Grand Traverse County, Michigan: septic system and well inspection at sale
Checked on November 9, 2026 against the official rule. Rule set by Grand Traverse 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
Dwellings with a septic system or well within 300 feet of surface water (the county's mapped Time of Transfer parcels).
| Question | What the official text says |
|---|---|
| What is required | Evaluation of the septic and/or well by a Health Department-certified evaluator, then Health Department review and approval of the transfer; water sampled for bacteria and nitrate at a State-certified lab Source: gtcountymi.gov |
| Triggered by | sale, transfer or conveyance of a premises with a dwelling within 300 feet of surface water Source: gtcountymi.gov |
| Deadline | before the sale, transfer or conveyance Source: gtcountymi.gov |
| Who arranges it | owner Source: gtcountymi.gov |
| Who pays | owner pays the evaluator's fee plus the County review fee Source: gtcountymi.gov |
| How long a report is valid | Not required again if certified within the 36 months preceding the transfer Source: gtcountymi.gov |
| Exemptions |
Source: gtcountymi.gov |
| Fee | County review fees: well and septic $300; septic only $200; well only $200; after-the-fact review $150; corrective action review $100. Certified evaluators set their own fees (Regulation, Section IX.B). (2026 fee schedule) Source: gtcountymi.gov |
| If the system fails | Within 30 days submit a corrective action plan; on or before closing place surety, bond or cash of 1.5 times estimated cost in escrow; corrective work within 180 days of plan approval (weather permitting) Source: gtcountymi.gov |
| Well part | Well checked for proximity to contamination sources, State construction standards, and bacteria and nitrate at minimum; sample from a tap on the dwelling system analysed at an EGLE-certified lab Source: gtcountymi.gov |
| Who may inspect | Grand Traverse County Health Department (evaluator certification class and annual registration). official list (gtcountymi.gov) The list names individual inspectors; we link to it instead of copying it. Source: gtcountymi.gov |
| Official forms | gtcountymi.gov Source: gtcountymi.gov |
| In force since | January 1, 2026 Source: gtcountymi.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: Grand Traverse County Health Department.
In force since January 1, 2026 (as the official text states).
Checked on November 9, 2026: read on the official site.
Published costs
What the official fee schedule or guide for Grand Traverse County says, with the year it applies to. The other 4 items published in Michigan are listed for comparison; they are different items, so we do not average them.
| Jurisdiction | Item | Amount | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Traverse County (this rule) | County time-of-transfer review, well and septic | $300 (septic only $200, well only $200), on top of evaluator fee | 2026 | gtcountymi.gov |
| Benzie-Leelanau DHD | Sewage evaluation (time of transfer) | $300 | FY2027 | bldhd.org |
| Benzie-Leelanau DHD | Well evaluation incl. coliform and nitrate | $250 | FY2027 | bldhd.org |
| Elk Rapids Township / HDNW | Real estate transfer evaluation incl. water analysis | $378 | 2026 | nwhealth.org |
| Ottawa County | Real estate transfer evaluation, sewage + water | $412 (sewage only $306) | 2026 | web.archive.org |
Inspectors, pumpers and labs set their own prices on top of these; the official source is the one that counts.
Compared with other Michigan rules
- In force since 2026: the 4th oldest of the 4 Michigan local rules whose start year we could read. Oldest: Ottawa County (1984), Ingham County (2006), Elk Rapids Township (2024).
Our census of official rules, checked November 9, 2026; start dates as the official text states them.
Private wells in Grand Traverse County
In 2015 about 50,173 of Grand Traverse County’s 91,636 residents (55%) got their drinking water from a private well, by the USGS estimate. That is the 39th highest share of the 83 Michigan counties in the USGS table, and the 14th highest number of private-well users.
This rule covers the well as well as the septic system. USGS models about 3,678 private-well users in Grand Traverse County with arsenic above 10 µg/L, EPA’s limit for public water (2010 population base; 95% range 2,309 to 5,654), the 19th highest of 82 Michigan 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 Michigan counties in the USGS table (1 = highest).
Soils and septic systems here
USDA soil surveys rate 100% of Grand Traverse County’s rated land “very limited” for a conventional septic drain field, 0% “somewhat limited” and 0% “not limited”, the 10th highest “very limited” share of 78 Michigan counties with survey data. The most common limits: fast seepage below the field (risk to groundwater) on 85%; poor filtering (coarse sand or gravel) on 65%; steep slopes on 40%.
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 Grand Traverse County.
| Rule | State | Distance | Covers | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benzie and Leelanau counties | Michigan | about 18 miles | Septic system and well | November 9, 2026 |
| Elk Rapids Township | Michigan | about 30 miles | Septic system and well | November 9, 2026 |
| Milton Township | Michigan | about 30 miles | Septic system and well | November 9, 2026 |
| Torch Lake Township | Michigan | about 30 miles | Septic system and well | November 9, 2026 |
| Village of Elk Rapids | Michigan | about 30 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.