Public drinking water
Missouri requires public water suppliers to hold a Permit to Dispense. Current state materials include a specific transfer application for a change in owner.
Issued Missouri drinking-water permits commonly state that the permit is non-transferable without prior Department approval and require written notice in advance of the proposed transfer. The practical acquisition lesson is simple: identify the public-water system, permit number, current owner, operator, pending compliance items, and transfer path early in diligence.
- —Confirm the PWS identification number and permit holder.
- —Request the current permit, sanitary-survey/inspection history, sampling history, and compliance correspondence.
- —Map the transfer application and managerial/financial-capacity review into the closing calendar.
Wastewater operating permits
Missouri DNR guidance identifies wastewater operating permits as transferable and points buyers and sellers to Application for Transfer of Operating Permit MO 780-1517.
The current permittee remains responsible until the permit is officially transferred. For lagoon-served communities, that means the buyer should understand permit limits, discharge monitoring, recent inspections, violations, operator requirements, sludge condition, and physical system capacity before taking control.
- —Obtain the current NPDES operating permit and expiration date.
- —Review the most recent inspection report and prior 12 months of discharge-monitoring reports.
- —Identify continuing authority, operator responsibilities, violations, and unresolved corrective actions.
Acquisition control
Treat permit transfer as a diligence workstream with an owner, deadline, evidence link, and closing condition. If the property has both a public drinking-water system and a permitted wastewater system, track them separately.
