Relating to persons certified to conduct time-of-transfer inspections of private sewage disposal systems, and providing penalties

This bill relates to persons certified to conduct time-of-transfer inspections of private sewage disposal systems. Current law requires an inspection of a private sewage disposal system of a building in which a person resides, congregates, or is employed prior to any transfer of ownership of the building. The department of natural resources (DNR) is required to adopt certification requirements for inspectors and maintain a list of certified inspectors. The bill states that an inspector’s certification is considered current if the inspector has paid initial and renewal fees required to maintain certification, is up-to-date on continuing education units, is in good standing with DNR, and has not otherwise been decertified. DNR’s list shall display currently certified inspectors and shall be publicly available on DNR’s internet site. The bill provides additional information and formatting requirements for DNR’s list. Under the bill, a certified inspector who fraudulently files a time-of-transfer report is subject to a civil penalty of $5,000 and the inspector’s certification shall be suspended for one year. The seller is responsible for ensuring that a time-of-transfer report is complete as part of the real estate transaction.