When buying or selling rural acreage in Northern Colorado—whether in Greeley, Eaton, Brighton, or Boulder County—a standard home inspector does not open or certify your On-Site Wastewater Treatment System (OWTS). County health departments and mortgage lenders require a specialized evaluation performed by a NAWT-certified inspector.
1. Unrecorded Tanks, Wet Wells, or Legacy Cesspools
On older agricultural properties built between the 1950s and 1980s in Weld and Adams counties, we frequently uncover two small single-compartment tanks (such as a 600-gallon primary concrete tank feeding a 500-gallon secondary chamber) that do not match the permit on file—or where the second chamber is recorded on historic county cards as a wet well or cesspool. Because cesspools are non-compliant under Colorado OWTS Regulation 43, resolving this requires decommissioning the legacy pit and installing a code-compliant two-compartment tank and engineered chamber absorption bed.
2. Deteriorated Concrete & Broken Tank Lids
Hydrogen sulfide gas trapped at the top of an aging tank turns into sulfuric acid, eating away precast concrete walls and lids. During field inspections across Weld County, we regularly find secondary chambers with fractured concrete lids, concrete debris on the tank floor, and unsealed access points. If the tank shell remains sound, a structural replacement lid and watertight risers can restore safety; if the walls are spalling, full septic tank replacement is required.
3. Corroded or Missing Inlet/Outlet Tees & Baffles
The outlet baffle or sanitary tee holds back floating grease and scum while allowing only clarified effluent to enter the drain field. When concrete baffles crumble or PVC tees break off, raw solids choke the distribution box and absorption trenches. Our crew pumps down the chamber and retrofits Schedule 40 PVC sanitary tees with an accessible effluent filter via targeted septic repair.
4. Heavy Root Intrusion & Structural Encroachments
Cottonwoods, willows, and shelterbelt trees aggressively invade unsealed concrete joints, while patios, driveways, or outbuildings built over the absorption area compact the soil and crush lateral pipes. Remediation requires mechanical root removal, joint sealing, or re-routing the chamber drain field to an uncompacted zone.
5. Liquid Level Above the Outlet Invert (Hydraulic Backup)
In a healthy gravity tank, the operating liquid level sits evenly at the bottom lip (invert) of the outlet pipe. Water sitting above the outlet invert signals that effluent is not draining—pointing to a settled tightline, an unlevel D-box, or terminal biomat failure in the leach field.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if a septic tank does not match county records during a Colorado real estate inspection?
When physical tank capacities, compartment counts, or secondary wet wells do not match official county records—or when a legacy cesspool is discovered—the system is flagged as deficient. Depending on the county, the seller or buyer must obtain a repair or replacement permit to bring the OWTS up to current code.
Does a cracked septic tank lid or missing outlet baffle automatically fail a NAWT inspection?
Yes. A broken tank lid poses an immediate collapse hazard, while a missing outlet tee/baffle allows raw scum to destroy the absorption field. Both require repair before a clean NAWT certification can be issued.
Can you close on a house in Northern Colorado with a failed septic inspection?
Yes, provided lender and county permit requirements are satisfied—either by completing repairs before closing or establishing an approved engineering and replacement escrow holdback with a licensed OWTS installer like AB Septic.
Need a Certified NAWT Transfer Inspection or Repair Quote?
Call Austin Bitz (NAWT #19888ITC | CO Master Installer #C10002733) at 720-883-3390 for fast real estate inspections and itemized closing repair estimates across Weld, Adams, Boulder, and Larimer counties.