Most acreage around Liberty Hill, and across Williamson and Burnet counties, runs on a private well and a septic system. Neither one comes with a city bill, so the buyer has to go find the record. Before the option period runs out, we want to know what the well produces, what the septic was designed to handle, and what a licensed professional found on each. Here is what we tell our buyers to check first.
What records exist on a well, and where to find them
Two numbers tell most of the story on an existing well: how deep it is and how many gallons per minute it produces. Sellers usually have this. Texas requires it to exist: under Texas Occupations Code 1901.251, the driller keeps a well log recording the depth and character of the strata, where the water-bearing strata are, and the size of the casing, and delivers a copy to the well owner within 60 days of finishing the well.
If the seller cannot find it, the Texas Water Development Board's Submitted Drillers Report database holds reports filed by licensed drillers since 2003, searchable by county, owner name and map. The seller's disclosure notice (TREC Form 55-1) also asks the seller to mark "Well" under water supply and whether it works.
Then test the water. The Texas Well Owner Network, run by Texas A&M AgriLife, says even water that tastes, smells and looks fine should be tested once a year for nitrate and for coliform and E. coli bacteria, and the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board says why: private well owners are independently responsible for monitoring the quality of their own wells. Nobody else is checking.
Septic: the permit, the diagram, and whether it fits the house
Septic diagrams live in county records. In Williamson County the County Engineer's Office is the TCEQ authorized agent for on-site sewage facilities, and an existing permit file comes back through an open records request. Other counties have their own authorized agent, listed on TCEQ's site. Ask for the permit, the approved design and any final inspection.
The diagram matters because TCEQ sizes a system to the house. Its design table rates a one or two bedroom home under 1,500 square feet at 225 gallons a day, a three bedroom home under 2,500 square feet at 300, and a four bedroom home under 3,500 square feet at 375. A house that gained a bedroom after the system went in may be running on a tank designed for a smaller home, and that is what we want to know before closing, not after.
The same TCEQ rule sets the separation distances: a private well has to sit at least 50 feet from the septic tank and 100 feet from the drainfield, and the survey and the septic diagram together show whether the property meets them. For maintenance, TCEQ recommends pumping a conventional tank every three to five years, and an aerobic system needs a licensed maintenance provider's report at least once every four months. Ask the seller for those records too.
Who inspects a well and a septic, and what the report covers
These inspections are done by professionals in each field, not by the general home inspector. Under TREC's inspector standards, private water wells and private sewage disposal systems are optional systems, so a home inspector is not required to look at them at all. If one agrees to, the standard has them run at least two fixtures at once, recommend coliform testing, and report the septic system's type, drainfield location and any sign of seepage.
We go further than that. A well professional reports on the depth of the well and the pump and, most of the time, tests the water quality. A septic professional usually has the tank pumped empty first, because a thorough inspection is not possible with the tank full. Plan for that when you are counting option days.
For most rural properties on well and septic we ask for a 10 day option period, and we extend it if something needs a second look.
What the inspections turn up, and how the contract handles it
When a property has sat vacant for a while, the well water often needs to be treated, and that gets negotiated in the contract. Septic findings range from tree roots in the tank to clogged drain lines, cracks or leaks, and buried clean-outs. We negotiate those repairs once we have a full inspection in hand, not before.
The contract gives you the room to do that. On the TREC Farm and Ranch Contract (Form 25-17), the option fee is delivered within 3 days of the effective date, the buyer may terminate for any reason within the number of option days written in the contract, and that notice has to be given by 5:00 p.m. local time on the last day. Our rule of thumb is 10 days for most rural properties on well and septic, and we extend it when an inspection finds something that needs further evaluation.
Raw land: confirm you can drill and permit before you close
On a tract with no well or septic yet, we ask buyers to verify with the county and with well and septic professionals that what they plan to build can actually be built there, and what steps it takes. The survey tells us the setbacks. The permit rules come from TCEQ: a permit is required to construct, install, alter, extend or repair a septic system, and the local permitting authority has 30 days to approve or deny the application. There is an exemption for a single family home on 10 acres or more, but it carries conditions, including a site evaluation by a licensed evaluator and every part of the system at least 100 feet from the property line, so confirm it with the county rather than assume it applies.
Groundwater is the other question. Texas has 98 groundwater conservation districts covering parts of 173 of its 254 counties. Burnet County sits in the Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District, where a new well must be registered with the district and authorized before drilling starts. Williamson County, as of this writing, has no district of its own; the county's own commissioners court has described Williamson and Travis as islands in the middle of regional water conservation efforts. Which side of that line the tract is on changes who you call before you drill, so confirm the current status with the county when you are looking at land around Liberty Hill.
Questions we hear on well and septic
Does a home inspector check the well and the septic system?
Not unless you arrange it. Under TREC's inspector standards, private water wells and private sewage disposal systems are optional systems, so a general home inspector is not required to inspect them. We bring in a well professional and a septic professional separately.
How do I find the driller's report on an existing well?
Ask the seller first; the driller is required to give the owner a copy within 60 days of finishing the well. If it is missing, the Texas Water Development Board's Submitted Drillers Report database holds reports from licensed drillers filed since 2003 and can be searched by county and owner name.
Buying Acreage? Let's Check It Together
Well depth, gallons per minute, the septic design, the permit file, the setbacks on the survey: we pull all of it before you commit, in every one of the counties we serve, and we write the option period so there is time to act on what comes back. Confirm the permit and groundwater rules with the county and a licensed professional for your specific tract; this post explains the process and is not legal advice.
