- On this page:
- Tips for Maintaining Your Septic System
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Financial Resources
- Septic System Permit Search
Ten Tips for Maintaining Your Septic System
- Pump your septic tank every two to five years, depending how heavily the system is used.
- Insist that the pumper clean your septic tank through the manhole in the center of the top of your septic tank, rather than the inspection ports above the inlet and outlet baffles.
- If you use a garbage grinder (a.k.a. "dispose-all"), pump your tank every year.
- Garbage grinder use leads to buildups of grease from meat scraps and bones, and insoluble vegetable solids such as cellulose.
- Keep kitchen grease, such as bacon fat and deep fryer oil, out of your septic system.
- It can clog your drain field and cannot be dissolved by any readily available solvent that is legal to introduce to groundwater.
- Install low-usage water fixtures.
- Low water usage showerheads (2.5 gal/minute), toilets (1.6 gallons), dishwashers (5.3 gallons) and washing machines (14 gallons) can reduce the amount of water entering an average septic system by 20,000 gallons per year!
- Space out laundry loads over the course of the week and wash only full loads.
- The average load of laundry uses 47 gallons of water. One load per day rather than 7 loads on a single day makes a big difference to your septic system.
- Choose your laundry detergent wisely.
- Some powdered laundry detergents use clay as a "carrier." This clay can hasten the buildup of solids in the septic tank and potentially plug the disposal area.
- Install a septic tank outlet filter in your tank.
- These sell for $100 to $200 and can catch small floating particles and lightweight solids, such as hair or suspended grease, before they can make it out to the disposal area and cause trouble.
- Minimize the amount of household cleaners (bleach, harsh detergents) and similar potentially toxic substances entering the septic system.
- Note: some substances are not allowed to be introduced into septic systems or groundwater tables. If in doubt, contact your Local Plumbing Inspector or the Subsurface Wastewater Unit for more information.
- Do not use disinfecting automatic toilet bowl cleaners, such as those containing bleach or acid compounds.
- The continuous slow release of these chemicals into the septic system kills the micro-organisms which treat your wastewater.
- Do not put special additives into your septic system.
- While some of these products will remove solids from your tank, they will ultimately end up in the disposal field, where they can seal off the disposal area and cause the system to malfunction.
- It is not necessary to "seed" a new system with yeast, horse manure, and so forth. While these products will not harm your system, normal human waste contains enough bacteria for the septic tank, and other microbes are already present in the soil and stones of the disposal area.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: How do I find a copy of my septic system's design?
A: Visit the Town Office and request a copy of the HHE-200 Form (design and permit application) for your property. With very few exceptions it is the Town's responsibility to maintain these records; most include septic designs in complete files kept for every property.
Available records only cover systems installed after the July 1974 effective date of the Subsurface Wastewater Disposal Rules. Few records exist for those systems installed prior to July 1974.
If the Town does not have a copy on file, a search through our online database might produce the design you're seeking, though we cannot guarantee the availability of all septic designs in Maine through our database. The Subsurface Wastewater Program can provide only those records that are supplied by participating Towns.Q: How do I know if I need a soil test?
A: The general rule of thumb is that a soil test (site evaluation) is needed any time sewage, wastewater, or human waste is being placed beneath the ground in a location where there was none before.
This includes all first-time development, all replacement systems, and expansions of existing systems. This also includes pit privies, greywater disposal areas, and full septic systems.
Q: How do I know if I need a septic system permit?
- A: If you need a site evaluation, you will also need a permit to install the system for which the evaluation was done. If you aren't sure, contact your Local Plumbing Inspector or the State Site Evaluator.
Q: The design my Site Evaluator gave me will be expensive to install. Can I install a holding tank instead?
- A: Holding tanks are typically an option of last resort, because they do not solve the problem of wastewater treatment, they just relocate the problem. If a bona-fide system can be installed on a property, holding tanks are not allowed.
While the initial installation cost of a holding tank may be lower, pumping costs over the long term can be prohibitive (especially for year-round use). In fact, a holding tank cannot be used for any first-time residential development unless the Municipality has adopted a Model Holding Tank Ordinance from the Subsurface Wastewater Disposal Rules, which makes the Municipality responsible for maintaining the holding tank.
- Q: I bought my undeveloped lot many years ago, and it recently failed a site evaluation. Is my lot "grandfathered" for a septic system because of the length of time I have owned it?
A: No. Your lot is only grandfathered for the level of development it had when the relevant standards were adopted. In this instance, the Subsurface Wastewater Disposal Rules were adopted in July of 1974. From that date forward, any first-time sewage disposal systems to be installed must meet the minimum site suitability requirements of the Rules.
- Q: If my undeveloped lot fails a site evaluation, is there some form of advanced treatment unit that I can installinstead of a conventional system?
