A rule younger than most Loveland systems
The requirement has been in force since 2021, as North Forty News reported in July 2022, so a Loveland owner who bought a decade ago sold nothing under it and may not know it exists. The mechanics are strict about who does what: the inspector must be licensed by Larimer County and hold a current NAWT inspector certification, and the inspection report travels from the inspector to the Department of Health and Environment directly, per the county's Transfer of Title page. The department then issues the Acceptance Document, valid until the closing date or for up to 12 months, whichever comes first, or applies the exception for systems with final county approval less than three years old.
That 12-month outer window rewards sellers who move early. Inspect at listing, and the document rides along through price changes, fallen contracts, and slow seasons without expiring mid-deal. The transfer inspection page details the sequence for all three Front Range counties.
The conditional path when repairs surface
A deficiency does not automatically kill the sale. The default is repairs first, document second. But when the buyer agrees to take the work on, the county issues a Conditional Acceptance Document with an Agreement to Repair, and the transaction proceeds while the fix is scheduled. Who funds the repair is a negotiation, and it goes better for whoever is not surprised; the repair page maps what deficiencies typically require, from a distribution box to a rebuilt soil treatment area.
The money, itemized
Three costs stack. The private inspection: one Loveland contractor publishes transfer inspections starting at $475 per system, with more for travel time, difficult access, or road conditions (Johnston Sanitation, contractor-published). The county review fee: published on the department's environmental health fee schedule. And pumping, if the tank needs it, which is routine maintenance a seller often bundles with the inspection visit; the pumping page covers that side. Repairs are the wildcard, priced by what the inspection finds.
The same county rule governs Fort Collins sales, and the transfer guide compares Larimer's program with the Jefferson and Boulder county versions.