Septic backing up? Call (803) 2-PUMP-IT · Tier 3 certified in SC, certified in GA · Serving the CSRA since 2009
How the SCDES process actually runs, what it costs, how long it takes, and what a Tier 3 license changes about your inspection.
In South Carolina, septic permits are issued by the Department of Environmental Services, not by your county. The site evaluation fee is set by regulation at $150, permits remain valid for five years, and above the Fall Line the soil evaluation must be done in a backhoe pit rather than by hand boring. A Tier 3 licensed installer may inspect their own completed installation, where Tier 1 and Tier 2 installers need Department approval to do so.
The onsite wastewater application goes to SCDES, filed through ePermitting. Without this approval your county will not issue a building permit, which is why it belongs at the front of a build schedule rather than the middle.
A certified SCDES evaluator or a licensed Professional Soil Classifier assesses the soil. The fee is $150. National cost sites quote $450 to $2,300 for a septic permit, which is not the South Carolina figure.
The Fall Line runs northeast through Augusta. North and west of it, in Aiken, Edgefield and upper Columbia County, the profile must be read in a backhoe pit. Piedmont clay cannot be assessed properly from a hand boring.
Tank sizing follows bedroom count: 1,000 gallons to four bedrooms, then 250 gallons per additional bedroom. You also need a reserved repair area equal to fifty percent of the absorption area. If the soil is unsuitable, the system moves to a Standard 610 engineered design.
Built to the approved design. Setbacks matter: 75 feet from a private well, 100 feet from a public well, plus property line, foundation and surface water separations.
A Tier 3 installer may self-inspect their own installation. Tier 1 and Tier 2 installers require Department approval to do so. This is one of the practical advantages of using a Tier 3 contractor and it usually saves a week.
The septic permit gates the building permit. Filed late, it stops the whole job.
Clay and expansible soils are classified unsuitable. Find out before you buy the land or finalise a house plan, not after.
Fifty percent reserve is required. Siting a house without leaving room for it creates a problem you cannot solve later.
Capacity is permitted against bedroom count. An unpermitted extra bedroom becomes a resale problem years later.
A Tier 1 license cannot repair an existing system at all, and cannot touch an engineered design. Check before you sign.
Five years is generous, but it is not indefinite.
You do not have to use a contractor to file. If you would rather handle it yourself, these are the official pages. They open in a new tab.
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