Sourced from 12VAC5-610, 12VAC5-613, 18VAC160-10 and Title 32.1 of the Code of Virginia — last checked August 2026.
Step 1: Site and Soil Evaluation
Everything starts here. The evaluation determines whether the soils can provide adequate treatment in accordance with the regulations, and it’s what the system design is built from.
Under 18VAC160-10, a licensed person must conduct the site assessment and design the system. That can be a private DPOR-licensed onsite soil evaluator, or in many areas VDH itself — the department employs licensed professionals who can perform site assessments and design conventional systems.
The evaluation assesses soil type, depth, drainage characteristics and the vertical separation available beneath a potential drainfield.
Step 2: Construction Permit
The written construction permit from the commissioner is what authorizes work. Without it, no construction, expansion or modification of a sewage disposal system may lawfully proceed.
You apply through your local health department, which reviews the design against 12VAC5-610 for a conventional system or 12VAC5-613 for an alternative one.
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Step 3: Installation
Installation is performed by a DPOR-licensed installer, with inspection before the system is covered.
Step 4: Operation Permit
The operation permit authorizes the system to be used.
For an alternative system, two extra conditions apply before it issues. The owner must have recorded an instrument in circuit court land records under 12VAC5-613-60, and must have established a relationship with a licensed operator, providing that operator’s name and license number to the local health department. An approved O&M manual must also be on file.
See our AOSS guide for what that means in practice.
Buying Land? Consider a Certification Letter
Before purchasing a lot that will need a septic system, a certification letter confirms whether the site is suitable for an onsite sewage treatment and disposal system.
The process and fees mirror those of a system application under 12VAC5-610-250. It’s meaningfully cheaper than discovering after closing that a lot can’t support a system, or can only support an expensive alternative one.
If Your Application Is Denied
You have more options than most people realize.
Ask precisely why. Sometimes the constraint is a specific soil condition in a specific location, and a different area of the property hasn’t been evaluated.
Consider an engineered design. Since 2008, § 32.1-163.5 has allowed licensed professional engineers to design alternative systems that don’t have to comply with the standard prescriptive rules, provided they meet the board’s performance requirements. On a difficult site, that can produce a permittable system where the standard route couldn’t.
Check whether the lot is grandfathered. An owner of a grandfathered lot may apply for a construction permit, and a permit shall be issued for a system complying to the greatest extent possible — provided site and soil conditions wouldn’t preclude successful operation.
Appeal formally. The Sewage Handling and Disposal Appeals Review Board, established under § 32.1-166.1 of the Code of Virginia, hears appeals of department decisions.
Timing
Timelines vary by local health department workload and by whether your system is conventional or alternative. An alternative system involves an engineered design, an O&M manual, the land records recording, and establishing an operator relationship — all of which add time beyond a conventional install.
If you’re working to a construction schedule, ask your local health department about current wait times before you commit to dates.
What VDH Charges for Your Permit
Virginia is unusual: septic permits are issued centrally by the Virginia Department of Health against one statewide fee schedule, so unlike most states the answer does not change with your county. These are VDH’s fees only — the installer, the excavation and any private evaluator are separate, and much larger.
Every figure here is taken from VDH’s published onsite sewage and well application fee schedule, effective July 1, 2019 — the most recent version we could retrieve. Confirm the current figure with your local health department before you budget from it. Where a fee is not shown, VDH has not published one that we could retrieve; that is not the same as there being no fee. We do not hold a sourced figure for what a complete septic installation costs in Virginia, and we will not print one we cannot stand behind.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are the steps to get a septic permit in Virginia?
Site and soil evaluation, construction permit, installation, then operation permit. Under 18VAC160-10 the evaluation and design must be performed by a licensed person.
Who performs the site evaluation?
A DPOR-licensed onsite soil evaluator, or VDH itself — the department employs licensed professionals who can perform site assessments and design conventional systems.
What extra steps does an alternative system need?
Before the operation permit issues, the owner must record an instrument in circuit court land records, establish a relationship with a licensed operator and provide their license number, and have an approved O&M manual on file.
What if my permit application is denied?
Ask exactly why, consider an engineered design under section 32.1-163.5, check whether the lot is grandfathered, and if needed appeal to the Sewage Handling and Disposal Appeals Review Board under section 32.1-166.1.