Septic inspection when selling a house in Florida
Florida law bars local point-of-sale inspection rules.
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.
Private wells in Florida
About 2,460,295 of Florida’s 20,271,272 residents (12%) got their drinking water from a private well in 2015, by the USGS estimate.
Source: USGS county water use 2015 (Dieter et al., 2018); 67 counties in the USGS table.
Where private wells (and usually septic systems) are most common
Florida ranks 4 of 45 states and territories by people on private wells (USGS 2015). In 21 of its 67 counties more than half of residents drink from a private well; homes there usually also treat wastewater on site, so a septic check and a well test tend to come up together at sale. The highest shares:
- Gilchrist County: 89% of 17,199 residents on a private well
- Union County: 87% of 15,234 residents on a private well
- Lafayette County: 86% of 8,663 residents on a private well
- Dixie County: 83% of 16,203 residents on a private well
- Suwannee County: 82% of 43,760 residents on a private well
- Levy County: 80% of 39,832 residents on a private well
- Baker County: 77% of 27,420 residents on a private well
- Bradford County: 73% of 26,928 residents on a private well
USGS county water use 2015 (Dieter et al., 2018). The USGS table counts well users, not septic systems; no national county count of septic systems exists.
Soils for septic drain fields in Florida
Across the 60 counties with USDA soil survey data, 93% of rated land is “very limited” for a conventional septic drain field. Most limited: Glades County (100%), Hendry County (100%), Nassau County (100%). Least limited: Suwannee County (61%), Leon County (65%), Santa Rosa County (67%).
Source: USDA NRCS Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO), via Soil Data Access, rating “ENG - Septic Tank Absorption Fields”, read November 15, 2026. County-wide ratings, not a test of one lot.
Well water test: 2 labs on the Florida certified drinking-water list (Florida DOH - Laboratories Certified Under NELAP (DEP Qlik app): Analyte Search + Organization Name and Location Search, Matrix = Drinking Water, Certification Status = Accredited, Active labs, DOH Version: 11/07/2026 08:30:01 (Qlik app refresh 11/9/2026 4:26:47 AM; live database)) are marked as taking samples from homeowners or outside clients and certified for coliform bacteria. See certified well-water labs and testing advice in Florida.
Other states: all states.