A: The Subsurface Wastewater Team has adopted a policy under which sites that fail to meet minimum soil suitability criteria might be able to be developed, contingent upon review of the property by a licensed Site Evaluator. This entails use of micro-filtration or reverse osmosis treatment systems.
- Q: If my undeveloped waterfront lot fails a site evaluation, can I install fill soils to create a suitable site?
A: No. A first-time system must be built on suitable native soils that are at least 9-inches deep outside of the shoreland zone, and 15-inches deep inside of the shoreland zone.
Fill soils may be considered equivalent to native soils if the owner can prove that the soils outside of the shoreland zone are 20 years old, and soils inside the shoreland zone are 40 years old. This gives the fill soil time to settle and develop drainage and chemical characteristics similar to native soils.
- Q: My existing septic system has failed. What should I do?
A: The first thing to do is pump out your septic tank to eliminate wastewater flow to the malfunctioning disposal area, and to keep it pumped out until the system is replaced.
You must also contact a licensed Site Evaluator to design a replacement system. She or he will provide you with the necessary design to apply for a plumbing permit from the Local Plumbing Inspector to install the system.
- Q: My existing septic system has failed. What happens if my lot does not pass a site evaluation?
The Subsurface Wastewater Disposal Rules take into account that developed properties may have difficulties meeting the minimum standards of the Rules. Therefore, the Rules have provisions for issuing replacement system variances which will accommodate the existing development on the property, so that use of the property may continue.
- Q: I cannot afford the cost of installing a replacement system. Is there help available?
A: Check out our list of potential financial resources below.
For more information or additional questions, contact the Subsurface Wastewater Team at (207) 287-2070.
Financial Resources
The Subsurface Wastewater Unit often receives inquiries regarding funding for septic system installation or repair. Aside from lending institutions, there are limited sources of funding, but you may wish inquire with the following:
- The Maine Department of Environmental Protection (Maine DEP) :1-800-452-1942.
- Maine DEP offers several community-based loans and grants. Most notably, the Small Community Grant Program is available to towns seeking to replace malfunctioning septic systems that are polluting a waterbody or causing a public nuisance. This program is administered by the municipalities, so property owners should contact their local Code Enforcement Officer.
- The Maine State Housing Authority (MSHA): 1-800-452-4668.
- MSHA offers a home repair program for low-income households.
- The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development:
- Your municipality:
- According to Maine statute (30-A MRS, ss 3428(4)(B)), in extreme circumstances a municipality may install a system on a privately-owned site and recover the costs through a special tax assessment or civil complaint.
- The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):
- The US EPA also maintains a directory of potential funding sources, including a list of federal funding Sources.
Septic System Permit Search
This free service allows citizens to search for the septic plans (HHE-200 and HHE-200A subsurface wastewater disposal system applications) for a given address.
Instructions for Using the SSWW Permit Application Search Tool
View or download (PDF) an illustrated copy of these instructions.
Open the Permit Search Tool
SEARCH: Using the drop-down arrows at the far right of your screen, identify your search parameters.
- Type of Permit application (HHE-200, disposal systems and/or components, or HHE-200A, replacement septic tanks).
- Town (or city) in which the property is located.
- Year Range – Unless you are certain of the exact year the system or tank was installed, try searching a multi-year range (for example, 2010-2015).
- For permits issued in 2019 or after, additional parameters such as Street Name and Owner's Name* might be helpful. (*Specifically, the property owner when the permit was issued.)
Click on the Search button.
RESULTS: A list of all permit applications issued by the Town of your choosing, within the date range you identified, will appear.
- For permits issued before 2019, we recommend sorting by Filename. In this single column, the street address, the property owner, and the Town’s map-and-lot numbers are identified.
- For permits issued in 2019 and after, sorting by Filename is not recommended. These applications are indexed by their data column headings (Owner's Name, Street Name, etc.).
- Click on any column heading to sort (Ascending: sort parameters A-Z, or Descending: Z-A).
- You may want to re-order the columns. Click and drag on a heading to move that column to the left or right.
Double-Click anywhere on a line-item to open or download a PDF of the permit application.
SSWW Permit Application Search Instructions: View or download (PDF).
Permit Search Guide: Useful tips for a successful result. View or download (PDF)
Please Note: When searching for records of septic designs, please be aware that our records are not complete; we only have documentation that is provided by the Towns, so, contacting the issuing municipal office might offer better success. Towns have a responsibility to maintain these records as well, and so most include septic designs in files kept for every property (tax files, in some towns).
Additionally, please allow the DWP time to review and upload recent permits. Some Town offices submit their permits on an irregular schedule, so, there might be a delay in document availability.
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to subsurface.wastewater@maine.gov or the relevant municipal office.