A Boulder County septic permit may identify an onsite wastewater treatment system (OWTS), while the property-transfer requirement shows up in separate records. The County’s property-transfer instructions describe three evidence paths: a passing whole-system inspection and Property Transfer Certificate before closing; a failed component repaired and finally approved before closing; or a conditional transfer supported by a signed, notarized buyer repair agreement when that preclosing work cannot be finished. Start by locating the property’s OWTS file, then identify the transfer document rather than treating any permit row as a transfer approval. Our guide to what building-permit records show explains why an issued permit and a later inspection outcome answer different questions.
Find the OWTS file and its identifiers
The County’s Check Septic Records page links a Septic Records Search Module. Use it to look for the property’s OWTS file. The County’s septic-system data dictionary explains fields such as B1_ALT_ID (the OWTS permit number), B1_APPL_STATUS (permit status), system type, address components and bedroom capacity. Those fields can help match a file to the property, while a Property Transfer Certificate is a separate document from the permit status.
Record the site address, any OWTS permit number, and the relevant sale or transfer date. Then ask for the property-transfer inspection report, the application and issued certificate or conditional-transfer record, and any repair permit, final approval or signed agreement that explains the outcome. The data dictionary directs requests for permits and associated records created after June 20, 2019 to the County’s current open-records request instructions. For questions about the OWTS file or which record exists, the SepticSmart program lists 303-441-1564 and HealthOWS@bouldercounty.gov. A missing public-search row is a reason to ask the custodian, not proof that there was no system or transfer.
Separate the three transfer outcomes
The County’s current instructions make the document trail depend on what happened before closing:
- Whole system passes: The owner obtains an inspection of the entire OWTS, submits the report and application, and receives a Property Transfer Certificate before closing. Read the report and certificate together: the first describes the inspection, while the second is the County’s transfer decision.
- A component fails but is repaired before closing: The County describes a permit to fix or replace the failed parts, its final approval of the permit and repair, and submission of the failed inspection showing that the rest of the system works. Look for the final approval as well as the repair permit.
- Preclosing repair cannot be completed: The buyer submits a signed, notarized Agreement to Repair, the failed inspection if applicable, and an application for a conditional Property Transfer. The County says a repair agreement gives the buyer 365 days after closing to complete required repairs; an agreement to connect to municipal sewer instead specifies two years after closing. Keep the agreement type and its clock attached to the conditional record.
The County also says an OWTS that is not permitted and approved should not be inspected under the passing-inspection route; its page directs that case to the third option. If an old permit is missing or its approval is unclear, record that gap as it is. Ask SepticSmart which record and application route fit the actual system before arranging an inspection or relying on a closing date.
Check the exemption and record limits
The transfer page lists exemptions, including an entire OWTS installed and finally approved by Boulder County Public Health less than five years before closing; it says an inspection is required if any part is older than five years, excluding the building sewer line. It also lists certain ownership changes and other specific circumstances. For an exemption, look past the installation date: check the final approval and whether the whole system fits the stated condition, and ask the County about the applicable branch.
The County’s transfer inspection report instructions call for an inspection report that documents the system and includes a sketch; they require the inspection’s own sketch rather than an old final drawing from an existing permit. Keep the older permit or as-built for historical context; the transfer report stays its own document. Our older-permit lookup guide covers a separate historical construction-record search.
For any property, compare the permit and final approval, inspection report, Property Transfer Certificate or conditional-transfer record, and repair agreement or final repair approval by their dates and identifiers. If one item is unavailable, ask the County which document survives and how to request it. The record set can show what the County documented; present system condition and lawful use need more than an empty search or one isolated row.
The SepticSmart page says OWTS regulations are being updated in 2026; recheck the current transfer instructions with the County before relying on them for a transaction.
Boulder County property-transfer, septic-records, data-dictionary and SepticSmart pages checked October 5, 2026.