Most of the attention in an Arizona septic sale goes to the inspection, which is the seller's job. But the rule that requires the inspection also requires a second step after closing, and that one belongs to the buyer. It is called the Notice of Transfer, it has a short deadline, and it is the piece that most often gets missed because nobody at the closing table mentioned it. Here is how it works in Pima County.
Under Arizona Administrative Code R18-9-A316, the person selling a property with an onsite wastewater system must have it inspected by a qualified inspector within six months before the transfer and give the buyer the completed report. Then, after the transfer, the new owner must file a Notice of Transfer with the permitting agency, which in Pima County is the Pima County Department of Environmental Quality acting on ADEQ's behalf. The notice has to be filed within 15 calendar days of the transfer. Our ADEQ inspection guide covers the inspection half in detail.
It is a short state form that tells the county who now owns the system. It records the property address, the previous and new owner, the date of transfer, and confirms that the inspection was done. The buyer signs it and submits it with a copy of the inspection report and a filing fee. The point is that the county's permit records follow the system, not the seller, so the next time anything happens with that system, a repair permit, a complaint, a future sale, the file shows who is responsible for it.
Seller: orders and pays for the inspection, receives the report from the inspector, and gives it to the buyer before the transfer. Sellers usually order it right at listing so the six month window comfortably covers a normal escrow. Our page on selling a house with septic walks through the timing.
Inspector: completes the inspection on the state's standard report form and delivers it to the seller. A good report is clear enough that the buyer's lender and the county can both read it without calling anyone.
Buyer: files the Notice of Transfer with the report and fee within 15 days of closing. The title company does not do this for you, and neither does the seller's agent, though a good buyer's agent will remind you.
Assuming escrow handled it. The inspection report may pass through escrow, but the notice is a separate filing that happens after the deed records.
Filing without the report. The notice is supposed to go in with a copy of the inspection report. If you never received one from the seller, that is a problem to raise before closing, not after.
Letting a failed report sit. If the inspection found problems and the seller and buyer negotiated repairs, the notice still gets filed. Any repair work done afterward goes through its own permit with the county.
Missing the window on a family or trust transfer. Arizona's rule has almost no exemptions. A house passing to a relative, into a trust, or through a divorce settlement still counts as a transfer, and the inspection and notice both still apply.
When we do a transfer inspection, the seller gets the completed state report form, a plain language summary of what we found, and the documents the buyer will need to attach to the Notice of Transfer. That means the buyer's filing is a matter of signing a form and attaching what is already in hand, rather than hunting down paperwork two weeks after moving in. Fees and what is included are on our inspection cost page.
Call (520) 389-5764 with the property address and your closing date. We will schedule the inspection and make sure both sides have what they need for the filing.
Arizona requires it before the property changes hands · Reports turned around fast · Serving all of Pima County
Call (520) 389-5764