Home buyer aerobic septic inspections

We strongly recommend one. Problems aren't always visible, and the system's permit transfers to you as the new owner.

We pull the installation drawing from the county, check the spray heads' location, type and number against it, and inspect all electrical components, pumps, filters and lines. If the home is sold during the system's initial two-year service policy, that policy carries over to the new owner. Otherwise, plan to sign a maintenance contract right after closing.

Yes. Every new aerobic system in Texas comes with a two-year initial service policy, and after that the owner must either sign a new maintenance contract with a licensed maintenance provider or, where the county allows it, maintain the system themselves.

These rules come from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) under 30 TAC Chapter 285. A copy of each signed contract has to be sent to your county's permitting authority at least 30 days before the current one expires. Harris County says failing to submit a contract can lead to misdemeanor charges in Justice of the Peace court.