Adams County septic permits and inspection rules

Permit requirements

Adams County requires an OWTS permit for new installations and major repairs, reviewed against the county's Regulation O-26. Applications need a soils report and a system design from a NAWT-certified designer. Replacing only a septic tank does not require a full design.

What triggers an inspection

Selling a home or business with a septic system triggers the use and transfer-of-title permit inspection in most cases. New installations get a final county inspection, and failures, complaints, or repair permits also bring the system under review.

Transfer of title rules

A use and transfer-of-title permit is required to sell a property with an existing septic system in Adams County in most cases. An inspector certified by NAWT or NSF inspects the system, the tank is typically pumped as part of the inspection, and the application, inspection form, and fee go to the county's environmental health water program.

Required pumping frequency

Adams County does not mandate a fixed interval outside the transfer inspection, where a pump-out is generally required. For most households, pumping every three to five years keeps solids from reaching the soil treatment area.

• Use a licensed systems cleaner and keep the receipts
• The transfer inspection pump-out doubles as your maintenance record

Setback rules

Adams County applies at least the Colorado Regulation 43 minimums: 100 feet from a well to the soil treatment area, 50 feet from a well to the tank, 50 feet from surface water, 10 feet from property lines, and 5 feet from a dwelling to the tank. Confirm parcel-specific distances with the county before digging.

Soil and percolation testing

A soils report is required before a permit application is submitted, and designs come from NAWT-certified designers. High groundwater in parts of the county along the South Platte corridor can constrain soil treatment area placement.