We have not verified a statewide law in New York requiring a septic inspection at the time a property transfers. That does not mean no requirement applies where you're buying: county and municipal time-of-transfer ordinances exist in various places around the country outside the states with a statewide law. Check the county page below, and ask the local health department directly — that is the authoritative source for a local ordinance, and this page is not.
No statewide New York law requiring septic inspection at time of transfer. Three states do have a real, verified one — Massachusetts, Iowa, and a waterfront-only law in New Hampshire — for comparison; New York is not one of them, at least not at the state level. A county or municipality in New York could still have its own ordinance we have not audited; the local health department for the specific county is the authoritative source.
New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), Bureau of Water Supply Protection (state code owner); permits/inspections administered by county or multi-county Local Health Departments. See the full New York septic regulation page for the permit sequence and licensing.
Wherever you're transacting in New York, the septic permit or as-built (where one exists) is almost always held by the county or district health office, not the state. How to find septic records before closing covers how to pull it; below is the county-by-county index of what we hold for New York.
| County | Records held |
|---|---|
| Putnam | 1,835 |
| St. Lawrence | 155 |
| Washington | 143 |
| Lewis | 140 |
| Chautauqua | 120 |
| Essex | 86 |
| Erie | 78 |
| Suffolk | 64 |
| Kings | 49 |
| Bronx | 46 |
| Allegany | 32 |
| Clinton | 30 |
| Tioga | 23 |
| Dutchess | 21 |
| Monroe | 20 |
| Schenectady | 17 |
| Cattaraugus | 15 |
| Westchester | 11 |
| Chemung | 11 |
| Schoharie | 9 |
| Broome | 7 |
| Madison | 6 |
| Nassau | 5 |
| Delaware | 3 |
| Wyoming | 3 |
| Saratoga | 2 |
| Oneida | 2 |
| Rensselaer | 2 |
| Cortland | 2 |
| Seneca | 2 |
| New York | 1 |
| Ontario | 1 |
Full New York county index · New York regulations · New York septic companies · Open the parcel map
We have not verified a statewide law requiring one in New York. A county or municipal ordinance could still apply; check with the local health department where the property is located.
New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), Bureau of Water Supply Protection (state code owner); permits/inspections administered by county or multi-county Local Health Departments
At the county or district health office that issued the permit, in almost every case. See the county-by-county index on this page for New York, and our general guide to finding records before closing.
Reviewed 2026-08-31 against the official sources linked above (where a source is cited) or, where none is cited, left deliberately general. Laws, lender overlays and local ordinances change; confirm current requirements with the county or state agency, your lender, and a licensed inspector before you rely on this for a closing.