Septic Permits and Rules in Houston County and the Wiregrass

Building on a rural lot outside Dothan, replacing a failed drain field, or buying a home on septic? This page explains who issues septic permits in Houston County and the neighboring Wiregrass counties and how the process works. It is general information from public health department and state sources, not legal advice; rules and fees change, so confirm with the health department. When you are ready for a licensed provider, call (334) 697-4929. Dothan Septic Pros is a referral service operated by Recover Profits Now; we do not pull permits or do septic work.

Two agencies, two jobs

In Alabama, the county health departments, part of the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH), permit onsite sewage systems. The Alabama Onsite Wastewater Board (AOWB) licenses the people who do the work: pumpers, installers, portable restroom operators and tank manufacturers. State rules say anyone who installs, repairs, maintains or certifies a system must be AOWB licensed or legally exempt. Installer licenses come in levels: Basic for conventional systems, Advanced Level I adding mound systems, and Advanced Level II for large systems over 1,800 gallons per day. The board has an online roster search where you can check a license.

Which county office handles your property

The county line, not your mailing address, decides the office. Dothan is mostly in Houston County, but small parts reach into Dale and Henry counties.

Details are from each department's contact page; call ahead to confirm hours and what to bring.

The permit process in Houston County

The Houston County Health Department describes these steps for a new system or a repair:

1. Hire a soils professional. The owner or the owner's agent hires a registered engineer, land surveyor, professional soils classifier or geologist to test the soil.
2. Engineer when required. A registered engineer must do the work for designed systems: where the soil will not absorb water well, where seasonal saturation is too shallow for a conventional system, or for large systems.
3. Put the application together. The Permit to Install application includes the professional's soils information, a legal description of the property, a plot plan, a vicinity map and, in some cases, a construction plan.
4. Submit with the fee. The owner or agent submits the application and the required fee. The county page does not publish the fee amount, so ask.
5. Review and permit. The health department reviews the application and soil results and, if approved, issues the permit to the owner.
6. Call before installation. The health department asks to be contacted before installation begins.

A licensed installer often coordinates the soils work and paperwork; ask who handles each step.

Rules that catch Wiregrass landowners

• Splitting off a lot. Many homes here are built on a few acres cut from family farmland. State rules require a new permit application to the local health department before a lot is divided into a smaller parcel. Talk to the health department before the survey, not after.
• Repairs need permits too. Routine pumping usually does not, but replacing a drain field, a tank or major lines does.
• Risers and lids. Current state tank rules call for watertight risers at least 18 inches across over the inlet and outlet, and traffic-rated lids where vehicles cross the tank. Many older tanks predate these rules.

Why the soil test decides so much here

The Dothan soil series is named for this area; USDA established it in Houston County in 1965 and wrote its official description from a field at the Wiregrass Agricultural Experiment Station in Henry County. These soils are very deep and well drained near the surface, but plinthite starts roughly 24 to 60 inches down, and water moves more slowly through it. Fuquay soils, also found here, have 20 to 40 inches of sand on top and a seasonal high water table USDA puts around 40 to 60 inches or deeper in late winter. Where the slow layer or seasonal saturation sits close to the surface, the answer may be an engineered, pump-dosed or mound system, which changes the cost and the installer license level needed.

City sewer instead of septic

Inside Dothan, much of the city is served by Dothan Utilities, which reports more than 500 miles of sewer pipe, more than 50 pumping stations and three treatment plants serving over 29,000 customer buildings. Sewer connections and billing go through Dothan Utilities' collections office at City Hall on North Saint Andrews Street. If you are not sure whether sewer reaches your street, or what connecting would involve, ask Dothan Utilities directly.

Next steps

Restaurants on city sewer fall under the City of Dothan's grease program; see grease trap pumping. Planning a new system? Read our septic installation page. Facing a repair? See septic and drain field repair. To reach an independent, licensed local provider who knows the county process, call (334) 697-4929.