Onsite Program (Well and Septic)

Property that is not served by public sewer or a public water system requires permitting by the Virginia Department of Health (VDH). The property owner or agent must obtain a permit to construct a sewage disposal system or private well before the county will issue a building permit.

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Onsite Sewage (Septic) Handling and Disposal

If a property has an existing sewage disposal system, the owner must obtain a certification from the health department that the existing system is adequate for the proposed construction or must obtain a construction permit to make any necessary upgrades.

Septic Permit Application

All applications for onsite sewage systems and/or private wells must be accompanied by supporting work from a private sector consultant who is properly licensed to do such work through the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR). Only owners that submit a petition for services and meet the criteria will be eligible to receive evaluation and design services from VDH.

Owners must submit a petition for services and meet:

Private Sector Applications

Private sector applications that are conducted by Onsite Soil Evaluators (OSE) or Professional Engineers (PE), will include an OSE package to submit to the local health department accompanying the application. The OSE will use standard forms provided by VDH.

Applicants should ensure the OSE/PE uses the most recent, up-to-date forms to prevent a delay in processing their application. Other forms related to onsite services are available.

SepticSmart Resources

Private Wells

Permitting and Inspections

VDH permits all wells with the exception of monitoring wells. As part of the permitting process, we or a private practice OSE or licensed well driller locates the well site/area to assure proper set-backs from potential contaminant sources (drain fields, barns, graveyards, etc.) and determine the minimum construction requirements that must be used.

Inspections are conducted:

  • During construction and/or after construction to assure the well was sited and constructed properly
  • Before the well can be approved as a drinking water supply. 
  • To abandon a well. Abandonment must be conducted by a licensed well driller and be witnessed by EHS or private practice OSE

Applications for Inspection

All applications for private wells must be accompanied by supporting work from a private sector consultant who is properly licensed to do such work through the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR). Only owners that submit a petition for services and meet the criteria will be eligible to receive evaluation and design services from VDH.

Owners must submit a petition for services and meet:

Well and Septic Permit Application

Private Sector Applications

Private sector applications that are conducted by Onsite Soil Evaluators (OSE) or Professional Engineers (PE), will include an OSE package to submit to the local health department accompanying the application. The OSE will use standard forms provided by VDH.

Applicants should ensure the OSE/PE uses the most recent, up-to-date forms to prevent a delay in processing their application. Other forms related to onsite services are available.

Watch this VDH video to learn about private wells at a residence.

 

Well Testing

Water Well Testing Result Interpretation Tool  

 

If you have had your water well quality tested, you can use this tool to interpret what your results mean and receive guidance as to how to address any chemicals of concern identified in your sample.

 

Need to Shock Your Well?

Shock chlorination is a process of disinfecting a private water supply and plumbing system by circulating a concentrated chlorine solution throughout the system. It’s required following well construction and is recommended following a positive total coliform water test or any maintenance or repair of a private water supply system. Private water supply systems should also be shock chlorinated after any flooding or if another obvious means of water contamination is present in your area. Learn more.

 

Alternative Discharging Sewage Treatment

If no conventional onsite sewage disposal option can be found for a property, there may be an option for installing an alternative discharging sewage treatment system.

For discharging systems serving:

  • Single family homes discharging less than 1000 gallons/day: the health department issues permit jointly with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).
  • Anything other than a single-family home discharging less than 1000 gallons per day: permit is issued solely by DEQ.

Designs for these systems must be submitted by a Professional Engineer.  VDH EHS review the designs, issue a permit based on an approved design, and post-installation, conducts annual inspections of each discharging system. Owners of these systems are required to have them maintained and monitored by a licensed service provider.

For more information, please see Discharge Regulations.

Operations & Maintenance

The Division of Onsite Sewage and Water Services, Environmental Engineering, and Marina Programs has initiated and maintained a program that enables the sharing of data important to stakeholders about the VDH onsite sewage program. This effort began with the posting of operation and maintenance (O&M) data for alternative onsite sewage systems (AOSS) and alternative discharging sewage systems (ADSS) on the Division’s website. The source of these data are private sector operators who submit required reports to VDH.

VDH has a portal to submit O&M reports.

Not sure if O&M applies to you?

If you own, operate or maintain a discharge system or an alternative septic system, you should:

Last Updated: August 20, 2025