State guide
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. County environmental or development offices often handle permitting, inspections, and local lists of qualified investigators or evaluators.
Checked against official sources on October 4, 2026. Rules and links change; confirm with the office listed before you act.
- Who regulates septic permits
- ADEQ runs the onsite wastewater program statewide and delegates permitting authority to all 15 Arizona counties, which issue permits on ADEQ’s behalf.
- Who can do the soil or perc test
- ADEQ requires a site investigation by a qualified investigator under A.A.C. R18-9-A310(H); Cochise County states this may be an Arizona registered professional engineer, registered professional geologist, registered sanitarian, or an individual with ADEQ-recognized training.
- Official septic permit page
- Official page →
- Licensed evaluators or designers
- Official page →
- State fee
- $1,811.28 for the first Type 4 General Permit (4.02-4.22), plus $755.40 for each additional Type 4 permit on the same Notice of Intent to Discharge; FY27 ADEQ fee page.
Official resources in Arizona
Statewide landing page explaining county delegation, county submission, forms, and program contacts.
Explains the permit process for conventional and alternative onsite systems and links to permit forms and the Uniform Site Investigation Report.
Official statewide fee schedule for Type 4 onsite wastewater permits.
Official ADEQ site-investigation form and instructions for soil borings and percolation testing.
Example official county list of engineers, qualified investigators, installers, and soil evaluators used by residents.
Key facts for Arizona
- ADEQ says it has authority to issue OWTF permits but delegates that authority to each of Arizona’s 15 counties.
- ADEQ says permit applications should be submitted to the county where the property is located.
- ADEQ’s Uniform Site Investigation instructions say an investigator meeting A.A.C. R18-9-A310(H) must perform the site investigation.
- Those instructions say perc tests and soil borings are both required for onsite subdivision reviews.
- Cochise County says a qualified investigator/evaluator can be a registered engineer, geologist, sanitarian, or someone with ADEQ-recognized training.
- ADEQ’s FY27 fee page lists $1,811.28 for the first Type 4 general permit and $755.40 for each additional Type 4 permit on the same NOI.
County septic and soil-evaluation offices in Arizona
| County office | city | phone | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mohave County Development Services On-Site Septic Wastewater Disposal Program Mohave | Kingman | (928)757-0903 | Processes applications, reviews site investigations and plans, issues construction authorizations, inspects installations, issues discharge authorizations, and handles transfers. |
| Yavapai County Development Services Environmental Unit Yavapai | Prescott | Not published* | Yavapai’s septic and percolation request page says the Environmental Unit provides permit-copy and site-investigation result requests. |
| Yavapai County Development Services Environmental Unit Yavapai | Cottonwood | Not published* | Cottonwood office for Development Services, which includes environmental services and septic permitting in unincorporated Yavapai County. |
| Pinal County Septic Permit Program Pinal | Florence | 520-509-3555 | County applications page provides septic permit, inspection, transfer, site-investigation, and alternative-feature forms. |
| Cochise County Septic Scheduling Line Cochise | Bisbee | 520-432-9441 | Cochise County’s septic page publishes this line for septic inspections and also lists qualified investigator/evaluator categories. |
| Cochise County Health & Social Services Environmental Health Services Division Cochise | Bisbee | Not published* | Environmental Health Services includes septic systems and online permitting through Citizenserve. |
* Not published: the official page doesn't list it. Call the office to confirm before you rely on it.
What to do next
- Start with ADEQ’s statewide page, then go directly to your county’s delegated septic office for submittal and inspections.
- Ask the county whether it keeps its own investigator or installer list before you hire for perc or soil work.
- If you are buying or transferring rural property, also check the county’s transfer-inspection or permit-records process.
Not seeing your county office or county?
Not every county office publishes its rules online. Try these, in order:
- General Start with the statewide information above.
- Closest verified Nearest places where we have verified local data outside this state (distance from Arizona's population center, for comparison only):
- Southern Nevada Health District, Residential ISDS Permits, Nevada · about 265 miles
- Southwest Utah Public Health Department - Septic Systems, Utah · about 271 miles
- San Bernardino County Public Health Environmental Health Services - Application for Percolation Review, California · about 296 miles
- Call to confirm Ask the official office.ADEQ Onsite Wastewater Treatment Facility
Website →Phone: (602) 771-0175 (as listed on that page, checked Oct 4, 2026)Your city or county office: Local governments →Not sure who handles it locally? USAGov's free help line, 1-844-872-4681, or the Arizona page on USA.gov can point you to the right office. - Know the current info? Tell us with a link to the official page.