Septic and perc test rules by state

State-by-state summary

• Alabama: Alabama’s onsite sewage program is coordinated by the Alabama Department of Public Health through county health departments, while installer licensing is handled separately by the Alabama Onsite Wastewater Board.
• Alaska: Alaska regulates onsite wastewater through the Department of Environmental Conservation, Division of Water, rather than county health departments.
• Arizona: Arizona’s onsite wastewater program is run by ADEQ but delegated to all 15 counties, so permit applications are filed with the county where the property sits.
• Arkansas: Arkansas runs onsite wastewater through the Arkansas Department of Health, with Environmental Health Specialists working in county health departments and designated representatives preparing permit applications.
• California: California uses a state policy framework, but permits are usually issued by local agencies such as county environmental health departments under the OWTS Policy and, where approved, local LAMPs.
• Colorado: Colorado sets minimum OWTS standards in Regulation 43, but local public health agencies issue permits and adopt local regulations that are at least as stringent.
• Connecticut: Connecticut regulates household septic systems through the Department of Public Health's subsurface sewage rules and technical standards, but permits for systems on sites with design flows of 10,000 gallons per day or less are issued by the local Director of Health.
• Delaware: Delaware runs septic permitting as a statewide program within DNREC's Division of Water rather than through county health departments.
• District of Columbia: On current official District pages, the clearest onsite-soil process is a permitting path for soil borings and wells rather than a dedicated residential septic permit page.
• Florida: Florida’s onsite sewage program moved to DEP, but permitting and inspections still run through county health departments, with DEP directly permitting the Panhandle transition counties and Marion County.
• Georgia: Georgia regulates onsite sewage through the Department of Public Health and county boards of health.
• Hawaii: Hawaii’s individual wastewater systems are reviewed by the State Department of Health Wastewater Branch, not county health departments.
• Idaho: Idaho’s onsite wastewater program is run through the seven public health districts under DEQ rules, so most property-specific permit work is handled at the district level rather than by DEQ directly.
• Illinois: Illinois regulates private sewage disposal primarily through the Illinois Department of Public Health, but local health departments remain central because many counties review plans, issue permits, and inspect installations as IDPH agents or under local ordinance.
• Indiana: Indiana’s residential onsite sewage program is locally permit-driven: the Indiana Department of Health sets statewide standards, but local health departments issue most residential permits.
• Iowa: Iowa splits onsite wastewater oversight between the Iowa DNR and local boards of health.
• Kansas: Kansas sets minimum onsite wastewater standards through KDHE, but most septic permitting is handled locally under county sanitary or environmental codes.
• Kentucky: Kentucky runs its onsite sewage program through local health departments rather than a state environmental permitting office for routine home systems.
• Louisiana: Louisiana runs onsite wastewater through the Louisiana Department of Health's Office of Public Health, with parish health units and sanitarians handling local permitting and environmental health work.
• Maine: Maine's residential onsite wastewater program sits in Maine DHHS through the Maine CDC Drinking Water Program's Subsurface Wastewater Unit, but permits are issued locally by the municipal Local Plumbing Inspector.
• Maryland: Maryland's onsite sewage program is state-directed by the Maryland Department of the Environment, but day-to-day approvals are delegated to county health departments and other local approving authorities.
• Massachusetts: Massachusetts regulates septic systems under Title 5 of the State Environmental Code.
• Michigan: Michigan does not use one single statewide residential septic permit office; primary regulation is carried out by local health departments.
• Minnesota: Minnesota sets statewide septic rules through the MPCA, but most permit work is run locally under SSTS ordinances.
• Mississippi: Mississippi runs onsite wastewater through the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) Division of On-site Wastewater, and the property-owner application is statewide and online.
• Missouri: Missouri’s onsite wastewater program sits in the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), but who issues permits depends on the county: many counties use local permitting authorities, while others are state-administered or contract counties.
• Montana: Montana handles onsite wastewater mainly through subdivision sanitation review: DEQ reviews subdivisions under 20 acres and sanitation facilities, but in contracted counties the application goes to the local health department.
• Nebraska: Nebraska’s onsite wastewater program is run primarily by the Nebraska Department of Water, Energy, and Environment, but Lancaster County also has a local onsite wastewater permit and inspection program through the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department.
• Nevada: Nevada splits onsite wastewater regulation between state and local agencies.
• New Hampshire: New Hampshire requires prior state approval of sewage disposal system plans through the Department of Environmental Services, while also preserving local authority where municipalities require local sign-off first.
• New Jersey: New Jersey regulates most household septic systems under NJDEP’s septic rules, but permits for systems under 2,000 gallons per day are typically issued by local health departments rather than the state.
• New Mexico: New Mexico runs onsite wastewater through the New Mexico Environment Department’s Onsite Wastewater Bureau, not county health departments, except that Bernalillo County has its own onsite wastewater ordinance for unincorporated county areas.
• New York: New York sets statewide residential onsite wastewater standards in 10 NYCRR Part 75, Appendix 75-A, but permitting and approvals are generally handled by the city, county, or district health department with jurisdiction.
• North Carolina: North Carolina’s on-site wastewater program is overseen by the NCDHHS Division of Public Health, but septic permitting is carried out through local health departments.
• North Dakota: North Dakota splits oversight: the Department of Environmental Quality licenses septic installers, while local public health units issue local permits and inspections before work begins.
• Ohio: Ohio’s household sewage program is state-framed by the Ohio Department of Health, but permits are issued locally by city or general health district boards of health.
• Oklahoma: Oklahoma runs onsite wastewater through the Department of Environmental Quality rather than county health departments.
• Oregon: Oregon’s onsite wastewater program is run by DEQ, but most residential septic permitting is delegated to county agents.
• Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania’s Act 537 program is state-supervised by DEP but mostly administered locally by municipalities, joint local agencies, counties, or county health departments.
• Rhode Island: Rhode Island’s septic program is run at the state level by RIDEM’s OWTS Program, not by county health departments.
• South Carolina: South Carolina’s onsite wastewater program is centralized under the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services rather than county health departments.
• South Dakota: South Dakota sets statewide minimum onsite-wastewater standards through the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, but local governments may impose stricter rules and are often the day-to-day permit counter for rural homes.
• Tennessee: Tennessee’s septic program is run by the Department of Environment and Conservation through the Division of Water Resources, with certain contract counties handling their own local septic assistance.
• Texas: Texas regulates on-site sewage facilities through the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, but most homeowners deal first with a county or local government that has been delegated authority as an authorized agent.
• Utah: Utah’s onsite wastewater program is state-directed by the Division of Water Quality, but residents are told to work primarily with their local health department for septic permits and related approvals.
• Vermont: Vermont regulates most homeowner septic and potable-water permits through the Department of Environmental Conservation’s Wastewater System and Potable Water Supply Program, not county health departments.
• Virginia: Virginia’s onsite sewage program is run by the Virginia Department of Health through its Division of Onsite Water and Wastewater Services and local health districts.
• Washington: Washington uses a local-health-jurisdiction model for most residential onsite sewage systems: county or district health agencies permit and manage systems up to 3,499 gallons per day.
• West Virginia: West Virginia’s onsite sewage program is run through the state Office of Environmental Health Services, but ordinary septic applications, site reviews, and final inspections are handled through local county health departments.
• Wisconsin: Wisconsin regulates septic systems as Private Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems, or POWTS, through the Department of Safety and Professional Services.
• Wyoming: Wyoming’s small wastewater permitting is split between the Department of Environmental Quality and local permitting authorities.