At a glance
| Who regulates | Iowa Department of Natural Resources (567 IAC Chapter 69) and your county |
|---|---|
| Inspection when a home is sold | Required statewide. Required before sale or deed transfer, by a DNR-certified Time of Transfer inspector. Reports go to the DNR and the county. |
Septic tank size in Iowa
Iowa designs systems on 150 gallons per bedroom per day (567 IAC 69.9): 300 gallons a day for 2 bedrooms, 450 for 3, 600 for 4. The tank and absorption area are sized from that flow.
| Bedrooms | Design flow |
|---|---|
| 2 bedrooms | 300 gal/day |
| 3 bedrooms | 450 gal/day |
| 4 bedrooms | 600 gal/day |
| 5 bedrooms | 750 gal/day |
| 6 bedrooms | 900 gal/day |
Compare with other states on our tank size calculator.
Who needs a Time of Transfer inspection
- Every home or building served by a private sewage disposal system, before sale or deed transfer.
- The inspector must be certified by the Iowa DNR.
- A system with no secondary treatment after the septic tank, or a failed one, is sub-standard and must be repaired.
Transfers that are exempt (567 IAC 69.2)
- Court-ordered transfers, foreclosures and bankruptcy transfers
- Transfers by an estate, guardian, conservator or trust fiduciary
- Transfers to a spouse or to a lineal relative, and transfers in a divorce
- Transfers where the buyer will demolish the building
Look up past inspections
- Anyone can search the DNR's Time of Transfer database for inspection reports, without an account. It holds reports from 2021 on.
Costs
We don't yet have checked Iowa-specific prices. National figures: pumping averages about $420–$430 (pumping cost), inspections about $550 on average (inspection cost), and a conventional system $3,000–$8,500 installed (installation cost).
Rules change, and counties and towns can be stricter than the state. Confirm with the agency above before you buy, sell or build.