Fayette County, Kentucky septic permits and requirements

Permitting authority

Lexington-Fayette County Health Department — Environmental Health / Onsite Sewage Program

Lexington-Fayette County Health Department Environmental Health administers the local onsite sewage program. The department lists 650 Newtown Pike, Lexington, KY 40508; Environmental Health questions at 859-231-9791; [email protected]; and current onsite-program hours of Tuesday and Thursday, 8:00-9:30 a.m. Confirm current hours before traveling.

Fayette County requires the local health department permit

Lexington-Fayette County Health Department states that all individual sewage disposal systems installed in Fayette County must be permitted through the health department. Kentucky 902 KAR 10:110 likewise requires a local-health-department onsite sewage permit before a regulated system is constructed, installed, or altered.

Start with the lot and soil evaluation

When a lot-approval application is received, Lexington-Fayette County Health Department says an environmentalist performs a site evaluation to determine whether the property is suitable and where the sewage system can be located. The department says that evaluation also determines the design, type, and size of the system, so an online sizing rule should not be treated as the permitted design.

Existing-system evaluations are available for property transactions

The local onsite-sewage program says it also performs lot evaluations on properties that are for sale to check the functioning of existing onsite sewage systems. Owners and buyers should contact Environmental Health for the current request process and any access or documentation requirements before relying on an older system record.

Installation still follows Kentucky statewide permit rules

Kentucky 902 KAR 10:110 generally issues construction permits to certified installers, while a qualifying homeowner may receive a homeowner permit when the regulation’s conditions are met. Kentucky CHFS says local health department inspectors perform site evaluations and inspections and that certified Kentucky installers must install systems based on the site evaluation.

Report onsite sewage problems to the local program

Lexington-Fayette County Health Department says its onsite sewage program investigates public complaints concerning onsite sewage problems. Use the current Environmental Health contact information for a Fayette County sewage complaint or project-specific question.

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.