First house, first time on septic, and I'm realizing the previous owners left me nothing
First house, first time on septic, and I'm realizing the previous owners left me nothing. No as-built drawing, no pumping receipts, not even a clear idea of where the tank sits in the yard. Everything drains fine at the moment so there's no emergency, but I've heard the county here has requirements about periodic inspections and I don't want to find out I'm out of compliance the hard way. We're in Snohomish County on about an acre. Where does someone in my position actually start with this?
Start by getting the system located and the record pulled, since most counties around here keep the original permit and as-built on file and it saves a lot of digging. After that, an inspection plus a pump-out gives you a baseline and puts you back on the books. Washington does have ongoing operation and maintenance expectations depending on your system type, so it's worth confirming which category yours falls into. We used Septic Solutions for our septic services and they handled the paperwork side, including the disposal manifest. Also ask them to install risers if the lids are buried, it makes every future visit cheaper.