Can my drainfield be under my driveway?
SepticFactsPublished Updated
No. EPA’s guidance is direct: “Do not park or drive on your drainfield.”1 Vehicle weight compacts the soil and can crush pipes, and pavement blocks the air and evaporation the soil needs to treat wastewater.2 The drainfield also has to stay accessible for inspection and repair. Plan the driveway, parking, RV pad, outbuildings and patios around the drainfield and its reserve area from the start, and fence it off during construction so equipment stays off. A driveway crossing the pipe between the house and the tank is a different case that some counties allow with protective measures, so ask.
Citations
-
U.S. EPA, How to Care for Your Septic System; University of Missouri Extension, Household Wastewater: Septic Systems (EQM104F); Penn State Extension, Septic System Basics. ↩
-
U.S. EPA, How to Care for Your Septic System; Penn State Extension, Septic System Basics; University of Missouri Extension, Household Wastewater: Septic Systems (EQM104F). ↩
The agency that issues septic permits where the lot is makes the final call on what system your lot can use.
Sources
- How to Care for Your Septic SystemU.S. Environmental Protection Agency (federal)Corroborated; confirm with the authority. Checked
- Household Wastewater: Septic Systems (EQM104F)University of Missouri Extension (state university extension)Corroborated; confirm with the authority. Checked
- Septic System BasicsPenn State Extension (state university extension)Corroborated; confirm with the authority. Checked
Check a specific lot
SepticFacts screens one lot against public soil, flood, wetland and slope data and the local septic rules we have on file, with every source cited.
Check a lot