Repair or Replace Septic Permit

How to Get a Permit

• Complete form DEP 4015: Complete and submit page one of the Application for Construction Permit form (DEP 4015). It must be signed by the owner or the owner’s authorized representative, engineer, or licensed contractor and must be accompanied by all required exhibits and fees.
• Submit a site plan: The plan must show boundaries and lot dimensions, along with any of the following features that either exist or are being proposed:
  • Structures
  • Swimming pools
  • Recorded easements
  • Onsite sewage treatment and disposal system components
  • Slope of the property
  • Wells
  • Potable and non-potable water lines and valves
  • Drainage features
  • Filled areas
  • Excavated areas for onsite sewage systems
  • Obstructed areas
  • Surface water bodies
  • Location of the reference point for system elevation
• Include detailed construction plans: An engineer must submit detailed system construction plans if the drainfield will exceed 1,500 square feet, domestic sewage flow exceeds 2,500 gallons per day (GPD), or the commercial sewage flow exceeds 1,000 GPD. All plans and forms submitted by the engineer must be dated, signed, and sealed.
• Complete the existing system and system repair evaluation form: The septic tank must be pumped by a registered septic tank pumper, and the contractor must verify its capacity and structural integrity by completing the Existing System and System Repair Evaluation form (page 7). The contractor must sign the certification statement if they have certified the existing tank.
• Include water usage history: Provide the last 12 months of water usage for residential and 18 months for commercial properties unless the building is served by an unmetered well.

ADditional Requirements

The contractor must submit additional information if they are repairing the septic system through any method other than drainfield addition or replacement.

• Process used to repair the system: The contractor must include the system repair method, such as hydrogen peroxide treatment or high pressure injection of air alongside the drainfield. The manufacturer’s recommended method for product use, quantities, and concentration of product must be included as well.
• Chemical Compounds: If the contractor is introducing any chemical compound into the septic system to repair it, the compounds must be identified by chemical composition or trade name, including the concentration and quantity. The method of product introduction must be stated such as, but not limited to, when a product is introduced through the distribution box.
• Drainfield System Drawing: Any proposed septic repair method that intends to physically disrupt the absorption surface must include a drawing of the drainfield system with a diagram of the sites where the absorption surface will be disrupted. The depth of each disruption must be recorded at each site.