Santa Cruz · Santa Cruz County · California

Septic in Santa Cruz, CA

Santa Cruz is in Santa Cruz County, and that page sets out the county's septic rules for any address that isn't on public sewer. California lets a city, a county or a special district act as the local agency for septic systems, so if you're unsure who issues your permit, ask the city first and the county second.

Residents: 60,953
Homes built before 1980: 66.3%
Median home value: $1,180,100

The resident, housing-age and home-value figures come from the Census Bureau's ACS 2023 five-year estimates (B01003, B25034, B25077).

Written by SepticMatch's editorial teamLast reviewed Oct 23, 2026

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Santa Cruz County sets the septic rules

The city doesn't issue septic permits or set the sale-inspection and installer rules, because the county health department handles all three. Since 2023-07-01, Santa Cruz County sellers must have the septic system pumped and inspected..

Who permits septic systems: Santa Cruz County Environmental Health (scceh.com) administers the LAMP and onsite wastewater permits.
Inspection at sale: Required

See the Santa Cruz County septic rules

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