We have not verified a statewide law in Washington 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 Washington 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; Washington is not one of them, at least not at the state level. A county or municipality in Washington could still have its own ordinance we have not audited; the local health department for the specific county is the authoritative source.
Washington State Department of Health (DOH), Environmental Public Health Division — Wastewater Management Program. See the full Washington septic regulation page for the permit sequence and licensing.
Wherever you're transacting in Washington, 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 Washington.
| County | Records held |
|---|---|
| Kitsap | 185,502 |
| King | 184,607 |
| Pierce | 172,075 |
| Whatcom | 158,422 |
| Snohomish | 155,022 |
| Mason | 76,934 |
| Clallam | 32,751 |
| Thurston | 26,354 |
| Skagit | 17,997 |
| Jefferson | 16,878 |
| Grant | 15,176 |
| Island | 12,031 |
| Stevens | 2,716 |
| Pend Oreille | 1,449 |
| Ferry | 673 |
| Lewis | 206 |
| Douglas | 63 |
| Pacific | 61 |
| Asotin | 54 |
| Whitman | 49 |
| Chelan | 42 |
| Spokane | 27 |
| Wahkiakum | 18 |
| Adams | 17 |
| Columbia | 15 |
| Klickitat | 10 |
| Okanogan | 5 |
| Cowlitz | 1 |
| Yakima | 1 |
Full Washington county index · Washington regulations · Washington septic companies · Open the parcel map
We have not verified a statewide law requiring one in Washington. A county or municipal ordinance could still apply; check with the local health department where the property is located.
Washington State Department of Health (DOH), Environmental Public Health Division — Wastewater Management Program
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 Washington, 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.