Swift County, Minnesota: septic system inspection at sale
Checked on November 9, 2026 against the official rule. Rule set by Swift 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 | Property with a dwelling (or structure needing an SSTS) may not be transferred or sold unless parties comply with one of: current Certificate of Compliance, winter agreement, or an inspection provided by the seller to the buyer at or before closing; purchase agreement must name who is responsible for septic compliance Source: swiftcounty.gov |
| Triggered by | transfer or sale of property with a dwelling or a structure requiring an SSTS; also compliance inspection within 10 months of conveyance of real property if no current certificate Source: swiftcounty.gov |
| Deadline | at or before closing; or within 10 months of conveyance (Sec. 6.3(A)(2)); winter agreement Nov 1-Apr 30 with information due by June 1 Source: swiftcounty.gov |
| Who arranges it | seller provides inspection; purchase agreement specifies who is responsible Source: swiftcounty.gov |
| How long a report is valid | existing-system certificate valid 3 years Source: swiftcounty.gov |
| Exemptions |
Source: swiftcounty.gov |
| 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 | 2014 (SSTS Management Ordinance, 2014; repeals 1997 ordinance) Source: swiftcounty.gov |
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: Swift County.
Checked on November 9, 2026: read on the official site.
Septic systems in Swift County: the state’s count
MPCA counts 1,617 septic systems (SSTS) in Swift County in 2025, the 75th highest number of Minnesota’s 87 counties. Licensed inspectors and the county did 18 compliance inspections of existing systems that year: 1.1% of the county’s systems, against 2.11% statewide (the 61st highest share). The county issued 28 construction permits in 2025 and 662 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 Swift County
In 2015 about 3,550 of Swift County’s 9,340 residents (38%) got their drinking water from a private well, by the USGS estimate. That is the 39th highest share of the 87 Minnesota counties in the USGS table, and the 67th 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 90% of Swift County’s rated land “very limited” for a conventional septic drain field, 10% “somewhat limited” and 0% “not limited”, the 72nd highest “very limited” share of 85 Minnesota counties with survey data. The most common limits: slow percolation (dense or clay soil) on 82%; a high water table (saturated soil near the surface) on 80%; fast seepage below the field (risk to groundwater) 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 Swift 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 Swift County.
| Lab | Town | Distance | Certified on the list for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Health and Human Services | Marshall, MN | 57 miles | coliform bacteria, nitrate |
| Traut Water Analysis Lab | St. Joseph, MN | 71 miles | coliform bacteria, nitrate, arsenic (subcontracted) |
| Minnesota Valley Testing Laboratories, Inc. | New Ulm, MN | 87 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 Swift 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 Swift County.
| Rule | State | Distance | Covers | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pope County | Minnesota | about 25 miles | Septic system | November 9, 2026 |
| Kandiyohi County | Minnesota | about 32 miles | Septic system | November 9, 2026 |
| Lac qui Parle County | Minnesota | about 32 miles | Septic system | November 9, 2026 |
| Big Stone County | Minnesota | about 39 miles | Septic system | November 9, 2026 |
| Grant County | Minnesota | about 49 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.