Septic permits in Pulaski, Saline, Faulkner and Lonoke counties

Whether you are building on a rural lot outside Benton, adding a bedroom in Vilonia or replacing a dead system near Cabot, the permit comes from the same place: the Arkansas Department of Health. Applications go to the department or its authorized local agent. The department's onsite wastewater program, run from its environmental health office on West Markham Street in Little Rock, sets statewide policy, and Environmental Health Specialists at the local health units handle permits day to day. Systems handling 1,500 gallons a day or more go to the Department of Energy and Environment instead.

Local health units in the four counties

Ask for the Onsite Environmental Specialist. That person can also pull a copy of an existing system's permit.

The three-part permit, step by step

1. Soil work and design by a Designated Representative. Part I, the Permit for Construction, has to be filled out by a Designated Representative registered with ADH. They dig at least two soil pits, one where the main drain field will go and one in the reserve area, record depths to rock and seasonal water and the soil layers, and leave the pits open for the agent to look at. Part I also carries the lot dimensions and the system design and layout.
2. Fee and approval. The plan review fee is paid before Part I is issued, and it is not refunded if the project stalls. Construction must begin within a year or the permit has to be revalidated. No changes to the design are allowed without the agent's approval.
3. Installation. A registered installer must be on site for every phase and must notify the local agent at least 24 hours before starting. Part II is the installation inspection, and within five days the installer submits documentation to the health unit that the system went in according to the permit.
4. Permit for Operation. Part III is issued once the inspection is approved. The system cannot be used until it is.

For an aerobic or other alternative system, the monitoring contract goes in with the permit application; see aerobic septic service.

Current ADH review fees

Garages, carports and porches do not count toward the square footage. These are only the state's review fees; the Designated Representative and installer bill separately, and their prices are theirs to quote.

Rules that shape where the system can go

• No minimum lot size. ADH's own FAQ says there isn't one; the space needed depends on the soil, the number of bedrooms and the 100-foot setback from wells.
• Setbacks. 100 feet from a domestic well, a stream or lake, or a sinkhole; 300 feet from a lake's high-water mark when within a quarter mile of a public water intake; 50 feet from your own pond; 10 feet from the house, property lines and water service line.
• Sewer nearby. If a sewer main is within 300 feet and reachable without crossing another person's property, the house has to connect, and septic permits are refused where public sewer is reasonably available.
• The 10-acre exemption. A single home on 10 or more acres with every part of the system more than 200 feet from all property lines, roads included, can be exempt from the permit. The system still has to be built and run to state standards, and the health unit provides an exemption letter.

Most permit surprises come from the ground itself; read central Arkansas soil and septic before you buy a lot.

Questions people ask

Can I do the soil test myself?

No. Part I of the permit has to be completed by a Designated Representative registered with the Department of Health, after digging and describing the soil pits.

Why does Arkansas want soil pits instead of just a perc test?

The department's FAQ calls the percolation test only a rough estimate of how a soil moves water. Pits show rock depth, tight layers and seasonal groundwater, which lets the designer account for the soil's real limits.

Do I need a permit to fix a broken septic system?

Yes. Repairs, alterations and extensions need a permit, at a $30 review fee. In an emergency that poses an immediate health hazard, work can start first as long as the permit follows within 10 working days. More on that in septic repair.