Check 1
Wells: quantity and quality are separate questions
A house on a well needs two answers: how much water, and how clean. Oregon's well reports are a useful starting point, not a current performance guarantee. Reports have been required since 1955, and the yield on an old report is a snapshot from when the well was drilled. A good-looking number doesn't tell you how the well performs through a dry summer.
- Match the property's well to the OWRD well report. Review the depth, construction, recorded yield and any later repair reports. Ask the seller about seasonal shortages, storage tanks and treatment equipment.
- Arrange a current flow and recovery test with a qualified well professional. Discuss the household's expected use, irrigation plans and equipment rather than relying on the drilling-day yield alone.
- Obtain the seller's required real-estate transaction water tests for arsenic, nitrate and coliform bacteria when Oregon's domestic-well testing law applies. Ask about the law's exemptions and delivery requirements using OHA's guidance. A flow test does not replace water-quality testing.
Keep in your property file: Well report, current flow/recovery report, water-quality results, pump and treatment service records.
Check 2
Water rights: match the legal use to your plans
Water rights are a third question, separate from well yield and water quality. A listing that says 'irrigated acreage' or 'water rights' needs records behind it. Oregon allows certain exempt groundwater uses, including qualifying domestic use up to 15,000 gallons a day and qualifying lawn or noncommercial garden irrigation up to half an acre. Those limits are not a promise that the well can supply that amount or permission for every agricultural use.
- Describe exactly what you plan to water: the house, garden, pasture, animals or vines. Check with OWRD whether that particular use is exempt or requires a water right.
- Look up any claimed right in OWRD's Water Rights Information System. Match the authorized place of use, purpose, source and point of diversion to the parcel and your plans.
- Ask the local watermaster and, where applicable, the irrigation district about delivery, charges, use history and restrictions. Extended non-use can raise legal questions; a dry ditch alone does not establish whether a right is valid. Changes may need an approved transfer.
Keep in your property file: Water-right certificates and maps, transfer records, irrigation-district account information and evidence of recent use.
Check 3
Septic: the drainfield matters as much as the tank
Pull the permit file, get the last pump date and get an evaluation from someone who examines the system. A freshly pumped tank doesn't mean a healthy drainfield. DEQ maintains septic records and handles permitting for residential and small-business systems in Jackson and Josephine Counties. The number of bedrooms and the proposed use matter when you're thinking about an addition or another dwelling.
- Find the DEQ record using the parcel number. Compare the approved system, site plan and capacity with the home as it exists today. If records are missing, ask DEQ what can be established before moving forward.
- Have a qualified septic professional evaluate the tank, components and drainfield. Ask about condition, maintenance, signs of failure and the location of any approved replacement area.
- Contact the permitting authority before planning extra bedrooms, an ADU, a replacement house or another change that could increase sewage flow. Keep proposed shops, parking, trees and landscaping away from areas the system needs.
Keep in your property file: Septic permit and site plan, inspection/evaluation report, pumping history and repair records.
Check 4
EFU, forest and rural residential zoning
Land zoned Exclusive Farm Use has its own rules for whether, and where, you can build. Much of the rural land here is zoned EFU, forest or rural residential. The county's plan and ordinances work alongside state land-use rules; the nearest town doesn't decide an unincorporated parcel's permitted uses. Acreage by itself is not permission for a second dwelling, a business or a land division.
- Confirm the parcel's zoning and any overlays with the correct county planning office. Use the parcel number, not just a mailing address, and ask for the applicable code sections.
- Give planning staff your actual proposal: a shop, guest dwelling, farm use, replacement home or partition. Ask which approvals, conditions and site constraints apply before treating the idea as feasible.
- Review the permit history for existing buildings and uses. A structure shown in a listing or assessor record is not, by itself, proof that the use was approved. Get parcel-specific answers in writing where possible.
Keep in your property file: Zoning designation, applicable code and overlays, land-use decisions, building permits and written planning responses.
Check 5
Wildfire risk, insurance and fire response
Get a homeowners insurance quote before you write an offer, not late in escrow. Insurance availability and price can change what a property costs to own. An address-specific quote is more useful than an assumption based on a map or the seller's existing policy. Also check who responds to a fire at that address and whether any subscription is needed.
- Give an insurance agent the exact address, construction details, roof information and intended use. Ask for available coverage, deductibles, exclusions, replacement-cost terms and any required mitigation work.
- If standard coverage isn't available, ask about alternatives, including the Oregon FAIR Plan, and what additional coverage may be needed. Confirm current terms directly; don't assume a policy is equivalent to ordinary homeowners coverage.
- Verify the property's fire-response provider and any subscription or fees directly. Walk the driveway and site with access, vegetation and evacuation in mind; ask the relevant professionals what improvements are needed.
Keep in your property file: Written insurance quote and conditions, fire-service confirmation and any mitigation estimates.
Check 6
Private roads: legal access and who pays
Private roads need someone to grade them. Find out who, and who pays. A road can be public without being county-maintained, and a driveway you can physically use isn't the same as documented legal access. Read the recorded easements and maintenance agreement with title and the appropriate professionals before relying on either.
- Have the title company identify recorded access easements and exceptions. Check that access reaches the parcel and supports the intended use. Ask an attorney about unclear rights, disputes or an unrecorded arrangement.
- Confirm road status and county maintenance with Public Works in the county where the property sits. Don't infer responsibility from a road sign, public dedication or a neighbor's recollection.
- Read any road-maintenance agreement: responsible parties, cost allocation, grading, drainage, winter work and enforcement. Ask about recent expenses and upcoming repairs, then discuss lender and emergency-access requirements.
Keep in your property file: Preliminary title report, recorded access easements, road-maintenance agreement, county road-status confirmation and repair estimates.
Check 7
Utilities and internet: verify the exact address
Coverage changes from one road to the next outside town. If you work remotely, check service at the exact address with the provider before you make an offer. The FCC map is a starting point based on provider-reported availability, not a guarantee of installation or performance. Check power and other utilities too, especially for vacant land or a new building site.
- Search the exact location on the FCC National Broadband Map, then call the listed providers. Ask whether they can actually install service at the house and request the installation cost and expected timing.
- Compare download and upload speeds, latency, data limits and reliability against your work needs. Ask about the requirements for fixed wireless or satellite service and test available service on-site where possible.
- Confirm electrical service, any extension costs and other utility arrangements with the providers. Ask the seller about outages, backup systems and ongoing service costs; build verified expenses into your ownership budget.
Keep in your property file: Provider service confirmation, installation quotes, plan terms and utility-extension estimates where relevant.
