Buying a House With a Well and Septic in Illinois (and Does a Home Inspection Include the Septic?)

by Brian Wittman

Plenty of people live happily on a well and septic, and you can buy one with your eyes open. By the end of this, you'll know what to test, who to call in your county, and what the inspection you're paying for actually covers.

Now, here's the catch worth knowing up front. When you buy on village water and sewer, the village owns the pipes. When you buy on a well and septic, you're the utility. The upkeep is yours. So is the failure.

Picture two buyers looking at similar houses on the same county road. One spends a few hundred dollars before closing having the well and septic checked. The other reads a clean inspection report and figures that covered it. The U.S. EPA puts routine septic maintenance at $250 to $500 every three to five years. It puts repairing or replacing a failing conventional system at $5,000 to $15,000. Only one of those buyers knew which number they were walking into.

Does a home inspection include the well and septic in Illinois?

No, a well and a septic system aren't part of a standard Illinois home inspection. The state's standards of practice for home inspectors cover plumbing as "the interior water supply and distribution systems," and that section never mentions wells or septic at all. A buried tank and a drainfield also aren't readily accessible, and inspectors aren't required to judge the condition of things that aren't. So a clean report tells you about the pipes inside your house, not the well that feeds them or the septic system they drain into. You'll want separate checks for both.

What does a standard home inspection actually leave out?

Even if you already know how home inspections work, the scope is the part almost nobody reads. Illinois spells out what a home inspector has to cover in 68 Ill. Adm. Code 1410.200. The words "well" and "septic" don't show up anywhere in it.

That's not a loophole, and nobody's hiding anything from you. It's just where the job ends.

Some inspectors do offer well and septic add-ons, so ask, and if they say yes, ask who's actually doing the work and what it includes. "We look at the septic" can mean a lot of different things.

And be careful with one phrase you'll hear: licensed septic inspector. Illinois doesn't issue a license by that name. The state's septic code says who can do the required tank evaluation: the homeowner, a licensed installation contractor, a licensed environmental health practitioner, an Illinois licensed professional engineer, or the state or local health department. Illinois licenses the contractors who pump septic tanks, and well and pump work is licensed work here too.

Does Illinois require a well or septic inspection when you sell?

As far as we could find, no. There's no state rule requiring a well water test at sale. Cook and Grundy both told me directly that they don't require one, and Grundy added that it's usually the lender that does. None of the other three county health departments covered here (Will, Kendall and Kankakee) lists a required inspection at sale on its website.

What you'll get instead is the seller's disclosure. The Illinois Residential Real Property Disclosure Report asks whether the seller is aware of material defects in the well or well equipment, unsafe conditions in the drinking water, or material defects in the septic system. Notice the word aware. A seller who never tested the water can honestly say no. The form itself says it isn't a substitute for any inspections you'd want.

Look in your purchase contract, too. Check whether it has its own paragraph for well and septic inspections, apart from the general inspection, and have your attorney walk you through it before you sign.

Is the house actually on a well and septic?

Don't assume from the address. Unincorporated doesn't automatically mean well and septic, and being inside a village doesn't rule it out. There's no official list of which pockets are on what.

So check three places. Read the listing, ask the seller, and then call your county health department to ask what records it has for the address, like a septic permit. The Illinois State Water Survey can search well records if you send it the property details you've got, and many drillers' records also show up on the Illinois State Geological Survey's ILWATER map.

What reaches a house is decided parcel by parcel, which anyone who's had to learn how to check internet availability at an address already knows. It's the same with local government. Your mailing address won't tell you whether you're inside a village, and it won't tell you what township you're actually in either.

Is a private water company the same as a private well?

No, and this one trips people up. Homer Glen and Orland Hills get their water from Illinois American Water. Peotone and Manteno get theirs from Aqua Illinois. They're private water utilities: regulated companies with mains and meters. They aren't private wells.

And water and sewage are two separate questions you'll need to ask. Homer Glen's own website, for example, sends septic questions to the Will County Health Department at 630-679-7030. So confirm both, every time.

What inspections do you need when buying a house with a well and septic?

Think of it as two jobs and a phone call.

For the well:

A water test for bacteria (total coliform) and nitrate, at minimum. That's the pair the Illinois Department of Public Health tells well owners to test every year.
A flow test, which tells you how much water the well delivers. Ask for it by name, because Kankakee County's own survey, for example, says its well inspection doesn't include a gallons per minute flow rate test.
A licensed water well or pump contractor, if the disclosure or the test raises a question about the well or its equipment.

