distance | Certified on the list for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fillmore SWCD Water Quality Laboratory | Preston, MN · in this county | 3 miles | coliform bacteria |
| Southeastern Minnesota Water Analysis Laboratory | Rochester, MN | 31 miles | coliform bacteria, nitrate, arsenic (subcontracted) |
| Red Wing City Laboratory | Red Wing, MN | 66 miles | coliform bacteria |
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 Fillmore 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 Fillmore County.
| Rule | State | Distance | Covers | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olmsted County | Minnesota | about 31 miles | Septic system | November 9, 2026 |
| Mower County | Minnesota | about 35 miles | Septic system | November 9, 2026 |
| Dodge County | Minnesota | about 47 miles | Septic system | November 9, 2026 |
| Goodhue County | Minnesota | about 60 miles | Septic system | November 9, 2026 |
| Steele County | Minnesota | about 63 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.