What Should You Ask About a Well and Septic System Before You Buy a Home in Granby and Grand County?

Outside the town limits, many Grand County homes are not on public water and sewer. They have their own well for drinking water and their own septic system for wastewater. Rebecca Smyth, Real Estate Agent, sees this often on the cabins, acreage and mountain homes people fall for around Granby, Fraser, Tabernash and Hot Sulphur Springs.

Neither one is a reason to walk away. Both are reasons to ask a few questions before you write an offer. Here is the list to start with.

A well pulls groundwater up to the house with a pump. You own the equipment, you pay to maintain it, and the quality and the supply are yours to confirm.

In Colorado, a new household well needs a permit from the state before it is built. The Colorado Division of Water Resources issues them. State law puts limits on household wells, including how much they can pump and how many homes they can serve, so the permit is not a formality. Ask the seller for the permit number and any paperwork that came with the well. If the seller does not have it, tell me and I will help you track it down.

A home inspector looks at what they can see. A well needs a closer look from someone who works on wells. Ask for these.

• A water quality test. Ask the lab what they recommend testing for in this area, and let them build the list.
• A flow test. How much water does the well produce, and for how long? A house that sleeps a crowd uses more than a cabin used on weekends.
• The pump and pressure tank. Ask how old they are and when they were last serviced.
• The well cap and the ground around it. It should be secure and in good shape.
• The records. The permit, the drilling report, past test results and any repairs.

A septic system has a tank buried near the house and a leach field, which is the buried area where treated liquid soaks into the ground. Solids settle in the tank, and the tank has to be pumped on a schedule. When the system works, you never think about it. When it does not, the repair can be costly.

• Where are the tank and the leach field? Ask for a map. Keep vehicles, trailers and new construction off the field.
• When was the tank last pumped, and by whom? Receipts are a good sign.
• How old is the system? Ask for the permit and the design.
• Does the system match the house? A system sized for a small cabin may not suit a home that gained bedrooms later.
• Has anyone inspected it? Ask for a septic inspection as part of your review of the home.

Colorado sets the minimum rules for septic systems, and each county runs its own permit program on top of them. Whether a septic inspection is required when a home changes hands depends on the county. I will confirm the current rule with Grand County for the exact address. Do not rely on a listing sheet or a past sale for the answer.

• Order the well and septic inspections early, inside your inspection window.
• Ask the seller for every record they have.
• Budget for pumping, testing and, someday, replacement.
• Ask about winter. A pump that fails in January is a different problem from one that fails in July.

The water question is one of the items on the "does it check off about 85% of your list" test. It belongs on the list before you fall for the view.

Well permits, water rules and septic requirements are set by the state and the county, and they change. Confirm the current rules for the exact address with the Colorado Division of Water Resources and Grand County before you rely on them. This post is a general guide and not advice on any one home, and it is not legal, health or engineering advice.

Looking at a home with a well and septic system? Book a call with me or text 970-531-1268 and we will go through the questions for that address. New to buying here? Start with how buying works in Grand County, or read about buying a home in Grand County.