Rice County, Minnesota: septic system inspection at sale
Checked on November 9, 2026 against the official rule. Rule set by Rice 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 | County brochure: compliance inspection required at time of property transfer except 5 listed cases. Source: ricecountymn.gov via wayback (see census notes for capture) |
| Triggered by | sale, transfer, contract for deed Source: ricecountymn.gov via wayback (see census notes for capture) |
| Deadline | At property transfer Source: ricecountymn.gov via wayback (see census notes for capture) |
| How long a report is valid | 3 yrs (existing); installed w/ certificate <=5 yrs exempt Source: ricecountymn.gov via wayback (see census notes for capture) |
| Exemptions |
Source: ricecountymn.gov via wayback (see census notes for capture) |
| 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: Rice County.
Checked on November 9, 2026: read in a web-archive copy of the official page (the live site was blocked from our connection).
Septic systems in Rice County: the state’s count
MPCA counts 7,173 septic systems (SSTS) in Rice County in 2025, the 30th highest number of Minnesota’s 87 counties. Licensed inspectors and the county did 131 compliance inspections of existing systems that year: 1.8% of the county’s systems, against 2.11% statewide (the 32nd highest share). The county issued 138 construction permits in 2025 and 3,437 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. The county figures include the city and township septic programs inside it (MPCA footnote).
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 Rice County
In 2015 about 18,190 of Rice County’s 65,400 residents (28%) got their drinking water from a private well, by the USGS estimate. That is the 58th highest share of the 87 Minnesota counties in the USGS table, and the 21st 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 Rice County’s rated land “very limited” for a conventional septic drain field, 9% “somewhat limited” and 0% “not limited”, the 70th highest “very limited” share of 85 Minnesota counties with survey data. The most common limits: slow percolation (dense or clay soil) on 91%; a high water table (saturated soil near the surface) on 81%; fast seepage below the field (risk to groundwater) on 14%.
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 Rice 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 Rice County.
| Lab | Town | Distance | Certified on the list for |
|---|---|---|---|
| UC Laboratory | Janesville, MN | 27 miles | coliform bacteria, nitrate, arsenic (subcontracted) |
| RMB Environmental Laboratories, Inc. - Burnsville | Burnsville, MN | 28 miles | coliform bacteria, nitrate, arsenic (subcontracted) |
| Twin City Water Clinic, Inc. | Hopkins, MN | 38 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 Rice 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 Rice County.
| Rule | State | Distance | Covers | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Le Sueur County | Minnesota | about 20 miles | Septic system | November 9, 2026 |
| Steele County | Minnesota | about 26 miles | Septic system | November 9, 2026 |
| Dakota County | Minnesota | about 29 miles | Septic system | November 9, 2026 |
| Dakota County | Minnesota | about 29 miles | Well water test | November 9, 2026 |
| Goodhue County | Minnesota | about 29 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.