Septic Permit Process: Step by Step

Short answer: in most of the US, a septic permit follows the same path: (1) a site and soil evaluation, (2) a design by someone your state allows, (3) an application to the local health department or state agency, (4) plan review, (5) the permit to install, (6) installation by a licensed installer, and (7) inspection before the system is covered, then final approval. Who issues the permit, which steps are required and what each costs depend on your state and county.

This guide walks through each step, explains who does what and lists the most common reasons a permit is delayed.

Who issues septic permits

Onsite wastewater is regulated mostly by states, and administered locally. Depending on where you are, the permit comes from:

• a county or district health department (the most common),
• a state environmental or health agency, directly or through regional offices,
• a local building department,
• in Pennsylvania, a local sewage enforcement officer (SEO): under the state's Sewage Facilities Program (Act 537), local agencies review applications, issue permits and inspect on-lot systems.

In Canada, permits are issued under provincial rules, for example by municipalities or conservation authorities under Part 8 of the Ontario Building Code.

Find your state's rules and links on the septic pages by state.

The steps of a septic permit

Step	Who usually does it	What comes out
1. Check requirements	Owner, designer	What's required, fees, who may design
2. Site and soil evaluation	Soil evaluator, sanitarian or designer	Soil logs, perc results, limiting depth
3. Survey or site plan	Surveyor or designer	Property lines, features, elevations
4. Design	Licensed designer or engineer	Drawings and calculations
5. Application	Owner or designer	Application, fees, plans
6. Plan review	Health department	Approval, or changes required
7. Permit to install	Health department	Permit, often with an expiry date
8. Installation	Licensed installer	The system, built to the plan
9. Inspection	Inspector	Approval before cover, then final
10. Operation and maintenance	Owner, service provider	Pumping, service contracts where required

1. Check the requirements

Before anything is dug, find out from your health department:

• whether the lot needs a new system, a repair or only an alteration permit,
• which soil test it requires (soil evaluation, perc test or both) and who may do it,
• who may design the system: a licensed designer, an engineer, an installer or the owner,
• the fees, the forms and any checklist for the plans,
• the setbacks and lot rules (a minimum lot size, a reserve area, wells nearby).

For new construction, the septic permit often has to be approved before the building permit.

2. Site and soil evaluation

The evaluator digs pits or borings where the system may go, describes the soil, and finds the depth to the limiting condition (seasonal water table, rock or a dense layer). Some states also need a perc test. This step decides what system the lot can have, and it is often the first thing to schedule: evaluators get booked up, and some tests can't be done in frozen or very wet ground. See Perc Test vs Soil Evaluation.

3. Survey or site plan

The plan needs the property lines, the house and other buildings, wells (including neighbours' wells near the line), water features, slopes and the test locations. Some counties accept measurements from parcel maps; others need a licensed survey.

4. Design

The designer sizes the tank and the drain field from the bedrooms and the soil, places them inside the setbacks, and prepares the drawings and calculations: site plan, cross section, profile and details. See Septic System Design Drawings and How to Find a Septic Designer.

5. Application

The application usually includes the form, the fee, the soil evaluation, the design and, for a building lot, the house plans showing the bedroom count. Some departments accept electronic submittals, others still want paper copies.

6. Plan review

A reviewer checks the design against the rules: flows, loading rates, separation, setbacks, approved products, the hydraulic profile. They may approve, approve with conditions, or ask for changes. Many delays happen here, so a complete, clear submittal pays for itself.

7. Permit to install

Once approved, the permit authorizes a licensed installer to build the system as designed. Many permits expire after a set time if work hasn't started, and any change to the design or location usually needs the reviewer's approval.

8. Installation

The installer stakes the system, sets the tanks, builds the drain field and connects the house. For mounds and pressure systems, the designer may be required to check key stages.

9. Inspection and final approval

The inspector checks the system before it is covered: tank placement and depth, pipe slopes, the drain field's elevations and dimensions, separation from the limiting layer, and pump and float settings where there is one. Some jurisdictions inspect at several stages. After cover and final grade, the system gets final approval, and some places require an as-built drawing showing what was actually installed.

10. Operation and maintenance

For conventional systems, maintenance is mostly the owner's job: the EPA says household tanks are typically pumped every three to five years and inspected at least every three years. Systems with mechanical parts, such as aerobic treatment units, generally need inspection once a year, and many states require a maintenance contract or an operating permit for them.

How long does a septic permit take?

There's no national answer. The time depends on how soon a soil evaluation can be scheduled, the season, how complete the application is and how busy the reviewer is. Ask your health department for their typical review time, and plan the soil evaluation first.

Common reasons a septic permit is delayed

• No soil test, or the wrong one. The site must be tested where the system goes, by someone authorized.
• Missing setbacks. A neighbour's well, a spring or a drainage ditch not shown on the plan.
• System outside the tested area. The drain field moved after the soil test.
• Bedroom count doesn't match the house plans. Reviewers count rooms that could be bedrooms.
• Unapproved product. A tank or treatment unit not on the state's approved list.
• Incomplete calculations. A pump with no head calculation, or an area without its loading rate.
• Expired permit. Work didn't start before the permit's expiry date.

Repairs and replacements

A failing system needs a repair permit. Some states fast-track repairs, and some allow a system that doesn't meet every rule for new construction where nothing better fits, though usually with conditions. A property sale may also trigger an inspection in some states and counties.

How landplan.io helps with permits

• Your county's rules are built in. landplan.io designs to the configuration for your state and county: flows, loading rates, separations and setbacks. Its Checks list anything that doesn't meet them before you submit.
• A complete report. The report PDF has the title sheet, hydraulic profile, cross section, top view, site plan, dosing detail and calculations, plus county forms where they are set up.
• Plan review in the app. A designer can send the report to an inspector, who marks it up, approves it or asks for changes, and signs and stamps the PDF. Health departments can receive plans for their districts; see plan review for health departments.

Docs: Plan Reviews, Details and the Report PDF and Smart Design and Auto Design.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a permit to replace a septic system?

Almost everywhere, yes. Repairs and replacements need a permit from the same agency that permits new systems, and some smaller repairs need at least a notification.

Who applies for the septic permit, the owner or the installer?

It varies. The owner is usually the applicant; the designer or installer often prepares and submits the application for them.

Can I install my own septic system?

Some states let a homeowner install a system on their own property with a permit and inspections; many require a licensed installer. Check your state on septic rules by state.

What happens at a septic inspection?

The inspector checks the installed system against the approved plan before it is covered, and may test the pump and floats. If something is off, it is fixed before cover.

Does the septic permit come before the building permit?

For new homes on septic, usually yes: many building departments won't issue a building permit until the septic permit is approved.

Design it from your address

Create a free account, type the address, and landplan.io designs a system to your county's rules, with a report ready to submit.