Limiting ground
A high water table, very slow or very fast soil, shallow rock or caliche, or a lot too small for a conventional trench field plus reserve.
Service
New septic system installation on Pinal County lots without sewer
A new on-site wastewater system starts with a site investigation and a Pinal County permit, not with a tank delivery. New septic installation on Pinal County lots — call today.
Before dirt moves
What has to happen before a tank goes in the ground?
- Confirm sewer is not required.
- A qualified investigator characterizes the soil and the site under R18-9-A310.
- The designer sizes the tank and disposal works from bedrooms and fixture units, places the primary field and a reserve area, and files a Notice of Intent to Discharge with the county.
- Construction is inspected. A Discharge Authorization is what allows the system to be used.
Skipping the soil work is how fields get built into caliche or into a wash. That is expensive to undo.
When is an alternative system the right design?
What changes
Alternative units treat effluent before a smaller or shallower disposal bed. They also come with operation and maintenance duties the homeowner has to keep.
Unused systems
If ADEQ issued a Discharge Authorization but the system was never placed in service, a later sale may skip the transfer inspection — that is the exception in R18-9-A316.
How installation differs from repair or a sale inspection
Repair keeps an existing permitted system working. A sale inspection documents the condition of that system for a transfer. Installation creates a new facility. If you only need sludge removed from a working tank, use pumping.
Name the town on the form. Sewer rules in Eloy and Arizona City are not the same as a county island west of Casa Grande or acreage outside Maricopa subdivisions.
Who issues the permit for a new on-site system?
Pinal County’s Aquifer Protection program permits conventional systems up to 24,000 gallons per day and alternative systems up to 3,000 gallons per day, and it inspects construction. ADEQ rules in Title 18, Chapter 9 still set the design standards the county applies.
What is a site investigation and who can perform it?
Arizona Administrative Code R18-9-A310 requires a surface and subsurface characterization before a new on-site facility is designed. The investigator must meet the qualifications in that section. Soil borings, perc data, and limiting conditions such as groundwater or caliche go on the Uniform Site Investigation Report.
Can I install a tank if sewer is already available?
Often no. Eloy treats a main within 400 feet as available. Arizona City’s Sanitary District restricts new private systems where its mains exist. Casa Grande and Maricopa expect connection where their collection systems already serve the parcel. Ask the city or district first; a soil test cannot override a sewer-connection rule.