24.17.100 Permits.

(1)    New On-Site Sewage Systems. Prior to beginning construction, all persons seeking to have an OSS installed on property located in Clark County must obtain a permit from Clark County public health. All permits require completion and approval of a CCPH on-site sewage system permit application and payment of the relevant fees. The application for said permit is not considered complete unless all information listed below is included:

(a)    Step One—Soil and Site Evaluation. The first step for a property owner wanting to install an OSS is to obtain a soil and site evaluation to assess the site’s suitability per WAC 246-272A-0220 and Section 24.17.130. Staff will complete a desk review and either a complete soil/site evaluation as required by this code or a concurrency inspection of a designer/engineer’s soil/site evaluation. Based on their findings, CCPH will approve or deny the proposed site’s suitability to serve the anticipated occupancy by installation of a septic system (if approved, the type of OSS needed will be specified through the design submittal and review process). Unless CCPH determines at the time of issuing an installation permit that conditions of initial approval have undergone significant change (e.g., erosion of soils), a soil and site evaluation is valid for five (5) years from date of approval.

(b)    Step Two—Design Submittal. If the soil and site evaluation results in an approval of the site, an OSS design must be completed and approved as required in WAC 246-272A-0230 through 246-272A-0238 and Section 24.17.140 prior to beginning construction. Once the design is submitted to CCPH, staff will review the application to ensure the design and its fit for the proposed location meet regulatory standards. This requires an office review and when necessary one (1) or more field inspections. The design is valid for five (5) years from date of approval.

(c)    Step Three—Permit Application. The third step in obtaining a new OSS is submission of a completed application for an installation permit that includes all other requirements listed below and in WAC 246-272A-0200. This must be obtained prior to beginning construction and is not considered complete unless all information listed below, and a currently valid, approved soil and site evaluation described in subsection (1)(a) of this section and a currently valid, approved system design described in subsection (1)(b) of this section have also been submitted and approved. The permit is valid for five (5) years from date of issuance. The permit application must include the following:

(i)    General information:

(A)    Name and address of the property owner and the applicant at the head of each page of submission;

(B)    Parcel number and address, if available, of the site;

(C)    Source of drinking water supply;

(D)    Identification if the property is within the boundaries of a recognized sewer utility;

(E)    Size of the parcel;

(F)    Type of permit for which application is being made; for example, new installation, repair, expansion, alteration, or operational;

(G)    Source of sewage; for example, residential, restaurant, or other type of business;

(H)    Location of utilities;

(I)    Name of the site evaluator;

(J)    Name of the designer, signature and stamp;

(K)    Date of application; and

(L)    Name and signature of the fee simple owner, the contract purchaser of the property or the owner’s authorized agent.

(ii)    An approved soil and site evaluation as specified under Section 24.17.130.

(iii)    A dimensional site plan of the proposed initial system, the reserve area and those areas immediately adjacent that contain characteristics that may impact design:

(A)    Designated areas for the proposed initial system and the reserve area;

(B)    The location of all soil logs and other soil tests for the OSS;

(C)    General topography and/or slope;

(D)    Drainage characteristics;

(E)    The location of existing and proposed encumbrances affecting system placement, including legal access documents if any component of the OSS is not on the lot where the sewage is generated; and

(F)    An arrow indicating north.

(iv)    A detailed system design meeting the requirements under Section 24.17.140, including:

(A)    A drawing showing the dimensional location of components of the proposed OSS and the system designed for the reserve area if reserve site characteristics differ significantly from the initial area;

(B)    Vertical cross-section drawings showing:

(I)    The depth of the disposal component, the vertical separation, and depth of soil cover; and

(II)    Other OSS components constructed at the site;

(C)    Calculations and assumptions supporting the proposed design, including:

(I)    System operating capacity and design flow;

(II)    Soil type; and

(III)    Hydraulic loading rate in the disposal component; and

(IV)    Any additional information as deemed necessary by the local health officer.

(2)    Existing On-Site Sewage Systems.

(a)    An OSS permit must be obtained from CCPH prior to making any modification to an existing OSS other than those listed as follows:

(i)    A permit is not required for replacement, addition, or modification of broken or malfunctioning building sewers, or minor repair of: piping or conveyance, non-soil dispersal piping, and jetting of soil dispersal and treatment lines, risers and riser lids, sewage tank lids, sewage tank baffles, effluent filters, sewage tank pumps, pump control floats, and OSS inspection boxes and ports where a sewage tank, treatment component, or soil dispersal component does not need to be replaced. Health officer will not require a permit for minor repairs of dispersal components that will be guided by written policy.

(b)    Expansion or modification or repair permits require the following:

(i)    For repair permits, a description of the OSS failure.

(ii)    A valid soil and site evaluation as defined in Section 24.17.130;

(iii)    A design review as defined in Section 24.17.140; and

(iv)    A completed permit application as defined in subsection (1) of this section.

(c)    Temporary use hardship permits may be issued to allow an existing residence’s OSS to be temporarily connected to a residential mobile home located on the same property when the use of the second unit: (i) qualifies as a temporary use hardship dwelling per Sections 40.240.210 and 40.260.210 and (ii) can be accommodated based on the intended use. The applicant must:

(i)    Submit a signed and notarized temporary dwelling applicant’s affidavit/temporary hardship connection affidavit, obtainable at Clark County permit centers or CCPH.

(ii)    Submit a permit application to CCPH. Staff will evaluate the existing OSS’s capacity to serve the total number of combined occupants (using sixty (60) gallons per person) through a record review and site visit. The OSS serving the first home must be a conforming system for that home and must be in compliance with O&M inspection requirements.

(iii)    An approval granted under this subsection is valid for two (2) years from the date of issuance, but renewal is allowable.

(3)    Within thirty (30) days of submission of a complete permit application, as required in Chapter 246-272A WAC and RCW 70.05.074, CCPH will respond with a letter of approval or denial or a statement that the application is pending further action or information from the customer.

(a)    Denial or Revocation. The health officer may revoke or deny a permit for just cause. Examples include, but are not limited to:

(i)    Construction or continued use of an OSS that threatens the public health;

(ii)    Misrepresentation or concealment of material fact in information submitted to the health officer; or

(iii)    Failure to meet conditions of the permit or the regulations.

(b)    The health officer may include additional requirements for a particular permit if necessary for public health protection.

(4)    After the permit is issued, any substantial alteration of the approved design, as defined by CCPH OSS policies and procedures, shall be approved by the health officer in writing prior to the OSS installation.

(5)    New construction, modification or expansion permits are valid for a period of five (5) years from the date of issuance and may be renewed one (1) time for a period up to but not to exceed their original duration, provided other requirements of this chapter are satisfied per a desk and/or field review by CCPH. Repair permits are valid for a period of one (1) year from the date of issuance.

(6)    Decisions made under this chapter are appealable pursuant to the process provided in Sections 32.08.040 and 32.08.050, except if in conjunction with denial of a building or other development permit, in which case appeals will be processed under Title 40. (Sec. 11 of Ord. 2007-10-01; amended by Sec. 7 of Ord. 2021-11-05)