Land feasibility, explained like a neighbor would.
If you own land in the valley — or you're thinking about buying or selling some — this page walks you through the whole feasibility process in plain English: what the county actually requires, the five studies that answer it, what they cost, and the order that saves you money. It's free, from the local land people at Alpine Group.
Jump to: What feasibility means · For buyers · For sellers · The five studies · Costs & timelines · Chelan vs. Douglas · FAQ · Ask an agent
What "feasibility" actually means
Before Chelan or Douglas County will let anyone build a home on a piece of land, the county needs documented answers to five questions. Feasibility is simply the homework that answers them:
- Can the ground hold a house?
Soil strength and slope stability — answered by a geotechnical study where slopes or questionable soils are involved.
- Where exactly are the property lines?
Boundaries, easements, and elevations — answered by a land survey, the base map every other professional works from.
- Where does wastewater go?
If public sewer isn't available (and on rural land it usually isn't), a septic site evaluation proves the soil can treat wastewater and produces an approvable system design.
- Where does drinking water come from?
A hookup to a water system, or a well site evaluation showing a well can realistically produce. In Washington, proof of adequate water is a legal prerequisite for a building permit — not a formality.
- Can vehicles — including fire trucks — reach it?
An approved driveway approach onto the county road, with workable grade and sight lines.
A parcel that answers all five is what people mean by "buildable." A parcel that can't answer one of them isn't a home site — it's a view. The whole game, for buyers and sellers alike, is knowing which of the five your parcel has already answered and what it takes to answer the rest.
Want to see how your specific parcel starts out? Our free parcel map runs an instant snapshot — flood, wetlands, soils, slope, and county records — on any parcel in the two counties.
Buying land: the process, start to finish
- Before you offer — do the free homework.
Look the parcel up on the parcel map: zoning, acreage, flood zones, mapped wetlands, soils, and slope, in about a minute. This won't replace field studies, but it tells you what questions this land will face and whether the asking price makes sense against them.
- Write the offer with a feasibility contingency.
Land offers around here are commonly written with a feasibility study period — a negotiated window (often 30 to 90 days on raw land) during which you investigate the property and can walk away with your earnest money if it doesn't check out. How long, what it covers, and what happens at the deadline are deal points your agent negotiates. This is the single most important paragraph in a land purchase, and it's exactly the part an agent handles with you — ask us.
- Order the deal-killers first: water and septic.
If the land can't get water or treat wastewater, nothing else matters. Start the well site evaluation and the septic site evaluation immediately — they involve other parties (drillers, the Chelan-Douglas Health District) and have the longest tails.
- Run the rest in parallel.
The survey, the geotechnical study if there's slope, and the driveway approach review can all happen while water and septic are in motion. Our Vendor Hub finds local licensed pros for each study and writes the outreach email for you — or an Alpine agent can coordinate the whole schedule.
- Read the results against your budget, then decide.
Studies rarely say a flat "no." They say "yes, with an engineered septic system" or "yes, but the building site needs to move." Each condition is a number, and the numbers either fit your budget or they don't. Walk, renegotiate, or close — with your eyes open either way.
Buying land is a sequencing problem. We sequence it every week.
An Alpine Group agent will help you structure the contingency, order the right studies in the right order, and read the results — at no cost to you.
Selling land: certainty is what buyers pay for
Two identical five-acre parcels come on the market. One is "beautiful land, priced to sell." The other comes with a recorded survey, a well log or water availability letter, a septic site evaluation, and an approved driveway approach. The second one sells faster, holds its price in negotiation, and almost never falls out of contract — because the buyer isn't purchasing risk, and neither is their lender.
Before you list, gather what already exists
Most land has more feasibility history than its owner remembers. Pull together: any survey ever done (check your closing documents), well logs and water right or water association paperwork, septic records or old perc tests (the Health District keeps records), and any correspondence with the county about the parcel. Documents you already own are free equity.
Then decide what's worth doing before listing
Not every study pays for itself pre-listing, and the right choice depends on your parcel, your timeline, and your market. A septic evaluation on a parcel with questionable soils usually does — it converts the biggest buyer fear into a known number. A survey on a parcel with fuzzy boundaries usually does. This is a judgment call we make with sellers at every land listing appointment, and we'll make it with you honestly, including "don't spend the money."
Thinking about selling land in the valley?
Ask for Alpine Group's free pre-listing feasibility review — we'll tell you what your parcel has already answered, what's worth documenting before it hits the market, and what that does to price.
The five studies (plus the drawing that ties them together)
Land survey
Marks your legal boundaries, corners, easements, and elevations — the base map the county and every other professional works from. Ask for a boundary and topographic survey, and confirm corner monuments will be set and the survey recorded with the county.
