Did you know approximately 85,000 septic systems are dotted across King County – including about 200 in Seattle? If your property is not connected to a municipal sewage system, then wastewater is treated through one of these on-site septic systems.
Septic systems handle all wastewater from the pipes on a property. Water from your shower and bath typically produces the most waste – about 30% in a household, with washing machines producing the next at 28%. Wastewater does not include precipitation or ground water.
As part of the purchase and sale agreement, sellers must complete two important steps well before satisfying the closing.
First, sellers must provide a “notice of on-site sewage system operation and maintenance (OSSM)” document to the county recorder’s office, either by mail or in person (500 4th Avenue, Room 311, Seattle) and include a fee (about $75). This document acknowledges the property is served by a septic system and describes the owner’s obligations for its safe operation and maintenance. It’s common for homeowners to have completed this step well before thinking of selling. Listing agents can supply a similar, acceptable document (Northwest Multiple Listing Service [NW MLS] Form 22U) for sellers to complete and record with the county.
Second, sellers must order an inspection of the septic system by a licensed “on-site system maintainer (OSM)” at a cost of about $300, depending on the size and complexity of the system. The seller can skip this step if he/she can show the system was inspected and pumped within the past 12 months (negotiable) unless required by the buyer’s mortgage lender. The county offers guidance for finding a licensed professional.
After addressing any inspection-related issues, the OSM will share a copy of his/her report with King County Public Health – at a charge of about $250. While they have 30 days to complete delivery, OSMs typically share the report with both the county and client in about 10 days.
To comply with escrow and the sale agreement, the seller must provide to buyers within 10 days of mutual acceptance (a negotiable timeline) signed copies of Form 22U (or OSSM), the inspection report, maintenance records, as well as septic addendum Form 22S (form numbers vary by county or region). This puts pressure on the listing agent and his/her client to quickly order a septic inspection. My advice: Complete the inspection before mutual acceptance in anticipation of having the information ready when the buyer makes an offer; the report is valid for six months.
If the inspection hasn’t been completed before an accepted offer, the buyer may ask to attend the OSM’s inspection. (Buyers’ rights and obligations for septic systems are also significant.)
It should go without saying that the seller must disclose to buyers any known problems with the home, including plumbing, drains and septic components. If not included on a septic inspection report, the owner should still note issues within the Seller Disclosure Statement (section No. 1, part 3). Sellers can be liable for repairs to a home for up to three years after the transaction is completed if they knew of – and didn’t report – a material defect and lawyers for both parties would likely need to resolve those disputes.
In most transactions but usually not before the inspection, sellers will be expected to pump the system tanks to ensure a clean and healthy start for the new owners. The typical cost to pump a system is about $500 in our area and it should be conducted on a frequency recommended by the inspector or system designer.
Most OSMs will provide all three services – conduct the inspection, prepare and file a report and pump out the septic tanks – for roughly $1,000. The county health department also requires a drawing of the system to be on file. The creation of this drawing, known as an “as-built” – which points out the system components in relation to natural waterways and nearby structures – can run about $500 if not already filed with Public Health. The seller is typically responsible for all of these costs.
A septic system is designed for a certain number of people or bedrooms in a household. If you have more people in a house for which it is designed, the system can become overloaded and fail. A home cannot be listed on the NW MLS as a five-bedroom home if the septic capacity is for fewer bedrooms.
This area of the country typically uses one of four types of septic systems: gravity (the most common), pressure distribution, mound and sand filter. Check here for more information about the type of system on your property. If interested in obtaining a permit for a septic system, contact your local public health department in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties.
All septic systems in King must be inspected at least every three years and annually if the home includes a garbage disposal, which can cause system failure and clogging when improperly used. The above-mentioned Form 22U offers guidelines as to when to inspect and maintain the system – for the sake of the health of those who live on the property and nearby.