A Rural Septic Job Starts With the County Permit

Texas calls a septic system an on-site sewage facility, or OSSF. Bastrop County acts for TCEQ on these systems. Its local order calls for a permit to install or change one, no matter the acreage. A small set of emergency repairs has a different path. Those repairs still must be reported within 72 hours.

Start at Environmental and Sanitation, 211 Jackson Street, or call (512) 581-7176. A licensed site evaluator or engineer must prepare the plan. Soil and lot conditions help set the system type. An owner can install a system for an owner-occupied single-family home after getting the permit. A person hired for the job must hold the right license.

A new aerobic system starts with a two-year maintenance contract. After that, a homeowner may do the upkeep after county-approved training. Without that training, a licensed provider stays on the job. Put the current forms, fees, setbacks, and inspections into the schedule before booking equipment or digging.