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  1. 1 Meter or well house
  2. 2 House and crawlspace
  3. 3 Water heater AI picture
  4. 4 Septic tank lids
  5. 5 Drainfield and yard

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What does selling a septic house here require?

Selling a house with septic in Thurston County starts with a Time of Transfer Evaluation Report. A county-certified professional must inspect every part of the system and pump every tank within 12 months before you apply. You add a sketch of the system and the fee, $295 on the 2026 schedule. The county then issues a report; it cannot block the sale, but it records any deficiencies.

Street to Drainfield · updated · sources listed at the end

FOR SALE sign in tall grass in front of an empty old farmhouse among bare trees
1FOR SALE sign in tall grass in front of an empty old farmhouse among bare treesLook for: an older farmhouse on acreage like this; buyers will ask where its septic tank and drainfield sit before closing.
Hands stretching a tape measure across a mossy lawn from a house corner to a green septic lid
2Hands stretching a tape measure across a mossy lawn from a house corner to a green septic lid AI-generated pictureLook for: a tape run from a fixed point on the house wall to the lid, the measurement the county sketch form needs.

What does Thurston County require before a septic house sells?

A Time of Transfer Evaluation Report, a county requirement in force from 1 September 2010. The county's application packet lists the steps. A Thurston County certified pumper, monitoring specialist or installer inspects all components. A certified pumper pumps all septic tanks and pump chambers. Both must happen within twelve months before the application. You or a representative draw the system on the county's sketch form or attach an accurate site plan. Then you confirm any Operational Certificate is current, submit the application and fee, and the county reviews the records and issues the report.

How much does the Time of Transfer cost?

The county's 2026 fee schedule lists $295 for a Time of Transfer and $100 for a resubmission, as read on 6 November 2026. The county's Time of Transfer packet waives that resubmission fee when it follows a permitted repair from the report and arrives within 12 months. The county's codes and regulations page adds a 5% technology fee to all county permits and applications from 1 January 2026. Each septic system on a parcel needs its own application and fee. The packet waives the fee for a complete system installed within the last 12 months. Inspection and pumping are billed separately by the contractors, and the county publishes no price for them.

What happens if the report finds problems?

A failing system must be addressed immediately. The county's Time of Transfer page names sewage backing up into the building, surfacing on the ground or leaking from a tank as common failures, and says follow-up could bring a Notice of Violation. Lesser deficiencies, such as broken baffles, a malfunctioning pump, damaged risers or a system too small for the bedroom count, go on the report and may hold up other permits. Replacing a tank or drainfield needs a repair permit; fixing baffles or pumps does not. Once repairs are made, a resubmission within twelve months brings an updated report.

What does Washington State add for sales?

The state rule already reaches every seller. WAC 246-272A-0270 requires the owner, at transfer, to give the buyer all available maintenance and repair records along with the seller disclosure statement under chapter 64.06 RCW. Starting 1 February 2027, the same rule calls for a property-transfer inspection by a third-party inspector the local health officer authorizes, statewide. Thurston County's own Time of Transfer program, with its 12-month window, already covers that ground locally; ask Environmental Health how the two fit for a sale closing after that date.

What should a buyer ask the seller for?

Ask for the paper trail before you are bound to buy. The county's FAQ suggests the evaluation can include the record drawing, the size and age of the system, its maintenance history and the condition of the tank and drainfield. Request the Time of Transfer report, the latest OnlineRME pumping and inspection reports, and the Operational Certificate status if there is one. Finding Thurston County septic records shows how to pull each one yourself, and a private well on the same lot calls for its own check; see private well testing.

Are any transfers exempt?

A few are. The county packet skips the requirement when a structure sells but the parcel does not change hands, such as a mobile home in a park or a single condo unit. It also excludes a septic tank effluent pump system connected to city sewer, and large on-site systems permitted by the Department of Health. Everything else on a Thurston County septic system goes through the process. Homes moving off septic and onto sewer are covered in septic to sewer with LOTT.

Yours to do

  • Pull the record drawing and past reports early in the listing.
  • Confirm any Operational Certificate is current with no unpaid fees.
  • Draw or attach the system sketch on the county form.
  • Hand every maintenance record to the buyer.

Leave to a licensed or certified pro

  • Inspecting all system components for the transfer.
  • Pumping every tank and pump chamber.
  • Filing the inspection and pumping reports online.
  • Repairing deficiencies under a county permit where one is required.

On the record

Common questions

Can Environmental Health stop my closing?

No. The county states it does not have the regulatory authority to prohibit property sales; the report informs everyone involved.

Does the pumping for a sale also renew my Operational Certificate?

In most cases. The county says an inspection and pumping done for a Time of Transfer can usually renew the certificate if the system works and all requirements are met.

What if the tanks have never been used?

The county packet lets an inspector verify that tanks have not been used after installation, in which case pumping is not required.

How long is a Time of Transfer report good for?

One year, unless conditions in the report have materially changed, according to the county packet and Article IV.

Does the county check the bedroom count?

Yes. The application asks for the number of bedrooms, and a system too small for the bedrooms is listed as a deficiency.

Sources

  1. Time of Transfer application packet, Thurston County — steps, 12-month window, one-year validity, exemptions, fee waivers including resubmissions after permitted repairs; read 6 November 2026
  2. Time of Transfer, Thurston County — deficiencies, repair permits, sale cannot be prohibited, certificate renewal; read 6 November 2026
  3. Environmental Health 2026 Fee Schedule, Thurston County — $295 and $100 fees; read 6 November 2026
  4. Environmental Health Codes and Regulations, Thurston County — 5% technology fee; read 6 November 2026
  5. Septic system FAQ, Thurston County — what an evaluation can include, 2010 start; read 6 November 2026
  6. Thurston County Sanitary Code, Article IV - Sewage Disposal — transfer inspection and report validity; read 6 November 2026
  7. WAC 246-272A-0270, Washington State Legislature — records to the buyer, 2027 statewide inspection; read 6 November 2026

How this page was put together. This page rests on Thurston County Environmental Health's Time of Transfer page and July 2026 application packet, the 2026 fee schedule, Sanitary Code Article IV and the state rule WAC 246-272A-0270, all read on 6 November 2026. It is not legal or real estate advice, it quotes no contractor prices, and it does not say how the 2027 state rule will be applied locally because the county had not published that.

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