How does this work?

HOW DOES THE SEPTIC PERMIT PROCESS WORK?

     Once you have decided to develop your property, decide where you want a house to be placed. Be very flexible in the beginning, the soils may not favor your chosen location. Then, start a septic permit application with TDEC. 

1. If your property is less than 5 acres, you will need a soil map. There are other circumstances where TDEC will request a soil map as well. This is when you contact a soil scientist.

2. Clear the land of brush/tall grasses and stake or flag the corners of your preferred house location. More details will be provided when I call you, and I will try to accommodate the location by mapping a soil site for a conventional septic area near it. I aim to map your soils within 2 weeks of our initial contact. Extra charges will occur for overgrown lands and uncut fields.

3. Within a week of our scheduled date, I will email you an invoice to pay electronically. This pays for preliminary work, my consultation, and any fieldwork required for High Intensity mapping efforts. It is a non-refundable deposit, so be sure you need my services! No refunds are submitted once payment is made. This ensures neither one of us is wasting time. 

4. Within a few days of being on site, I strive to mail you signed copies of your soil map. These are for your record and your submission to TDEC for their review. 

5. When you submit your maps to TDEC, an Environmental Consultant will now go onsite and review the map to find a septic site. Be Patient! TDEC is working hard and typically understaffed. They will locate a septic system in the appropriate soils. They will also determine how many bedrooms it can accommodate. Bedrooms, not bathrooms, decide how many people occupy the house and use the septic system. Have your house staked before they arrive! I’ve seen many delays in permitting because of applicants not staking their house location.

6. Once permitted through TDEC, you are now free to enjoy the highs and lows of developing your property!

WHAT IF YOU DO NOT FIND A SEPTIC SITE OR SUITABLE SOILS?

      As soon as I have your information, I begin reviewing the site location remotely. If it looks like there is not a good chance, then I will call you to cancel the site visit. It is not in either of our best interest for me to map a property that clearly does not have soils suitable for your purpose. I am not a magician that can summon soils good for wastewater treatment. If a site looks like it has possibilities, then I will be there. However, I begin charging for my services once I am on a location and mapping. This is regardless of the outcome.