Selling or buying a home on septic or a well in Missouri
Missouri does not . Some counties require one by local ordinance; everywhere else, the inspection still happens anyway: FHA, VA, USDA, and cautious conventional lenders all require the septic and well to be sound before they'll fund your buyer's loan. HomeCleared is starting with the counties below.
Statewide position confirmed against the Missouri DHSS Onsite Wastewater Treatment Program FAQ, 2026-09-14.
Launch counties
St. Charles County
Requires a county compliance inspection of the septic system and/or well before the title can transfer.
County requirement confirmed
Jefferson County
The county code covers construction and repair permits, not sales. The inspection is driven by the buyer’s loan and contingency.
No county mandate found
Warren County
The county Sanitarian runs septic permitting and offers an existing-system inspection as an optional service, not a requirement to sell.
No county mandate found
Christian County
County onsite ordinance since 1992, with county-certified installers, but no rule tying an inspection to a sale.
No county mandate found
Camden County (Lake of the Ozarks)
The county ties its existing-system inspection to a building permit, not a sale. Lake-adjoining lots always need a permit for septic work.
No county mandate found
Lincoln County
County ordinance covers construction and repair permits only — a permit can be denied if a practical public sewer connection is within 300 feet.
No county mandate found
Greene County (Springfield)
The county’s own regulations say existing systems are inspected only on a complaint, not on a schedule or at sale. Karst terrain affects where a system can go.
No county mandate found
Montgomery County
County Sewer Ordinance covers construction/installation permits ($165 fee) only, with no inspection tied to a sale in the published materials.
No county mandate found
Pike County
County ordinance covers construction/repair permits, with a conditional exemption for lots of 3+ acres. No inspection is tied to a sale.
No county mandate found
Washington County
County ordinance allows a fee-based inspection on request from a Realtor or lender, but does not mandate one at sale.
No county mandate found
Franklin County
The 2025 wastewater code covers construction/repair permits, not sales — but a locally-approved "shallow absorption field" system can affect a buyer’s financing.
No county mandate found
What changes county to county
Even where the state rule is the same, the county authority, the forms, the fees, the repair-permit timeline, and the list of licensed inspectors and installers are all local. That is what each county page covers — not a re-worded version of the same answer.