Septic rules in Pinellas County
The Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County handles septic permits and inspections, and its general line is 727-824-6900. Its septic page puts the dividing line plainly: if you live outside the 16 counties the page names, your local county health department still handles permitting and inspections. Fees can be paid in person, by mail or through MyFloridaEHPermit.com. That page doesn't show a street address, a septic-specific contact or a fee amount, so the general line is the place to start.
St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Largo and the other places of more than 10,000 people in Pinellas, 15 in all, account for 779,369 residents, an undercount of the county. Pinellas County Utilities serves 506,353 people with purchased surface water and Clearwater's own system 115,000 on ground water, in EPA's inventory, which has no septic column.
The county's rules, line by line
- Who permits septic systems
- Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County: 727-824-6900. The page prints no street address or OSTDS-specific contact.
- Inspection at sale
- The county says it has no such rule. Florida's statute decides this, not a county rule: under s. 381.0065(4)(v), F.S., an inspection may not be mandated by a governmental entity when a property is sold.
- Permit steps
- Fees are payable in person, by mail or on the online bill-pay site (MyFloridaEHPermit.com).
- Still to confirm with the county
- The department's page says how to pay but prints no amounts.
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 Pinellas 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.