Geotechnical study
Soil borings, bearing capacity, slope stability, and seismic classification — whether the ground can carry a foundation and stay put. Chelan County requires geotech on most rural residential permits because of slope complexity; flatter Douglas benchland often doesn't need one.
Septic site evaluation & design
Perc testing and a soil log to measure how the ground treats wastewater, then a system design submitted to the Chelan-Douglas Health District for approval. You need a licensed OSS designer, not an installer — the designer's stamp is what the Health District reviews.
Well site evaluation
Where a well is most likely to produce, how much water to expect, and the water-adequacy evidence the county needs before issuing a building permit. Typical valley wells run 80–400 feet in Chelan County and 80–250 feet in Douglas — with real variation parcel to parcel.
Driveway approach & access
The permit for your driveway's connection to the county road — sight distance, culvert sizing, and grade. The approach permit itself comes from the county road department; an excavation contractor prices and builds it.
Site plan
The scaled drawing that puts it all together — home site, well, septic, driveway, setbacks — in the format the county requires with your permit application. It's the document where the other five studies stop being separate PDFs and become a build plan.
What it costs and how long it takes
These are typical ranges we see for residential feasibility work in Chelan and Douglas County. Every vendor sets their own pricing, sites vary enormously, and a written quote beats any table — including this one.
| Study | Typical cost | Typical timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Land survey (boundary + topo) | $1,200 – $4,000 | 2 – 6 weeks |
| Geotechnical study | $1,500 – $5,000 | 2 – 4 weeks after site visit |
| Septic evaluation + design | $1,500 – $4,500 | 3 – 8 weeks incl. Health District review |
| Well site evaluation | $500 – $2,500 | 1 – 3 weeks (drilling is separate) |
| Driveway approach permit | A few hundred in fees; construction varies widely | 1 – 4 weeks for review |
| Site plan | $500 – $2,500 | 1 – 3 weeks once studies are in |
Run water and septic first, everything else in parallel, and a full feasibility round usually lands inside 30 to 90 days — which is exactly why purchase contracts get written with study periods in that range. A feasibility consultant who manages all of it for you typically bills $1,500–$5,000 for the coordination alone; Alpine Group agents do that coordination for clients at no charge.
Chelan vs. Douglas: same valley, different rulebooks
Chelan County
- Building permit review typically runs about 3 weeks; most rural parcels need 4–5 studies.
- Slope drives everything — geotechnical requirements are among the most thorough in Eastern Washington.
- Lake Chelan, the Wenatchee, Entiat, and Columbia shorelines carry additional critical-area and shoreline rules; waterfront feasibility is its own discipline.
- Septic approvals go through the Chelan-Douglas Health District.
Douglas County
- Permitting is efficient — single-family review typically runs about 2 weeks, filed through the county's online SmartGov portal.
- Caliche hardpan on the benchlands is the #1 septic complication — engineered systems are common, so get the soil evaluation early.
- Wells typically run 80–250 feet; orchard-country parcels may have irrigation-district water worth investigating before assuming a well.
- Septic approvals also go through the Chelan-Douglas Health District.
Common questions
What does this site cost to use?
Nothing. The guide, the parcel map with its feasibility snapshot, and the vendor hub are free — Home Site Pros is a service of Alpine Group. The studies themselves are priced by the licensed professionals you hire, and you pay them directly. We take no commissions or referral fees from vendors.
Do I need all five studies?
Usually not. Public water removes the well evaluation; public sewer (rare on rural land) removes septic; flat parcels often skip geotech. Most rural parcels here need three to five. The parcel snapshot will suggest a study list for your specific parcel.
Can someone just handle the scheduling for me?
Yes — that's the most popular thing we do. An Alpine Group agent will find the vendors, request the quotes, schedule the site visits, and keep your study period on track. Ask below or use the "Have Alpine coordinate my studies" button in the Vendor Hub.
I'm selling — will you tell me if pre-listing studies aren't worth it?
Yes, plainly. Sometimes the honest answer is "gather your existing records and save your money." The pre-listing review is about maximizing your net, not selling you studies.
Which areas do you cover?
Chelan and Douglas County, Washington — Wenatchee, East Wenatchee, Leavenworth, Cashmere, Chelan, Manson, Entiat, Malaga, Peshastin, Plain, Waterville, Orondo, Rock Island, Bridgeport, and the surrounding communities.
Ask an Alpine Group land agent
Real questions get real answers — usually within one business day. No obligation, no pressure, and you keep every tool on this site either way.
This guide is general education for Chelan and Douglas County, Washington — not engineering, legal, septic, well, or permitting advice for any specific parcel, and requirements change. Your licensed professionals and the county have the final word. Cost and timeline figures are typical local ranges, not quotes. Home Site Pros is a free service of Alpine Group, Wenatchee, Washington.