Deschutes County, Oregon septic permits and requirements

Permitting authority

Deschutes County Community Development Department — Environmental Soils / Onsite Wastewater Program

Deschutes County Community Development Department — 541-388-6575; 117 NW Lafayette Street, Bend, OR 97703. Onsite applications are available through Oregon ePermitting.

Oregon county-agent framework

Oregon DEQ states that it may authorize counties as its agents for onsite septic permitting under OAR 340-071-0120. County agents can receive and process applications, issue permits, enforce onsite requirements, and perform required inspections. Property-specific local instructions should be followed because application and land-use procedures vary by county.

Site evaluation before septic or building permits

Deschutes County states that a site evaluation is required before onsite wastewater or building permits can be issued for an existing lot, unless a valid evaluation already exists and remains usable. The evaluation determines whether the property can adequately treat wastewater and identifies the approved initial and replacement disposal areas and system type.

County test-pit requirements

The county requires the applicant to prepare test pits before the evaluation. Its published procedure calls for at least two test pits, encourages additional pits where needed to demonstrate suitable soil, and describes the dimensions and safe-access configuration required for county soil inspection.

Detailed onsite permit plan

Deschutes County’s onsite permit guidance requires a scaled plot plan showing property dimensions, slopes, test-hole locations, septic components, initial and reserve drainfield areas, and distances to features such as waterways, wells, water lines, structures, utilities, property lines, easements, cuts, fills, and escarpments.

Southern Deschutes County can have additional standards

The county specifically advises applicants to check with the field sanitarian for area-specific requirements and states that special standards apply in southern Deschutes County to new construction, major alterations, and major repairs. Property-specific review is therefore important before relying on a generic system design.

Official sources

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