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Septic Inspections for Buying and Selling in Gregg County
A septic problem found a week before closing is a negotiation. Found a week after, it is yours.
Selling or buying in Gregg County: what Texas asks for
If the system is aerobic, ask the seller for the recorded Affidavit to the Public and the current maintenance contract: Gregg County requires both for every aerobic permit, so a house without them has a gap in its file.
The Texas seller’s disclosure notice asks the seller to say whether the house is on septic or public sewer, and to disclose known defects in plumbing, sewers and septics. The OSSF permit itself transfers to the new owner automatically. On an aerobic system, an affidavit recorded in the county deed records tells the new owner to get a maintenance contract within 30 days of the transfer or maintain the system personally.
County office: Gregg County Health Department, 405 East Marshall Avenue, Longview, TX 75601, (903) 237-2628.
Sources: Gregg County Health Department, OSSF permit checklist (2026); Texas Property Code §5.008, seller’s disclosure notice; 30 TAC §285.3, general requirements; Gregg County: Septic Systems (program contact (903) 237-2628). Checked October 2026.
What an inspection should cover
- Finding the system and checking it matches what is on file
- Opening the tank: sludge and scum levels, baffles, structure
- Running water through it, and walking the field for ponding or odour
- On a powered system: compressor, pumps, floats, alarms, disinfection
- The paperwork, which is often what decides the deal
A sound system with no approval on file, or a lapsed service obligation, is still a problem, and documents cannot be produced retrospectively. Request an inspection quote →
Selling
Find the permit, approval, drawings, service reports and pump-out receipts now; pump the tank before the inspection so the baffles and outlet can be seen; bring any service contract current; and price anything obvious before a buyer’s inspector finds it.
Buying
Use an inspector independent of the seller, ask for the full document history, and ask when the drainfield went in: a field at the end of its life is a five-figure item that no report will call broken, because on the day it is not.