Presque Isle Township Septic/Well Transfer Inspections

Most of Presque Isle County runs septic and well permitting through District Health Department No. 4's standard process. Presque Isle Township added its own extra layer on top: a mandatory inspection tied to property transfers, effective November 8, 2025 -- and then loosened it three months later so a buyer and seller can agree to push that inspection past closing instead.

This page covers what's specific to Presque Isle County. For the general explanation, see the national guide.

What the original ordinance requires

Presque Isle Township's Septic/Well Inspection and Property Transfer Ordinance took effect November 8, 2025. It requires an inspection of a property's private septic system and well at the time the property is sold or otherwise transferred, and it also applies to a property with no septic permit on record at all -- meaning an older home whose septic system predates the county's permitting records isn't exempt just because there's nothing to look up. This sits on top of, not instead of, the standard District Health Department No. 4 (DHD4) process that governs septic and well permitting everywhere else in Presque Isle County.

In practice, this ordinance functions like the "Time of Sale" septic and well inspection requirements a number of other Michigan counties and townships have adopted: it's designed to catch a failing or unpermitted system before a sale closes, rather than leaving that discovery to the new owner after the fact.

The February 2026 amendment: an opt-out that shifts the burden to the buyer

The township amended the ordinance on January 12, 2026, with the change taking effect February 14, 2026. The amendment allows a property transfer to go forward without the DHD4 septic and well evaluation completed first, provided the buyer and seller agree in writing to place the burden of obtaining that evaluation on the buyer (the transferee) after closing rather than requiring it as a condition of the sale itself.

That's a meaningful change for anyone buying in this specific township: it means a seller can no longer be forced to delay or kill a sale over a pending inspection, but it also means a buyer who agrees to this arrangement is taking on a septic/well evaluation -- and whatever it turns up -- as a post-closing obligation instead of a pre-closing contingency. If you're buying here, don't assume the standard protection of a pre-closing inspection applies unless you specifically decline to sign off on shifting that burden to yourself.

What to actually do before closing

The township has published a brochure that also serves as the required time-of-transfer notification, summarizing the amended ordinance and answering common buyer and seller questions -- available at the township hall or for download from the township's own site. Before signing anything at closing, get a copy of that brochure and decide, with your agent or attorney, whether you want the DHD4 evaluation done before you close (the ordinance's default) or whether you're willing to accept the post-closing burden-shift option the 2026 amendment allows.

Either way, the underlying inspection itself is performed under DHD4's standard Sanitary Code process, from the district's office inside the county courthouse in Rogers City. If the system fails inspection, you're back in the same territory as any other Michigan septic repair or replacement -- budget time and cost accordingly, and don't let a post-closing burden-shift agreement lull you into skipping your own pre-purchase due diligence on the system's visible condition and age.

Septic and Well Inspections at Property Transfer in Presque Isle Township

What the original ordinance requires

The February 2026 amendment: an opt-out that shifts the burden to the buyer

What to actually do before closing

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