For the septic:

An evaluation by someone the state's code allows to do one, or by the county health department where it offers the service.
Pumping by a licensed pumping contractor. Ask whether pumping is part of your evaluation. Kankakee's survey says it doesn't pump the tank or inspect the inside of it, which is a good reminder that "the county looked at it" and "someone opened the tank" aren't the same thing.
The permit records for the system, from the county health department.
An occupied house, if you can get one. Cook County won't do a septic evaluation on a vacant home, and Grundy only gives a temporary approval, because with nobody living there, no wastewater is running through the system to show a failure. If the house is empty, ask how your evaluator handles that before you count on the result.

Ask everyone you hire the same question: what does your report cover, and what doesn't it? Write the answer down.

If the house is on municipal sewer instead, the question changes to whether you need a sewer scope inspection.

What will your lender require for a well and septic?

It depends on the loan, and it can depend on your lender too. The best move is to ask when you apply, before you count on anything here.

USDA: Rural Development's own FAQ says water quality tests are required on individual water systems. If you're buying with a USDA loan, you'll have a water test either way, though refinances don't need one.
FHA: HUD's FAQ requires a well water test in certain situations: new construction, an appraiser who reports deficiencies, water known to be unsafe, a property close to landfills, industrial sites or farms, and a well less than 100 feet from the septic system. The test has to be done by a disinterested third party, not the buyer or seller. FHA also wants a connection to public water whenever it's feasible and available at a reasonable cost.
Conventional (Fannie Mae): Fannie Mae's guidelines don't call for a routine well test or septic inspection on every loan. They do require a private well or septic system to sit on the property, or come with a legally binding agreement for access and maintenance.

Here's what to take from that. On a conventional loan, your lender may never ask about the water. You still should. The tests that protect you are the ones you order yourself.

Who do you call in your county?

Here's what your county health department publishes, with the number you'll want. Fees change. Confirm before you send money.

Will County. Environmental Health has offices in Joliet (815-727-8490), Bolingbrook (630-679-7030) and Monee (708-534-5721). Its lab in Joliet (815-727-8517) lists $20 for a routine bacterial screen and $18 for nitrate, and you'll need to bring samples in on ice in one of the lab's sterile bottles. Will County also runs a well and septic survey for $200. When I called, they told me it's a full assessment: they locate the well and the septic, sample the water and run a dye test. The application has the seller or the seller's representative fill out the property section. As the buyer, you can get the records with a Freedom of Information Act request, and they told me they'll provide them within five days.

Cook County. The Department of Public Health (708-836-8600) handles private septic systems everywhere in Cook County except four villages, and it handles every private well. Its fees are $150 for a well and water quality evaluation, $200 for a septic evaluation, or $225 for both, and the department told me those are current but may go up. Either the buyer or the seller can request one. Scheduling usually takes a few days to a week, and the water test, which screens for coliform and nitrate, typically takes another week. For records, the wells and septic line is 847-818-2841. If you own the house, you can just call or email; if you don't yet, you'll file a FOIA request. Records only go back to about 2005, so an older system may not have any. If you're moving to Palos Park, IL, the village runs its own state-approved septic program and holds those records, but the county still handles the wells.

Kendall County. Environmental Health is at 630-553-8026, and the main line is 630-553-9100. Its staff can review permit records and talk through your specific system with you. Call and ask about water tests.

Grundy County. Environmental Health is at 815-941-3115. For the well, the department recommends a licensed well contractor, and its lab doesn't test for nitrate, so that sample goes to an outside lab. A well contractor may be able to collect both samples and send them in for you. The department does do septic inspections itself. Records come through a FOIA request. Its own advice to buyers is worth repeating: "an unknown or undetected problem with a septic system or a well can be a costly financial burden for a recent home buyer."

Kankakee County. The Health Department is at 815-802-9400. Its 2026 fee schedule lists $150 for a sanitary sewer evaluation, $250 for a sanitary water evaluation, and $50 each for bacteria and nitrate kits. Its survey covers a records search, a visual septic check, a liquid level and drain test, a next-day dye trace, and an optional well inspection with a water test. Ask whether you're allowed to request it as the buyer. Water samples are only accepted Monday through Wednesday, and they have to come back by 3:00 pm the same day you take them.

