Septic system requirements in Virginia
What landplan.io applies when it designs a septic system in Virginia: the system types allowed, tank sizes, setbacks and soil loading rates, with what septic products cost there.
Updated
Design a septic system for an address in Virginia
Reviewed landplan.io designs by Virginia's own rules, which our staff reviewed against the state's regulations. Last published 5 October 2026.
Septic systems allowed in Virginia
The system types landplan.io permits in Virginia:
- Mounded Leaching System
- Drip Dispersal System
- Low Pressure Trenches
- Trenches System
- Infiltrator Advanced Treatment Leachfield (ATL)
- Infiltrator Advanced Enviro-Septic® (AES)
- Discharging System
Septic tank size in Virginia
The daily design flow of a home: 150 gal/day per bedroom, at least 240 gal/day. The septic tank is sized from that flow:
| Daily design flow | Minimum tank |
|---|---|
| up to 240 gal/day | 1,000 gallons |
| 240 to 360 gal/day | 1,500 gallons |
| 360 to 600 gal/day | 2,000 gallons |
| 600 to 720 gal/day | 2,500 gallons |
| 720 to 840 gal/day | 2,750 gallons |
| 840 to 920 gal/day | 3,000 gallons |
| 920 to 1,040 gal/day | 3,250 gallons |
Septic setbacks in Virginia
| From | To | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Polygon | Existing Septic Component to be Abandoned | 5 ft |
| Polygon | Wetland | 5 Ft |
These are the values the landplan.io design engine applies in Virginia. Confirm a design with the Virginia health department or your county's before you build.
Parcel data in Virginia
landplan.io has parcel boundaries for 133 of Virginia's 133 counties: the counties where 100% of the state's people live. Type an address there and the design starts from the parcel.
Septic companies, designers and jobs in Virginia
- Septic companies and distributors in Virginia (44)
- Septic designers in Virginia
- Septic design jobs in Virginia
Where the rules come from
The regulations and documents landplan.io's Virginia rules are read from:
- Sewage Handling and Disposal Regulations (12VAC5-610)
- Regulations for Alternative Onsite Sewage Systems (12VAC5-613), full chapter (12VAC5-613-10 to 12VAC5-613-210)
- Sewage Handling and Disposal Regulations (12VAC5-610), sections 591-597 with Tables 4.1-4.4 (LIS text) (12VAC5-610-591 to 12VAC5-610-597, Tables 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 and 4.4)
- Alternative Discharging Sewage Treatment Regulations for Individual Single Family Dwellings (12VAC5-640), full chapter (12VAC5-640-5 to 12VAC5-640-520)
- Sewage Handling and Disposal Regulations (12VAC5-610), VDH copy with Tables 4.1 and 4.2 (setback distances, pp.57-58) (12VAC5-610-592, Tables 4.1 and 4.2)
Septic rules by county in Virginia
- Accomack County
- Albemarle County
- Alexandria County
- Alleghany County
- Amelia County
- Amherst County
- Appomattox County
- Arlington County
- Augusta County
- Bath County
- Bedford County
- Bland County
- Botetourt County
- Bristol County
- Brunswick County
- Buchanan County
- Buckingham County
- Buena Vista County
- Campbell County
- Caroline County
- Carroll County
- Charles City
- Charlotte County
- Charlottesville County
- Chesapeake County
- Chesterfield County
- Clarke County
- Colonial heights County
- Covington County
- Craig County
- Culpeper County
- Cumberland County
- Danville County
- Dickenson County
- Dinwiddie County
- Emporia County
- Essex County
- Fairfax County
- Falls church County
- Fauquier County
- Floyd County
- Fluvanna County
- Franklin County
- Frederick County
- Fredericksburg County
- Galax County
- Giles County
- Gloucester County
- Goochland County
- Grayson County
- Greene County
- Greensville County
- Halifax County
- Hampton County
- Hanover County
- Harrisonburg County
- Henrico County
- Henry County
- Highland County
- Hopewell County
- Isle Of Wight County
- James City
- King And Queen County
- King George County
- King William County
- Lancaster County
- Lee County
- Lexington County
- Loudoun County
- Louisa County
- Lunenburg County
- Lynchburg County
- Madison County
- Manassas County
- Manassas park County
- Martinsville County
- Mathews County
- Mecklenburg County
- Middlesex County
- Montgomery County
- Nelson County
- New Kent County
- Newport news County
- Norfolk County
- Northampton County
- Northumberland County
- Norton County
- Nottoway County
- Orange County
- Page County
- Patrick County
- Petersburg County
- Pittsylvania County
- Poquoson County
- Portsmouth County
- Powhatan County
- Prince Edward County
- Prince George County
- Prince William County
- Pulaski County
- Radford County
- Rappahannock County
- Richmond County
- Roanoke County
- Rockbridge County
- Rockingham County
- Russell County
- Salem County
- Scott County
- Shenandoah County
- Smyth County
- Southampton County
- Spotsylvania County
- Stafford County
- Staunton County
- Suffolk County
- Surry County
- Sussex County
- Tazewell County
- Virginia beach County
- Warren County
- Washington County
- Waynesboro County
- Westmoreland County
- Williamsburg County
- Winchester County
- Wise County
- Wythe County
- York County
Questions
What septic systems are allowed in Virginia?
landplan.io permits these system types in Virginia: Mounded Leaching System, Drip Dispersal System, Low Pressure Trenches, Trenches System, Infiltrator Advanced Treatment Leachfield (ATL), Infiltrator Advanced Enviro-Septic® (AES) and Discharging System.
What size septic tank do I need in Virginia?
landplan.io sizes the septic tank in Virginia from the daily design flow: up to 240 gal/day: 1,000 gallons; 240 to 360 gal/day: 1,500 gallons; 360 to 600 gal/day: 2,000 gallons; larger flows need larger tanks. A home's design flow is 150 gal/day per bedroom, at least 240 gal/day.
Does landplan.io have parcel data in Virginia?
Yes, for 133 of Virginia's 133 counties.