Good point, I suppose it depends on the size of the property and if anyone
else uses well water nearby. It dosen't sound like this well is very deep
that may relieve him of special obligations. Agreed, a call to city hall
would clear it up fast.


"EXT" wrote in message
ews.com...
The OP should check local or state regulations for decommissioning a well.
In many areas they must be filled with a non-porous concrete type material
that prevents water from entering the well and contaminating the ground
water. Using it as a dry well or filling with loam will certainly
contaminate the ground water and many other wells in the surrounding area
that people depend upon.


"PipeDown" wrote in message
nk.net...
If you put it in the contract and he agrees, the only law that becomes
relevant is contract law. A good Realtor should be familiar with the
relevant legalities but my sense is that if it is covered and locked such
that an inquiring 11 year old boy cannot climb inside, it's legal. There
probably is no criminal code but civil prosicution for negligence if
someone does get hurt would be a major concern. Furthermore, the
insurance company might have a specific issue with that feature.

What are we talking about, 5 yards of crushed stone delivered for less
than $500. Will make a great dry well for draining the gutters once
filled with drain rock or just nothing if filled with loam or base
material. Make sure it is compacted as it is filled or it will form a
sink hole in the future. He can get a couple of day laborers from in
front of HD if he is too lazy to do it himself for another $100

For a good job, have him remove the lining brick from the top foot or so
in case you ever want to till the yard, you won't hit it. Just knock it
off the top into the well before filling it.

A $500 fix-it item should be nothing to the seller


"herlihyboy" wrote in message
oups.com...
I hope this is relevant to this group. We are looking at buying a
home. When the seller built the home, he lived in a trailer on the
property while building it. During that time, his water came from a
well [brick-lined, open] and he said the quality was bad. So, he put
in a cistern to service the new home instead of using the well [home
and cistern are ~10 years old].

Is it legal to sell the home with the well open? It has a heavy, metal
lid over the opening, but I'm wondering more about the laws around
whether or not he is required to fill the well before selling it? We
may choose to include that in our contract anyway.

We're in SW Indiana.

Thanks,

Ryan