01
What septic paperwork should I ask the seller for?
Williamson County's Department of Infrastructure issues on site sewage facility permits for the county. Areas inside the City of Austin are carved out. That office holds the record of what was permitted, and when. A tank lid in the yard proves none of it. Asking for the permit file is how a buyer learns whether the system was ever authorized.
What a strong answer sounds like
A useful answer names the office and the document. Something like: the Department of Infrastructure granted an Authorization to Construct on this date, and here is what it authorized. In Georgetown, Round Rock and Liberty Hill, where T. Kerr Property Group works on acreage homesites, Tanya Kerr was named an expert source on the Central Texas market.
Red flag
A seller who points at the tank lid and stops there has not answered. Construction cannot begin on the facility until an Authorization to Construct is granted. No record of that authorization means the buyer inherits the question. The department is the only place that can settle it.
02
Can I add a pool or a guest house later?
An authorization covers what was authorized, and nothing beyond it. A room addition, a pool, a barn with plumbing or a guest house all change what the system has to carry. A property owner must receive authorization from the Williamson County Department of Infrastructure to install a system. So the plan for later years is a county question first.
What a strong answer sounds like
A concrete answer sounds like this: the file covers the house as it stands, and the department has to be asked before anything is added. Buyers around Georgetown should make that call during the option period. Applications are accepted only online through My Government Online, so the request and the file sit in one system.
Red flag
A builder who says the yard has plenty of room is answering a different question. Room is not authorization. Construction cannot begin on the facility until an Authorization to Construct is granted. A buyer who asks after closing has already paid for a plan that may never be approved.
03
Will the home inspector check the septic system and the well?
A Texas home inspection follows TREC's Standards of Practice. Section 535.233(a) does not require an inspector to inspect private sewage disposal systems or private water wells. If the inspector agrees to inspect one, the standards for that system then apply. So the standard report on an acreage house can be silent on both.
What a strong answer sounds like
Paragraph 7A of TREC Form 20-19 leaves the choice with the buyer. The buyer may have the property inspected by inspectors selected by the buyer and licensed by TREC or otherwise permitted by law. A good answer names the second inspector by trade. The seller must also keep the utilities on while the contract is in effect.
Red flag
A report that says the septic and the well were not inspected is following the standards. Section 535.227(d) also frees the inspector from reporting the cause or effect of deficiencies, and from anticipating future events or conditions. Hydrostatic testing must be separately authorized by the seller in writing. County answers take days, so a short diligence window is the real risk.
04
Is the water well on this property registered with the state?
Private well owners do not need to register their wells with the state. The record comes from the driller instead. Registered water well drillers, and landowners who drill their own wells, must submit a State of Texas Water Well Report. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation licenses water well drillers and pump installers.
What a strong answer sounds like
A solid answer points at a document, not a memory. Reports from 2003 onward sit in the Submitted Drillers Reports Database. Older paper reports were scanned into the TCEQ Water Well Report Viewer. The right question is which of the two holds the report for this well.
Red flag
An unregistered well is not a problem on its own, because no registration is required. The problem is a seller who cannot say who drilled it, or when, and two database searches that turn up nothing. A well with no report behind it is a well nobody can describe.
05
Who checks the water quality on a private well?
The state does not regulate the water quality of private water wells in Texas. The well owner is responsible for addressing water quality problems. That duty passes with the land at closing. A buyer who skips testing is not leaning on a state standard, because no state standard applies to that tap.
What a strong answer sounds like
A good answer names the test and the price band. Testing runs from about $20 for the presence or absence of coliform and E. coli bacteria. A full drinking water standards analysis runs up to about $400. Some groundwater conservation districts test free or at reduced cost, so ask the local district first.
Red flag
A seller who says the water has always been fine is offering a memory, not a result. No state agency is checking it. A written lab result with a date on it is the only answer that settles it. The basic bacteria test costs little next to finding out after closing.
06
Do Edwards Aquifer rules apply to this piece of land?
Parts of Williamson County sit over TCEQ regulated Edwards Aquifer zones. Before building on the recharge, transition or contributing zones, a plan must be reviewed and approved by the TCEQ Edwards Aquifer Protection Program. Only portions of the aquifer are regulated. A map viewer shows whether a specific project sits over a regulated zone.
What a strong answer sounds like
A clear answer cites the map and the office. Williamson County is served by the TCEQ Austin Regional Office for this program. Administrative review can take up to 30 days. Technical review of an administratively complete application takes 90 days. Those windows decide whether a building plan is realistic at all.
Red flag
Treating land outside the Georgetown city limits as unregulated misses two layers. There is no zoning in Georgetown's extraterritorial jurisdiction, but the City still reviews subdivision, stormwater, utility evaluations, driveway permits and sign permits. Unincorporated property must also comply with all Williamson County regulations.
This article is general information about the Central Texas market and is not legal, tax or financial advice. Statutes, rates, deadlines and district rules change. Confirm anything that affects a decision with a licensed attorney, a tax professional, the Williamson County Tax Assessor Collector or the Williamson Central Appraisal District before acting on it.
