Grand Traverse County commissioners voted unanimously Wednesday to adopt a new countywide septic regulation, which will go into effect January 1 and require septic evaluations whenever properties within 300 feet of surface water are sold or transferred. Commissioners also gave the green light to proceeding with design development work for the planned expansion of the LaFranier campus, called Project Alpha.

Septic Regulation
After nearly nine months of review and public input, county commissioners unanimously approved new septic rules for Grand Traverse County Wednesday. The regulation requires any dwelling located within 300 feet of surface water – such as lakes, ponds, streams, or rivers – with an on-site septic and/or water system to undergo an evaluation of those systems before the property can be transferred, sold, or conveyed.

Properties must be evaluated by a certified evaluator. “Certified evaluators are responsible for submitting evaluation reports to the Grand Traverse County Health Department (GTCHD) for review and approval before any property transfer may occur,” according to the county. If a septic system is determined to be failing, GTCHD will notify the owner of actions needed to bring it into compliance. The owner, buyer, or agent will be required to submit a proposed corrective action plan and complete the repairs within 180 days, with a surety deposit required before the closing or transfer date to guarantee the work.

The regulation also outlines an enforcement process if property owners violate or skirt the rules, including potential citations and escalating fines. An appeals process is also outlined. Grand Traverse County Deputy Health Officer Mike Lahey said the department tries to work with homeowners on meeting regulations and has “long and laborious conversations” before jumping to enforcement. Commissioners wanted to see an approach that provides reasonable accommodation for owners who are making good-faith efforts to address what are usually costly septic repairs – but also to take enforcement action when necessary to protect the environment, which is the goal of the new rules.

“I don't want an ordinance that has no teeth,” said Vice Chair TJ Andrews. “This is there to protect public resources as well.” GTCHD Environmental Health Director Brent Wheat agreed, saying in a statement that “septic and water system evaluations are essential to safeguarding public health and preserving the quality of our lakes, rivers, and groundwater for future generations.”

With the commission’s approval, Lahey said GTCHD’s real work now begins ahead of the January 1 effective date. The department will need to make staffing and technology updates, complete public education and outreach, and draft department guidelines for implementing the new rules. Community partners – ranging from realtor groups like Aspire North to the Watershed Center – will be invited to give feedback on those guidelines. “The health department may update these department guidelines on an annual or biannual basis to ensure operations of the regulations are up to date and within reasonable expectations of the community and third parties’ adherent to this regulation,” Lahey wrote in a memo.

The new rules are likely to affect a few hundred properties each year, according to staff estimates. Other counties including Leelanau and Benzie already have rules requiring septic inspections tied to real estate transactions, but Grand Traverse County previously did not. Michigan is the only state in the country lacking a statewide septic code. Commissioners have expressed interest in potentially expanding the program in the future but wanted to start with a number of septic evaluations that could reasonably be handled by the county out of the gate. Commissioner Ashlea Walter said the new rules aren’t perfect but represent a good compromise.

“This is really huge for our county to get to this point,” she said. “I'm happy to see the progress we've made.”

Project Alpha
Commissioners voted Wednesday to proceed with design development work for Project Alpha, the planned expansion of the county’s LaFranier Road campus. The work will produce architectural drawings for two new planned buildings: a roughly 37,000-square-foot centralized county storage facility and a 14,000-plus-square-foot combined emergency operations and 911/Central Dispatch center.

Commissioners felt confident about moving ahead with the 911 center but were conflicted over the storage facility, primarily due to questions over its size. Pointing to recent city-county conversations about the future of the Governmental Center and the potential for other county departments to relocate to LaFranier down the road, Andrews questioned whether the new facility building was big enough or should be reevaluated with an eye toward future consolidation of more employees on campus. While staff and the project management team felt the building was “right-sized” for both current and future needs, commissioners voted to have administration review the planned building to ensure it’s adequate if additional county departments were to be consolidated on LaFranier.

The commission gave administration a month to complete that task, as the project management team said design work shouldn’t be delayed too long on the storage facility building or else the 911 center design work would be completed first and the projects would no longer be on the same track. Other projects are also contigent on the new buildings moving forward, notably the grant-funded expansion of Norte at the Civic Center – a project tied to the faciilties team relocating to LaFranier. There are also expected cost savings if both buildings are constructed together, which could happen over a one-year period starting in 2026.

Design development work for both buildings is estimated to cost $200,000 and take nine weeks to complete. Project Alpha is estimated to cost between $27 and $30 million, a projection that will be further refined through the design and engineering process. Commissioners still have to determine how best to fund the project if they proceed with construction, with sources likely to include a combination of bonding and the county’s 911 surcharge.