Cattaraugus County, New York: septic system and well inspection at sale
Checked on November 9, 2026 against the official rule. Rule set by Cattaraugus County Health Department.
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 | Health Department inspection of onsite water supply (bacteriological sample plus visual check of source and equipment) and onsite wastewater system (typically a dye test) before title transfers Source: cattco.gov |
| Triggered by | transfer of title Source: cattco.gov |
| Deadline | before title is transferred Source: cattco.gov |
| Who arranges it | owner/seller applicant (application lists owner and purchaser) Source: cattco.gov |
| How long a report is valid | A prior inspection within the previous 6 months is accepted (not if the property transferred in that time or a risk is suspected) Source: cattco.gov |
| Exemptions |
Source: cattco.gov |
| If the system fails | Owner of record is responsible for corrections specified by the Department if the system does not comply or poses a health risk; provisional inspection allowed in vacancy, snow or tall grass Source: cattco.gov |
| Well part | Bacteriological sample (coliform and E. coli absence) and visual inspection of source and system equipment; other contaminants may be tested if suspected Source: cattco.gov |
| Who may inspect | Cattaraugus County Health Department performs the inspection. official page (cattco.gov) Source: cattco.gov |
| Official forms | cattco.gov Source: cattco.gov |
| In force since | August 6, 2015 Source: cattco.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: Cattaraugus County Health Department.
Checked on November 9, 2026: read on the official site.
Compared with other New York rules
- One of 2 of the 5 New York local rules that reach the well (also Chautauqua County); the others cover the septic system only.
Our census of official rules, checked November 9, 2026; start dates as the official text states them.
Private wells in Cattaraugus County
In 2015 about 28,609 of Cattaraugus County’s 77,922 residents (37%) got their drinking water from a private well, by the USGS estimate. That is the 22nd highest share of the 62 New York counties in the USGS table, and the 24th highest number of private-well users.
This rule covers the well as well as the septic system. USGS models about 1,965 private-well users in Cattaraugus County with arsenic above 10 µg/L, EPA’s limit for public water (2010 population base; 95% range 1,325 to 2,878), the 10th highest of 62 New York 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 New York counties in the USGS table (1 = highest).
Soils and septic systems here
USDA soil surveys rate 99% of Cattaraugus County’s rated land “very limited” for a conventional septic drain field, 1% “somewhat limited” and 0% “not limited”, the 17th highest “very limited” share of 61 New York counties with survey data. The most common limits: a high water table (saturated soil near the surface) on 77%; steep slopes on 60%; slow percolation (dense or clay soil) on 58%.
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.
Nearest other sale-time rules
Buying or selling near a county line? These are the closest other local rules in our census to Cattaraugus County.
| Rule | State | Distance | Covers | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chautauqua County | New York | about 34 miles | Septic system and well | November 9, 2026 |
| Seneca County | New York | about 101 miles | Septic system | November 9, 2026 |
| Village of Moreland Hills | Ohio | about 163 miles | Septic system and well | November 9, 2026 |
| Village of Orange | Ohio | about 163 miles | Septic system and well | November 9, 2026 |
| Summit County | Ohio | about 167 miles | Septic system and well | 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.