Septic Systems in East Sooke

Is East Sooke part of the District of Sooke?

No. It's an unincorporated community, inside the Juan de Fuca Electoral Area of the Capital Regional District. That electoral area runs along the southwest coast of Vancouver Island, and it elects a director to the Capital Regional District's Board.

Who issues your building permit?

The Capital Regional District does. They run building inspection for their electoral areas, and in Juan de Fuca that covers East Sooke and Otter Point. The District of Sooke's building bylaw doesn't apply out here.

How does the Island Health filing work here?

The filing is a provincial rule, so it works the same here as inside a municipality. Before we build, your Authorized Person files with Island Health — the Filing form, the drawings and specs, a site plan, and any covenants or reports that apply. We're registered, so we file it for you.

What septic work do we do in East Sooke?

In East Sooke, we build new systems, and we repair failing ones — the field, the distribution box, the pumps and floats. If you're buying or selling out here, we inspect the system and write the report.

What if the ground will not take a system at all?

It happens, and it's better to find out early. If your land can't take a system, you can put in a holding tank instead. We'll tell you as soon as we've read the pits and logged the profile — not after you've paid for a design. A holding tank changes how you live on the property, and we'll walk you through what that means before you commit to anything.

Which maintenance bylaw covers a property out here?

The regional district has a maintenance bylaw for onsite sewage systems — the Onsite Sewage System Maintenance Bylaw No. 3479, adopted in 2007. It covers Colwood, Langford, Saanich, View Royal and North Saanich, with North Saanich joining on 1 January 2025. The places we work in aren't on that list.

Where it does apply, a Type 1 system needs pumping at least every 5 years, and you keep the records. The septage treatment facility reports the pump-out to the regional district. Their example: pump the tank on February 1, 2025, and the next one is due by February 1, 2030.

How often does a tank actually need pumping?

Where it applies, the regional district calls that schedule the minimum. Plenty of systems need pumping more often, depending on the size of the tank and what's happening in your house. We open the tank and take a look before we tell you when to book the next visit.