A lot of the houses changing hands in Gaston County are on septic: the acreage around Dallas and Cherryville, the lake lots near Belmont, whole subdivisions in Mount Holly and Stanley that sewer never reached. The system is the most expensive thing on the property that nobody can see, and the standard home inspection does not cover it. Five questions cover most of the risk.
1. Is there an operation permit, and what does it say?
Gaston County Environmental Health keeps permit records for systems installed under the state rules. The operation permit shows the tank size, the field layout and the number of bedrooms the system was sized for. Ask the seller's agent for it or request it from the county. No permit on file is not a deal-breaker for an older house, but it means the inspection has to do all the work.
2. Does the bedroom count match?
A system permitted for three bedrooms serving a house listed with four is the commonest surprise in the county. The fix is an expansion permit and, usually, a bigger field, which is the buyer's cost if it is not negotiated before closing.
3. When was it last pumped, and by whom?
A receipt from the last three years is good news. No record at all means the tank should be pumped as part of the inspection so the interior can be seen; a tank that has never been pumped often has a failed baffle or a cracked lid.
4. Where is the well?
On a well-and-septic lot, the separation between the two is what the county checks on any future repair. A field too close to a well can mean that the next repair has to be a different, more expensive system. Have the water sampled through the county's Healthy Wells program while you are at it.
5. What did the inspection with pumping find?
Tank pumped and examined, baffles present, distribution box level, field probed and load-tested with running water, and a written report with photos. On Gaston County clay, ask for the test to be done after rain if the schedule allows; a field that passes in a dry week can fail in a wet one. Budget $250 to $500 for the inspection and pumping together, and remember that the seller may have done it already.
Useful links
- Gaston County Environmental Health, On-Site Wastewater and Wells – permit records and applications
- NC Division of Public Health, On-Site Wastewater Program – the state rules behind the county permits
Questions on this
Can the seller refuse a septic inspection?
The contract decides. Most Gaston County contracts give the buyer a due-diligence period in which any inspection is allowed at the buyer's cost.