Ozaukee County, Wisconsin septic permits and requirements

Permitting authority

Ozaukee County Land & Water Management Department — Sanitation program

Ozaukee County Land & Water Management Department, 121 W. Main St., Room 223, Port Washington, WI 53074; phone 262-284-8313. Sanitation & Zoning Coordinator phone 262-284-8316.

Wisconsin POWTS framework

Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services identifies counties as having the primary responsibility to inspect Private Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems, except for state-owned projects. DSPS also provides the statewide sanitary permit application, soil/site evaluation forms, inspection forms, and POWTS plan-review resources used with local county administration.

Use current county and state approvals together

County sanitary permits are part of Wisconsin's POWTS regulatory system. Depending on system type and project scope, state plan approval or other review may be required in addition to the county permit. The county page below identifies the local filing path and should be checked before construction or alteration.

Countywide sanitation program for unsewered development

Ozaukee County states that the Land & Water Management Department administers the county Sanitation and Health Ordinance and that sanitary regulations apply to unsewered development within the county.

Permit before installation

The current county sanitation ordinance requires a sanitary permit application to the Land & Water Management Department before installation of a POWTS and before issuance of a building or zoning permit tied to that installation.

Detailed application materials

Ozaukee County ordinance requires state-approved permit forms and supporting property/site information. The ordinance calls for a site drawing showing the proposed POWTS and relevant improvements/utilities, soil evaluation information, the responsible licensed plumber information, approved plans where required, and operation/maintenance documentation for applicable systems.

Repair, replacement, and abandonment permits

The county ordinance separately addresses repair sanitary permits, replacement sanitary permits, and abandonment permits, so owners should not assume work on an existing system can proceed under the original permit.

Septic records and maintenance tools

Ozaukee County provides an online septic maintenance program where owners can check service status and obtain scanned sanitary-file records when available, plus septic mapping and current county application resources.

Official sources

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