State guide
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. Residents usually work first with the local Sewage Enforcement Officer, who handles site evaluation, permitting, and inspections.
Checked against official sources on October 4, 2026. Rules and links change; confirm with the office listed before you act.
- Who regulates septic permits
- Pennsylvania DEP oversees Act 537, but on-lot permitting and enforcement are largely administered by local agencies such as municipalities, joint local agencies, counties, and county health departments.
- Who can do the soil or perc test
- The local Sewage Enforcement Officer administers site suitability and permitting, but DEP guidance states the person conducting the soil profile and percolation testing may or may not be the current SEO.
- Official septic permit page
- Official page →
- Licensed evaluators or designers
- Official page →
- State fee
- Not published by an official source we could verify. Ask the office.
Official resources in Pennsylvania
State overview page for Pennsylvania’s sewage facilities program and related on-lot resources.
DEP page for SEO certification, SEO guidance, the percolation test report form, and the active-SEO-by-county link.
Explains which local agencies administer on-lot permitting and enforcement in different parts of the state.
Official DEP permit application form used by local agencies for on-lot sewage permits.
Official searchable report residents can use to find active Sewage Enforcement Officers by county.
Key facts for Pennsylvania
- Act 537 defines a local agency as a municipality, combination of municipalities, county, county department of health, or joint county department of health.
- With certain exceptions, local agencies issue permits for retaining tanks and individual or community on-lot sewage systems.
- DEP requires a precertification soils course before a candidate can take the SEO certification exam.
- Pennsylvania has an official Active SEO Report searchable by name, SEO number, and county.
- For conventional systems, permits must be issued or denied within seven days after receipt of a complete initial application.
- DEP says one-quarter of Pennsylvania residents depend on septic systems.
County septic and soil-evaluation offices in Pennsylvania
| County office | city | phone | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bucks County Health Department Sewage Program Bucks | Quakertown | 215-529-7022 | County health department program for septic permitting, sewage-system complaints, soil testing forms, and fee schedule access. |
| Chester County Health Department Permits for On-Lot Sewage Disposal Systems Chester | West Chester | 610-344-6225 | County health department permit page for new systems, repairs, modifications, and the local SEO process. |
| Chester County Sewage and Water Staff Coverage Map Chester | West Chester | Not published* | Coverage map showing assigned environmental health specialists by municipality for sewage and water work. |
| State Board for Certification of Sewage Enforcement Officers | Harrisburg | 717-772-2186 | State page with SEO board information and the official Active SEOs by County resource. |
* Not published: the official page doesn't list it. Call the office to confirm before you rely on it.
What to do next
- Before buying or building on rural land, identify the municipality’s or county health department’s Sewage Enforcement Officer and ask whether prior testing or permits already exist.
- Use the DEP permit form and the Active SEO report together: the local SEO administers the permit even though DEP supplies the statewide forms.
- If your project is subdivision or new land development, ask early whether an Act 537 planning module or Component 1/2 paperwork is required.
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 Pennsylvania's population center, for comparison only):
- Carroll County Health Department - Sewage Disposal, Maryland · about 61 miles
- Carroll County Health Department - Percolation Tests/Wet Weather Testing, Maryland · about 61 miles
- Frederick County Health Department - Well and Septic, Maryland · about 75 miles
- Call to confirm Ask the official office.Sewage Enforcement Officers (SEO)
Website →Phone: (717) 772-2186 (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 Pennsylvania page on USA.gov can point you to the right office. - Know the current info? Tell us with a link to the official page.