Whatcom County, Washington septic permits and requirements

Permitting authority

Whatcom County Health and Community Services — Onsite Sewage Program

Health and Community Services: 360-778-6000; 509 Girard Street, Bellingham, WA 98225.

Washington local-health-jurisdiction framework

Washington State Department of Health assigns property-level onsite sewage permitting and management to local health jurisdictions. County or district rules and procedures can be more specific than the statewide minimums.

Permit required for most septic construction or changes

Whatcom County states that an OSS permit is required when constructing, repairing, replacing, modifying, connecting to, or expanding a septic system. Limited component maintenance, such as replacing certain lids, risers, floats, or a septic pump, is listed separately as work that does not require an OSS permit.

Licensed designer or engineer

County rules require the OSS to be designed by a licensed onsite sewage designer or registered professional engineer. The designer or engineer submits the design and permit application for county review and site inspection.

Current permit term is four years

Current Whatcom County Code 24.05 states that an OSS permit expires four years from the issue date and may be renewed for one additional year with health-officer approval. This supersedes older county permit-process material that described a three-year construction-permit term.

County-licensed installer, with a narrow homeowner exemption

Whatcom County requires OSS installation by a county-licensed installer. An owner who will live in the home served by the system may request an exemption from installer-certification requirements; the exemption is reviewed by the county and is not automatic.

Ongoing inspection and maintenance obligations

Current county rules make the owner responsible for operating and maintaining the OSS, obtaining approval before repairing, altering, or expanding it, and completing periodic inspections. Unless the local health officer requires more frequent inspection, systems consisting only of a sewage tank and gravity soil-dispersal component must be inspected at least once every three years; other OSS must be inspected annually.

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Report outdated county information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.