Certificate of Compliance are a document from a licensed sewage treatment inspector fully licensed by the State of Minnesota or a qualified employee provided to the owner of property on which a dwelling is located which is required to have an ISTS and to the LGU, indicating that said ISTS is not a failing system nor an imminent threat to public health or safety and, for new construction and replacement, is constructed in compliance with Minnesota Rules, Chapter 7080, as amended.

Compliance Inspection: Any evaluation, investigation, inspection, or other such process to make conclusions, recommendations or statements regarding an individual sewage treatment system to reasonably assure an individual sewage treatment system is in compliance as specified under part 7080.0060. Compliance inspections must be conducted by a qualified employee or under a license independent of the owner and the installer.
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​ Time Frame on Certificate of Compliances.
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​1. For existing septic system/s, a certificate of compliance shall be valid for three years unless Itasca County identified an imminent threat. An existing septic system is any septic system built before 4/1/96.
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​2. Certificate of Compliances on new and replacement septic systems shall be valid for five years unless Itasca County identified an imminent threat.
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​3. During this three or five year interim, an updated review of a certificate of compliance may be required, if Itasca County determines that conditions have changed which may have an effect on the status of the septic system certificate of compliance.
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​Mandatory Compliance Inspections of Existing Septic Systems. An ISTS shall require a compliance inspection when any one of the following conditions occur:
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​1. At any time the Zoning Officer deems appropriate such as upon receipt of a complaint or other information of system failure.
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​2. Upon the transfer of property.
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​3. requests, including a variance for the construction of a bedroom addition or replacement as per Minnesota Rules Chapter 7080.0305 Subp. 3.
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​a. If a request for a bedroom addition or variance is received between May 1 and October 31, a certificate of compliance is required prior to issuance of permit/variance.
​b. If a request for a bedroom addition or variance is received between November 1 and April 30, the County may issue a permit or variance with the requirements that a compliance inspection be completed by the following June 1 and the applicants submits a certificate of compliance by the following September 30.
​ c. If a system constructed between May 27, 1989 and January 23, 1996 does not comply with applicable requirements, and is not an imminent public health threat, a property owner applying for a zoning permit to construct a bedroom addition has five years from the date of issuance of such zoning permit to bring the system into compliance.
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​ A Notice of Noncompliance shall be issued and copies provided to the property owner and the County within 30 days under the following conditions:
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​1. A failed ISTS shall be upgraded, replaced or repaired in compliance with Minnesota Rules Chapter 7080.0060, as applicable within a twenty-four month period.
​2. An ISTS posing an imminent threat to public health or safety shall be upgraded, replaced or repaired within 10 months. 3. When an ISTS is determined to be failing at the point of sale or transfer of property.