Who Permits and Files Your Septic System?

Who is allowed to design and build your system?

Every owner who wants to build, alter or repair a system has to retain an Authorized Person — either a professional, or a Registered Onsite Wastewater Practitioner.

A Registered Onsite Wastewater Practitioner can design and install Type 1 and Type 2 systems, up to 9,100 litres a day. That registration comes from the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians Association of BC, in categories — planner, installer, maintenance provider, private inspector (commercial), private inspector (residential) — and many practitioners hold more than one.

A professional can design and install Type 1, Type 2 and Type 3 systems, up to 22,699 litres a day, and is typically an engineer or geoscientist. We're registered, so we design and install Type 1 and Type 2. We also install Type 3 systems, built to a professional's design.

What gets filed before the work starts?

Before construction, the Authorized Person files with Island Health: a Filing form, plans and specs, a site plan, and any covenants, easements or reports that apply.

Island Health doesn't approve the design, and they don't usually review the technical details. They receive the filing and check it meets their minimum requirements. Responsibility for the design stays with the Authorized Person.

What has to happen before you can use the system?

Within 30 days of finishing, the Authorized Person has to send Island Health a signed letter certifying the system meets the Sewerage System Regulation. That Letter of Certification says the system was built lawfully, construction's complete, it won't cause a health hazard in normal use, and the daily flow is under 22,700 litres a day. It also carries an as-built diagram and a maintenance plan.

You can't use the system until that Letter of Certification is in.

Which repairs need filing documents, and which do not?

Replacing the distribution field, replacing the tank, and switching from gravity to pressure distribution all need filing.

Minor repairs don't: a broken lid on the box, a dead pump, a new float switch, fitting a new filter, or replacing a short stretch (10 feet) of crushed line.

Which regulation does your system fall under?

A system under 22,700 litres a day falls under the Sewerage System Regulation. At 22,700 litres a day or more, it falls under the Municipal Wastewater Regulation, under the Environmental Management Act. The Ministry of Health administers the Sewerage System Regulation that governs septic design, construction and maintenance.

Which authority issues your building permit?

In Sooke, it's the District of Sooke, working to Building Bylaw No. 780, 2020. Give them 24 hours' notice for an inspection. Occupy a building before approval and you can face fines of up to $1,000 a day under that bylaw.

In Metchosin, it's the District of Metchosin — you need a building permit before starting construction on a building or structure, accessory structures included. Metchosin wants 48 hours' notice for an inspection. The bylaw they name is the District's Fees Bylaw 2024, No. 696.

In East Sooke and Otter Point, it's the Capital Regional District, whose building inspection service covers the electoral areas. Each of these only applies in its own area — none of them reach into the others.

What does Island Health do once the system is in?

Island Health holds the records of septic installation and repairs, looks into complaints, and can order repairs if there's a health hazard. There should be records for anything 2005 or newer, and for most systems from 1990 to 2005. A records request costs $50.00 per property, through their Request for Release of Information form.

What counts as an offence?

Island Health calls it an offence to build or repair a system without the right qualification, without filing first, or to discharge sewage onto the ground, into a body of water, or into a source of drinking water.

What about grey water?

Grey water counts as sewage once it leaves the building. You can put it on a garden, but only through a designed, filed system, applied below ground and limited to non-food crops. Discharging it onto the ground surface is illegal.