The Larimer County inspection before a sale
Greeley Quality Septic Transfer of Title Inspections Near Greeley
Larimer County requires a septic inspection and a county Acceptance Document before most homes with a septic system change hands. Weld County does not.
- Greeley and nine towns within 20 miles
- Written price before any digging
- Licensed, insured local contractors
- Weld and Larimer County rules covered
Greeley Quality Septic arranges transfer of title septic inspections for sellers and buyers in the Larimer County towns near Greeley: Timnath, Fort Collins, Loveland, Berthoud and the Larimer side of Windsor and Johnstown. It is the one septic job on this site with a legal deadline attached, because the county wants the paperwork before the sale closes.
A $595 inspection and county fee booked early is a routine closing item; found missing the week of closing, it can stall a sale, and a failed field found then turns into a $22,000 to $29,000 negotiation under pressure.
$595 to $1,395 including the county fee
A transfer of title inspection typically costs about $475, which is what a Northern Colorado septic company publishes for it, plus the Larimer County Acceptance Document fee of about $120, so $595 before anything else. Many inspections also need the tank pumped so the inspector can see inside it, which adds $475 to $800 for a tank up to 1,000 gallons. The usual total runs $595 to $1,395.
Get a price: (970) 442-7072Signs you need this inspection
- You are selling a house on septic in Timnath, Fort Collins, Loveland or Berthoud
- The parcel is on the Larimer side of Windsor or Johnstown
- Your buyer's lender or title company has asked for the Acceptance Document
- The last inspection report is more than 12 months old
- You are not sure whether an exemption applies to your sale
What Larimer County requires
Under section 43.4.P of the Larimer County On-site Wastewater Treatment System Regulations, the owner of a property served by a septic system must obtain an Acceptance Document from the county before the sale or transfer of title. To get one, the system has to be inspected to show it is working according to its design. The rule allows the buyer to arrange the inspection instead if buyer and seller agree.
The inspection has to be done by an inspector who holds an onsite wastewater inspector credential from NAWT (the wastewater industry association) or the National Sanitation Foundation, or equivalent training accepted by the county, and who also holds a Larimer County inspector license. The county keeps the list of licensed inspectors on its website.
What goes to the county
The application and the inspection report are submitted through the county's online reporting system. The report cannot be dated more than 12 months before the application, and it has to include:
- The owner's name and contact details, the property address and legal description
- The inspector's name and inspector credential number
- The date and time of the inspection
- A drawing of the system and its setbacks, unless a matching drawing is already on file
- Whether each component is in good repair and working order
- When the house became vacant, if it is unoccupied
Not sure what the system needs? Describe what you are seeing and get a straight answer on what it usually takes.
Call (970) 442-7072Who is exempt
The county lists exemptions. The common ones are a system that was installed and given final approval less than three years before the closing date, a transfer that is not at arm's length (between family members or within an estate), adding or removing a joint owner where an original owner stays on, and a transfer into a trust or an LLC controlled by the same owner. A foreclosure is exempt, but the bank's later sale to a new buyer is not. A house with an open major repair permit can be exempt if the buyer agrees in writing to finish the repair.
None of this applies on the Weld side
Weld County has no Transfer of Title program, so a sale in Greeley, Evans, Severance or Milliken needs no county septic paperwork. That catches out buyers who moved from Larimer. Weld still recommends an inspection and a pump-out by a licensed cleaner before a sale, and most buyers' agents ask for one. See the septic inspection page for what that covers. In Windsor and Johnstown the parcel's county decides, so check it on the county property records before booking anything.
Closing in the next two weeks
Call with the address and the closing date. The first questions are whether the parcel is in Larimer County, whether an exemption applies, and whether a recent report already exists.
Call (970) 442-7072Timing it around a closing
Book the inspection as soon as the house is under contract, or before listing. A report can be up to 12 months old, so a seller who inspects before listing usually covers the whole sale. If the inspection finds a problem, the earlier it is found the more room there is to price a repair or a replacement into the deal rather than fight about it the week of closing. In Fort Collins and Loveland, where most of the ground is slow-draining clay loam, that cushion matters.
Questions people ask
How much does a transfer of title septic inspection cost?
About $475 for the inspection plus about $120 for the Larimer County Acceptance Document, and $595 to $1,395 in total when the tank also needs pumping.
Does Weld County require a septic inspection when I sell?
No. Weld County has no Transfer of Title program. It recommends an inspection and a pump-out anyway.
How old can the inspection report be?
No more than 12 months before the Acceptance Document application.
What are the signs a system will not pass?
Water flowing back into the tank from the field, broken baffles, a pump or alarm that does not work, and wet or sunken ground over the field.
Can the buyer arrange the inspection?
Yes, if the buyer and seller agree. The county's rule allows it.
Who can do a Larimer County transfer inspection?
An inspector with an NAWT or NSF onsite inspector credential, or equivalent training the county accepts, who also holds a Larimer County inspector license.
Often done together
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Septic inspection
A look at every part of the system, from the pipe leaving the house to the leach field, with a written result.
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Septic tank pumping
Emptying the sludge and scum layers before they reach the leach field, on a schedule set by the tank and the household.
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Leach field replacement
When a field has stopped taking water, the fix is a new one, sized and designed for the soil on your lot.
Talk it through before anyone digs
Say what the house is doing, how old the system is and when the tank was last pumped. You will hear what the job usually involves, what it tends to cost, and whether it needs digging at all.
Call (970) 442-7072