By Prerna Kapoor, CLHMS | REAL Brokerage | September 15, 2026
If your well and septic system have worked fine for fifteen years, it’s easy to assume nobody’s going to ask about them when you sell. In Douglas County, somebody will, and it isn’t optional.
Any property on an onsite wastewater treatment system, what most people just call a septic system, needs a Use Permit before the sale can close. This isn’t new. Douglas County has required it since July 1, 2011. What catches sellers off guard is that it starts with an inspection they have to schedule themselves, and it can take longer than they expect if the system has a problem nobody knew about.
What Triggers the Requirement
A Use Permit is required any time a property with a septic system changes ownership. It’s also required if you add bedrooms, convert the property from residential to commercial use, or add a second dwelling unit. For sellers in Franktown, Sedalia, and the more rural pockets of Parker and Castle Rock, it’s the sale itself that triggers it most often.
The seller is the one on the hook to get it done. Douglas County’s own FAQ is direct about this: when a home is being sold, the owner or seller has to obtain the Use Permit, not the buyer, though an agent can submit the paperwork on the seller’s behalf.
What the Inspection Actually Covers
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You can’t do this one yourself, and the county can’t do it for you either. It has to be a third-party inspector certified through the National Association of Wastewater Technicians, and they don’t work for Douglas County. They’ll check the tank, the inlet and outlet baffles, the electrical connections if you have a pump, the control panel and floats, and the soil treatment area, what most people call the leach field.
Since December 2023, the county has also required time-stamped photos of the tank, risers, and other components as part of the inspection report. Your inspector will know the drill, but it’s worth asking upfront whether that documentation is included in their standard fee.
If the Inspector Finds a Problem
This is the part that catches people off guard closest to closing. If the inspector flags a deficiency, a cracked lid, a riser buried below grade, a pump that isn’t cycling right, it has to be repaired and verified before Douglas County will issue the permit. “It’s been like that for years and never caused an issue” doesn’t count as an exception.
If you’re up against your closing date and can’t get repairs done in time, there’s a workaround. The buyer can sign a notarized Agreement to Repair, and the county will issue a conditional Use Permit while the repair happens on a set timeline after closing. That has to be agreed to and approved, so it’s a conversation to have with your agent and the buyer’s side well before closing week, not two days out. It’s also worth reviewing against your Seller’s Property Disclosure so the paperwork tells a consistent story.
Timing It So It Doesn’t Cost You Days
Once you submit a complete application, paid fee, and inspection report with no open deficiencies, Douglas County’s turnaround is generally two to three business days. The permit itself is good until your closing date or for twelve months, whichever comes first.
The part that actually eats time isn’t the county’s review. It’s finding a NAWT-certified inspector with an open slot, and then, if something needs fixing, finding a septic contractor who isn’t already booked out. I tell my sellers on septic systems to schedule this at the same time we’re doing the pre-listing inspection walkthrough, not after we’re already under contract. If it comes back clean, you’ve lost nothing. If it doesn’t, you’ve bought yourself the time to fix it on your schedule instead of the buyer’s.
Quick answers
Does every Colorado county require this? No. Use Permit rules are set county by county. Douglas County has required one since 2011. If you’re selling somewhere else in the metro or in El Paso County, ask me and I’ll help you find out what that county actually requires, since the process and paperwork differ.
Who pays for the inspection and any repairs? That’s negotiable between buyer and seller like any other repair item, but the obligation to obtain the permit itself sits with the seller under Douglas County’s rules.
Can I skip it if the system has never given us trouble? No. The permit is tied to the sale itself, not to whether the system has a history of problems. Douglas County won’t issue a closing-ready Use Permit without a current inspection on file.
If you’re getting ready to list a home on well and septic anywhere in Douglas County, I’m happy to walk through the timeline with you before we even talk price. No pressure, no pitch.
Sources: Douglas County Health Department, Use Permits (Septic Systems) and the National Association of Wastewater Technicians certified inspector directory.
Prerna Kapoor | REALTOR® | Luxury Home Specialist
REAL Brokerage | 720-949-5450 | info@prernakapoor.com
CLHMS • RENE • PSA • ABR | International Sterling Society Award Winner
Prerna specializes in residential real estate across Parker, Aurora, Lone Tree, Castle Pines, Highlands Ranch, Cherry Creek, Greenwood Village, and Centennial. She speaks English, Japanese, and Hindi.
