Septic/Wastewater Systems

If your planned home or building will have its own septic/wastewater system, follow these steps to begin the health department approval process.

1. Contact your city or municipality’s planning or zoning department to determine if there are land-use restrictions or sewer-connection requirements.
2. Contact the sewer district that serves your area and obtain a letter stating your building does not need to be connected to the public sewer.
3. If the building will be connected to a public water system, obtain a year-round water availability letter from the water company. If you need a private well, contact the State Division of Water Rights.
4. Conduct a soil analysis (see next tab).

An onsite wastewater professional certified by the Utah Division of Water Quality must conduct a soil analysis. Someone with at least a level 1 certification must conduct percolation tests.

Exploration holes should be dug to at least 10 feet, or until you hit bedrock or groundwater. One hole should be in the drain field area and another should be in the intended replacement area.

The health department reserves the right to verify percolation test results. Underground wastewater disposal might not be suitable for the area if:

• there is less than two feet of soil from the trench bottom to groundwater
• there is less than five feet of soil above bedrock or another type of impervious layer
• there isn't enough land with less than a 25% slope for the system and drain field replacement.

There are also requirements for minimum horizontal distances to ground features.

Next, submit plans to the health department (see next tab).

The system must be designed by someone certified at least level 2 by the Utah Division of Water Quality.

The plot plan should:

• Be drawn to scale: 1”=20’ is preferred, but a range of 1”=8’ to 1”=30’ is acceptable.
• Identify slopes 0-25% and greater than 35%.
• Locate private well locations on the property and within 100 feet of the property line.
• Locate public well locations within 1500 feet of the property or drinking water source protection zone 2 boundaries.
• Show any ditches, dry washes, gullies, wetlands, or streams on the property or within 100 feet of the property line.
• Include two soil exploration holes and percolation test results, including location and depths at which the tests were conducted.
• Identify proposed drain field locations including the 100% replacement area and calculations.
• Include the proposed home and other structure locations, including driveways and parking areas.
• Show a side profile of the sewer line, septic tank (including riser), and drain field.
• Include a cross-section of the absorption system.
• Describe the septic tank capacity.
• Include the floor plan with number of bedrooms and planned bedrooms. Include the possibility of a finished basement; the system’s capacity is based on the number of bedrooms in the home, so if any future increase is anticipated, it should be recorded.

Wastewater disposal systems must be designed in compliance with Utah Rule 317-4.

Submit plans to:

Environmental Health Division   
Water Quality Bureau
788 East Woodoak Lane (5380 South) 
Murray, UT 84107

If plans are not approved, the designer must make corrections and resubmit.

For questions, contact us at 385-468-3862.