Septic inspections & evaluations

O&M evaluations, home-sale inspections and diagnostics.

Septic inspections, or evaluations, come up for three main reasons in Delaware and Union counties: your health district's O&M program needs a periodic evaluation, you're buying or selling a home, or something seems wrong. They aren't all the same inspection, so it helps to know which one you need.

1. O&M evaluations

Under Ohio's 2015 sewage rules, health districts run operation and maintenance programs so systems are checked periodically. The schedule depends on your county and system type:

• Delaware County: conventional septic tank plus leach field systems get a 5-year O&M permit, and mechanical systems a 1-year permit. A registered service provider can do the evaluation and submit the report. Otherwise the district does it, for a fee.
• Union County: five-year operation permits ($50, or $10 per year; the current cycle is 2025–2029), with an inspection cycle set by the Board of Health. Many aerator and discharging systems need annual inspection.

Ohio's rules require O&M inspection records to be provided to the health district within 60 days.

2. Real estate transfer evaluations

If you're buying a home on septic, a septic evaluation is one of the most important inspections you can order, because a failing leach field can cost far more than a roof. Buyers and lenders commonly ask for one. A thorough evaluation usually includes:

• Reviewing health district records: permit, system type, past service reports and any violations.
• Locating the tank and pumping it so the tank walls, baffles and inlet/outlet can be inspected.
• Checking for backflow from the field into the tank, a key warning sign.
• Walking the leach field or mound for wet spots, surfacing effluent or odor.
• Testing pumps, floats, alarms and aerators on mechanical systems.
• Noting whether the system is sized for the house's bedrooms.

Ask the health district whether any local transfer-specific rules apply to your property, and whether DPHD already has transfer inspection reports on file.

3. "Something's wrong" diagnostics

Slow drains everywhere, odors, soggy ground over the field, or sewage in the basement floor drain call for a diagnostic visit. A contractor may pump the tank, run water to watch the flow, camera the lines, or probe the field. Many problems, like a clogged effluent filter, a broken baffle, a failed pump or a crushed line, are repairable without replacing the whole system.

Who can do inspections?

In Ohio, people who service, monitor, evaluate or sample sewage treatment systems must be registered as service providers with each local health district where they work. Ask any inspector for their registration in your county. Home inspectors who aren't registered septic service providers generally can't do the O&M evaluation.

What to have ready

• The property address and parcel number.
• Any permit, as-built drawing or past service reports. DPHD and UCHD can often provide copies.
• Where you think the tank and field are.
• Access: unlocked gates, pets inside, and the area over the tank cleared.

After the inspection

You should get a written report. If repairs are recommended, ask which are urgent (health and safety risks, or sewage surfacing) and which are maintenance items. For major repairs or replacement, a permit from the health district is required, and the work must be done by a registered installer.

Sources

• Ohio Administrative Code 3701-29-03 (registration of installers, service providers and septage haulers): codes.ohio.gov
• OAC 3701-29-19 (operation and maintenance management): ohrules.elaws.us
• Delaware Public Health District O&M FAQ: delawarehealth.org; permit lengths by system type: delawarehealth.org; 2025 fee schedule: delawarehealth.org
• Union County Health Department, Septic Systems and Renew Sewage Permits: uchd.net/septic-systems, uchd.net/renew-sewage-permits
• HomeGuide, septic tank pumping cost: homeguide.com