Official sources checked August 30, 2026
El Paso County, Colorado septic permits and requirements
Permitting authority
El Paso County Public Health — Water Quality / Onsite Wastewater Treatment System Program
El Paso County Public Health regulates and inspects OWTS in the county. Water Quality / OWTS questions: 719-578-3199, option 3. The county provides online permit submission, records access, installer licensing, and inspection resources.
Colorado state and local framework
Colorado Regulation 43 establishes statewide minimum standards for onsite wastewater treatment systems. Colorado law also requires local boards of health to adopt detailed OWTS rules for their jurisdictions consistent with state requirements, so the county or local public-health agency is the key permitting authority for ordinary residential systems and may impose locally adopted procedures or requirements.
County Public Health is the permitting and inspection authority
El Paso County Public Health states that it inspects and regulates onsite wastewater treatment systems serving residential and commercial facilities that are not connected to municipal wastewater service. Its program reviews placement, design, installation, and maintenance rather than treating septic approval as only a building-department matter.
Permit applications must be submitted by a county-licensed installer
El Paso County states that, effective January 1, 2024, OWTS permit applications must be submitted by a licensed OWTS installer. The county maintains its own current installer list and licensing program, so an owner should verify local credentials before assuming a contractor is eligible to submit the permit.
Certain Highway 24 West sites have an extra profile-pit requirement
For sites along the Highway 24 West corridor, El Paso County states that profile pits must remain open for county site inspection before an OWTS permit is issued. This is a county-specific field-review requirement that can affect scheduling and should be coordinated before the pits are closed or disturbed.
Engineered systems have tighter installer limits
The county distinguishes installer license tiers and states that homeowners may not install systems that require engineering. Tier 2 licensed system contractors may install conventional or engineer-designed OWTS, so the approved design determines who may perform the work.
2026 rules add requirements for some advanced or remediated systems
El Paso County’s 2026 program update states that remediation technologies require an EPCPH permit and certified inspections every three months for one year unless otherwise specified. The update also adds design and material documentation requirements for higher-level treatment and certain mound or sand-filter systems.
County septic records are available online when records exist
El Paso County provides OWTS records through the county Assessor property-search system. The county cautions that not every parcel has complete records on file and provides a septic-information contact for records that cannot be located online.
Official sources
- Colorado Secretary of State — Regulation 43, On-site Wastewater Treatment System Regulation
- Colorado Revised Statutes Title 25 — local boards of health and OWTS rules
- El Paso County Public Health — Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems
- El Paso County Public Health — OWTS Permits
- El Paso County Public Health — Licensed Installers
- El Paso County Public Health — 2026 OWTS Program Updates
SepticScope summarizes public-agency information for planning purposes. The permitting agency's current instructions control if they differ from this guide.