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What is required for a septic soils evaluation?

SepticFactsPublished Updated

A landowner and evaluator with a site plan near a fenced test pit and an excavator. Submit the application, confirm pit requirements, coordinate the inspection.

The details vary by state, but the pattern is similar nationwide: an application and fee to the county or its authorized evaluator, a site plan, and test pits (or perc holes) dug to the evaluator’s specifications. As a worked example, Oregon requires at least two test pits “approximately 75 feet apart and within the area of the proposed system,” with the evaluator directing their size and depth, and the evaluator records slope, water features, wells, soil profiles, water table, and the usable area for both the initial and replacement system (OAR 340-071-0150).1 The owner is usually responsible for having the pits dug, most often by an excavator operator or licensed septic installer, and for keeping them open and safe until the inspection. Some counties do not allow evaluations during wet or dry seasons that hide the water table, so ask about timing. Your report’s next steps list the county’s contact and process where JIM has it.

Citations

  1. Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, OAR 340-071-0150, official text published by the Oregon Secretary of State; Oregon DEQ, Site Evaluation Guide. ↩

The agency that issues septic permits where the lot is makes the final call on what system your lot can use.

Sources

  • OAR 340-071-0150, Site Evaluation ProceduresOregon Department of Environmental Quality (state); official rule text published by the Oregon Secretary of StateCorroborated; confirm with the authority. Checked
  • Site Evaluation GuideOregon Department of Environmental Quality (state)Corroborated; confirm with the authority. Checked

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