Property transfer inspections
The inspection required in connection with a sale. Includes pumping so the tank interior can be assessed, drain field evaluation, and a written report for escrow and the county.
Septic service
Septic Inspections in Whatcom County
Selling, buying, or dealing with a county letter. We inspect the system and write it up so it holds up with whoever is asking.
Tank pumped as part of a transfer inspection
Written report suitable for escrow and the county
Drain field assessed, not just the tank
Scheduled around closing dates
01Why it matters
Most septic inspections here are happening because of a deadline
Almost nobody books a septic inspection out of curiosity. They book one because a house is being sold, because a lender or the county has asked for documentation, or because a maintenance requirement has come due and there is a date attached.
That matters, because an inspection with a deadline is not just a technical job. It is a piece of paperwork that has to be right, complete, and delivered to a specific party in time. A report that raises questions two days before closing is a problem regardless of how good the underlying inspection was.
So we do two things: assess the system properly, and write it up so that the person receiving it does not need to call us back.
A real inspection covers more than the tank. The tank is the easy part. What determines whether the system is actually sound is the drain field, and a drain field is assessed by looking at how it accepts water, what the ground above it is doing, and what the tank levels tell you about how it has been behaving.
02Scope
What we handle
Routine and maintenance inspections
Periodic inspections for systems under an ongoing operation and maintenance requirement, or simply because an owner wants to know where they stand before something fails.
Pre purchase inspections for buyers
If you are buying a rural property here, the septic system is one of the largest single risks on it. A buyer side inspection tells you what you are taking on before you own it.
03Included
What is included
Records check first
We look for the existing as-built and maintenance history before we arrive. Knowing what the system is supposed to be saves a lot of guessing on site.
Tank pumped and assessed
Lids located and opened, tank pumped so the interior is visible, baffles and tees checked, and the structure assessed for cracks and root intrusion.
Drain field evaluation
Condition of the ground above the field, evidence of surfacing or saturation, and how the system accepts flow. This is the part that decides the outcome.
Written report
Findings, condition, anything that needs attention, and clear language rather than a checklist that raises more questions than it answers.
04How it runs
How an inspection runs
Most routine visits follow this exact sequence. If yours will not, we say so when you book rather than on the day.
- 01
Tell us the deadline
Closing date, county deadline, or no deadline at all. This is the first question because it decides scheduling.
- 02
Records search
We look for the as-built and any maintenance history before the visit.
- 03
Locate and open
Lids found and opened. On properties with no records this can take a while, which is why the records search happens first.
- 04
Pump and inspect
Tank pumped, interior assessed, components checked, levels and condition recorded.
- 05
Drain field assessment
Ground condition, surfacing, saturation and flow acceptance evaluated.
- 06
Report issued
Written up and sent to you and, if you want, straight to escrow or the county.
05Why us
Why inspect with us
We do the records search before we come out. Turning up cold to a rural property with no as-built and trying to find a system by probing is slow and expensive, and it is avoidable most of the time.
We pump as part of a transfer inspection rather than treating it as an add on. You cannot meaningfully assess the inside of a tank that is full, so an inspection that skips it is assessing the lid.
We write reports that are readable. A report that a real estate agent, a lender or a county reviewer can act on without a follow up call is worth more than a longer one full of abbreviations.
And we tell buyers the truth. If a system is at the end of its life and the next owner is facing a replacement, that goes in the report plainly. That occasionally costs us the goodwill of somebody trying to sell a house, and it is still the right way round.
Working to a closing date?
Tell us the date when you book. Inspections that are scheduled early are far less stressful than ones squeezed in at the end.
06What customers say
What customers say
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07Questions
Septic inspection questions
What are the inspection requirements for septic systems in Washington State?
Washington requires an onsite sewage system to be inspected in connection with a property transfer, and many systems carry an ongoing maintenance and inspection requirement on top of that. Whatcom County operates its own onsite sewage programme, so the local detail matters. Our guide covers it, and the specific current requirements should be confirmed with the county for your property.
Do you need a septic inspection to sell a house?
In Washington, effectively yes for a property on an onsite system. It is one of the standard items that has to be resolved before a transfer completes, and leaving it late is the single most common reason septic becomes a problem in a sale.
How much is a septic inspection in Washington state?
It varies with system type and whether pumping is included, which for a transfer inspection it normally is. Tell us the property and the system type and we will give you a number before we come out.
How long does a septic inspection usually take?
A straightforward system with accessible lids and existing records is usually a couple of hours including pumping. A property with no records and buried lids can take considerably longer, mostly spent finding things.
What can fail a septic inspection?
A saturated or surfacing drain field, structural failure in the tank, missing or broken baffles, an undersized system for the number of bedrooms, and evidence that the system has been failing and been patched rather than repaired. Missing records alone does not fail a system, but it complicates everything.
Is it illegal to sell a house with a failed septic system?
You generally cannot complete a transfer with an unresolved failed system, and you certainly cannot conceal one. In practice a failure becomes a negotiation: it is repaired before closing, or the price reflects it and the work is documented. Concealment is the part that creates real liability.
Do you have to pump a septic tank to inspect it?
For a meaningful inspection of the tank interior, yes. You cannot assess baffles, walls and outlet condition through a full tank. Some routine inspections on a system with good records can be done without, but a transfer inspection normally includes pumping.
08Coverage
Where we inspect
We inspect across Bellingham, Lynden, Ferndale, Blaine, Birch Bay, Everson, Nooksack, Sumas, Deming, Custer, Sudden Valley and Point Roberts.
09Related
The rest of what we do
Every other service we run, in case the job you have is not the one you came here for.
Septic Tank Pumping
Routine and overdue pumping. Both chambers, lids dug out at no extra charge, and the tank inspected while it is open.
See this service
Septic System Repair
Baffles, lids, risers, pumps, alarms and blocked lines. We diagnose before anyone quotes a replacement.
See this service
Drain Field Repair and Replacement
Whether a saturated field can be recovered or genuinely needs replacing, and the evidence for the call.
See this service
Septic System Installation
New systems from site evaluation and soil testing through design, permit and final county inspection.
See this service
Septic System Replacement
Full replacement when a system is finished, including decommissioning the old tank properly.
See this service
Emergency Septic Service
Backing up, alarm sounding, sewage surfacing. Same day response, priced before we start.
See this service
Septic Tank Locating and Records
Finding a buried system on a property where nobody knows where anything is, and tracking down the as-built.
See this service
Riser and Lid Installation
Lids brought to ground level so future service does not start with an hour of digging.
See this service
Pump and Alarm Replacement
Effluent and grinder pumps, floats and alarm panels on pressurised, mound and sand filter systems.
See this service
Septic Design and Permitting
Test pits, soil logs, a design the ground will support, and a permit package the county will accept.
See this service
10Book it
Book an inspection
Tell us the property, the system type if you know it, and any deadline you are working to.
- Call us(520) 412-5565
- Email[email protected]
- HoursMon to Fri, 7am to 5pmEmergency service outside those hours.
- Area servedWhatcom County, Washington