San Bernardino County, California septic permits and requirements

Permitting authority

San Bernardino County Land Use Services — Building and Safety, with Department of Public Health Environmental Health Services (EHS) wastewater review

Land Use Services Building and Safety: 909-387-8311. Environmental Health Services: 800-442-2283.

California OWTS framework

California uses a statewide risk-based OWTS policy while recognizing local permitting agencies and Regional Water Boards. Counties with approved Local Agency Management Programs can implement locally tailored siting and design standards, so the county procedure and current LAMP should be checked for the parcel.

Building permit required for new or replacement OWTS

San Bernardino County’s Building and Safety OWTS procedure requires a Land Use Services building permit before installation of a new sewage-disposal system or replacement of an existing system. For single-family residences, Building and Safety reviews and permits septic tanks, leach lines, infiltrators, and seepage pits.

Percolation report drives the design rate

County guidance requires septic tanks, leach lines, infiltrators, seepage pits, and supplemental-treatment applications to use a design rate from an approved percolation report. Environmental Health Services provides the percolation-report submittal requirements.

Qualified designers, installers, and percolation professionals

San Bernardino County identifies registered civil engineers, certified engineering geologists, registered environmental health specialists, registered geologists, geotechnical engineers, and certain licensed contractors as qualified OWTS designers. New and replacement systems must be installed by a licensed Class A, C-36, or C-42 contractor. Percolation tests must be performed by one of the county-listed qualified professional categories.

Detailed plot plan and reserve area

The county requires an onsite-wastewater plot plan showing the tank and dispersal system, buildings, bedrooms, property lines, wells and water lines, groundwater, drainage and surface-water features, required setbacks, and the 100% expansion area.

Published setback table

The county’s OWTS bulletin publishes minimum separation distances. Examples include 5 feet from a septic tank to a building or adjoining private-property line; 8 feet from a disposal field to a building; and larger separations from wells and surface waters. Site-specific notes and exceptions in the county table control, so the complete current bulletin should be used for design.

Alternative or supplemental treatment when conventional criteria cannot be met

If a proposed system cannot meet the county LAMP requirements, San Bernardino County states that a Supplemental Treatment System and/or Alternative Dispersal System determined by Environmental Health Services may be required.

Online permitting and inspections

The county EZ Online Permitting portal supports applications, plan/document submission, status tracking, and fee payment. Alternative-treatment projects and commercial projects where sewer is unavailable can also require Environmental Health plan review and inspection before final approval.

Official sources

SepticScope summarizes public-agency information for planning purposes. The permitting agency's current instructions control if they differ from this guide.

Report outdated county information

Septic rules, forms and agency pages can change. If you find a broken official link or a county requirement that has changed, send SepticScope feedback and include the current local government source.