Cost: $175–$550; ATU inspections $350–$600.
What's checked
- Tank: size, material, cracks, lid and riser condition, sludge depth
- Baffles and effluent filter
- Distribution box: level, flow to every line
- Drain field: probe for saturation, surface signs, odor
- Pump chamber and floats where fitted
- Setbacks to wells and water where visible
- Optional: hydraulic load test for a definitive read on field capacity
Florida has no law requiring a septic inspection before a home sale, but lenders routinely ask, and here the inspection has a second job: establishing whether the property sits inside the Indian River Lagoon Protection Program area and what that means before July 2030. A buyer who finds out after closing that the system has to be upgraded is a buyer with a $15,000–$25,000 problem, and that discovery turns into a dispute. Ask for the program-status check to be included in the report — it costs nothing to add and it is the single most valuable line in it. Selling before 2030
When to book one
- Buying or selling — allow a week for scheduling before contingencies expire
- Refinancing where the lender asks
- After buying a home with no septic history
- Every three years as routine, per EPA guidance
You'll get a written report the same day with photos, findings, and a plain-language recommendation.
All work is performed by local licensed, permitted Florida-registered septic tank contractors.