Septic rules in Palm Beach County
In Palm Beach County a septic plan has to be approved by the health department before a building permit can be issued. Plans for septic systems, private wells and limited-use wells all go through Environmental Public Health at the Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County, main number 561-840-4500. The page's septic forms link leads out to DEP's onsite sewage page. It lists no street address or septic fee, so the main number is where to ask the price.
West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Boynton Beach and the county's other places over 10,000 people number 834,074 residents together, fewer than the county holds. Palm Beach County Water Utilities serves 671,114 people from ground water and the West Palm Beach plant 132,000 from surface water, per EPA, whose list doesn't mark septic homes. At the end of the job, field offices forward the final inspection approval, and the building department records it in its computer before a certificate of occupancy is issued.
The county's rules, line by line
- Who permits septic systems
- Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County, Environmental Public Health, main number 561-840-4500. The page lists no street address.
- Inspection at sale
- The county says it has no such rule. Section 381.0065(4)(v) of the Florida Statutes says no government may mandate a septic inspection at the point of sale, and the permit transfers with the title.
- Permit steps
- Plans are reviewed by the Environmental Public Health office and must be approved before a building permit can be issued; field offices forward final inspection approvals, which are recorded in the building department's computer before a certificate of occupancy.
- Still to confirm with the county
- The Palm Beach page prints no septic fee.
Rules and fees change every year, so confirm a line with the health department before you rely on it. "No rule found" means the pages and code we have say nothing on that line, which isn't the same as the county telling you there's no rule. To compare counties, use the county rules lookup.
What septic work costs
These are statewide Florida estimates from our model, so they aren't Palm Beach County prices; where the county posts its own permit fees, they are on this page.
| Job | Estimated range | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Septic pumping | $230 to $730 | per visit |
| Septic inspection | $115 to $470 | per inspection |
| Drain field | $675 to $4,550 | per repair |
These are estimates, not quotes. How we estimate costs.