How often should you pump a septic tank and test a well?

Honest answer: the sources don't agree. Here's the spread on pumping. The U.S. EPA says household tanks are typically pumped every three to five years. Illinois EPA says every two to three years, or more often if needed. University of Illinois Extension says every one to three years. Your tank and your household decide it, so ask whoever pumps yours what schedule fits.

Illinois law sets the floor. A residential septic tank has to be evaluated at least once every five years, and it's due for pumping when the scum and settled solids take up more than 33% of the tank. If there's an aerobic treatment unit, the code calls for evaluation and maintenance at least every six months.

For the well, IDPH recommends testing for bacteria and nitrate every year and for metals every three years. Nitrate matters most for the littlest people in your house, since above 10 milligrams per liter it may cause illness in infants 6 months old or younger. If there's a baby in the house, or one on the way, that's the test you don't skip.

What does it cost to own a well and septic?

Start with the EPA's numbers, since they're the ones you can trace to a source. Routine septic maintenance runs about $250 to $500 every three to five years. Repairing or replacing a failing conventional system runs $5,000 to $15,000. They're national figures, so treat them as a starting point, not a local quote.

For well equipment, get quotes from two licensed well contractors instead of trusting a number online.

An annual water test and a pumping schedule are line items most people leave out of what it really costs to own a home in year one. Then there's the bigger one. Worst case scenario, the system needs work in your first few years. If that's already a line in your plan, it's a bad month, not a crisis.

Does homeowners insurance cover a septic or well failure?

Don't assume it does. Homeowners policies generally exclude wear and tear, age and lack of maintenance, which is often how these systems fail. Some sudden damage may be covered, and add-ons like water backup or equipment breakdown coverage exist. Ask your own insurance agent what your policy says about the well pump and the septic system before you close.

The Bottom Line

A well and septic aren't a reason to walk away from a house. They're a reason to do a little more homework before you buy it.

The standard Illinois home inspection stops at the interior plumbing, so the water test, the septic evaluation and the records request are yours to order. Once you own it, you're the utility: an annual water test, a pumping schedule, and money set aside for repairs.

Over five to ten years in the house, a system you've tested and kept up is something you can plan around. One nobody's looked at is a bill without a date on it.

Last updated: October 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a home inspection include the septic system in Illinois?

No. Illinois' standards of practice limit the plumbing inspection to the interior water supply and distribution system, and wells and septic aren't mentioned. Some inspectors offer add-ons, so ask what they cover and who does the work.

Can you get an FHA loan on a house with a well and septic?

FHA has its own rules for wells and septic systems. HUD's FAQ requires a water test in certain situations, including when the well is less than 100 feet from the septic system. It can also depend on your lender, so ask when you apply.

How often should a septic tank be pumped in Illinois?

The sources disagree: the EPA says three to five years, Illinois EPA two to three, and U of I Extension one to three. Illinois code requires an evaluation at least every five years. Ask your pumper what fits your tank.

How much does a well water test cost?

It depends on your county. Will County's lab lists $20 for bacteria and $18 for nitrate, and Kankakee lists $50 per kit. In Grundy, the nitrate test goes to an outside lab, so ask the lab or your well contractor.

Does Illinois require a septic inspection when you sell a house?

As far as we could find, no. Cook and Grundy told me they don't require one, and none of the other counties covered here lists one. When a test is required, it's usually the lender asking. The seller fills out a disclosure report, but it only covers what they're aware of.

Who inspects a septic system in Illinois?

Illinois doesn't license anyone as a "septic inspector." The state's code lets a licensed installation contractor, licensed environmental health practitioner, licensed engineer or the health department evaluate a tank. A licensed pumping contractor pumps it.

If you're looking at a house and can't tell whether it's on a well, septic, or a private water company, send me the address and I'll help you figure out who to call.

Set up a time before you write an offer on a house with a well or septic, and we'll put the water test, the septic evaluation and the contract steps into the plan from day one, not after the offer's accepted.

Brian Wittman is a licensed real estate broker (Real Broker LLC), mortgage loan originator (NMLS #2646598, NEXA Mortgage, LLC, Equal Housing Lender), and life insurance producer (Levinson & Associates). This article is for educational purposes only and is not financial, lending, tax, or legal advice, an offer, or a commitment to lend; all loans are subject to credit approval. Information is accurate as of the publication date; for current details and full disclosures, visit https://bluejeanbroker.com/disclosures.