Who inspects a septic system in Florida, and is an inspection required?

Private providers and what they have to file

Since July 1, 2022 an owner, or a contractor with the owner's written authorization, may hire a private provider to inspect a system. The provider has to be a certified environmental health professional, a master septic tank contractor, a professional engineer who passed all parts of DEP's Accelerated Certification Training, or an employee supervised by such an engineer.

The rule amended on July 9, 2025 requires Form DEP 4015A before the first inspection, results within 7 calendar days and photographs. DEP charges $35 to review each report that results in a construction approval.

A septic inspection in Florida: our range and the county fees beside it

The model's routine inspection range is $115 to $470 per inspection, an estimate, not a quote. It's one national range, widened 15 percent each side and scaled by the Florida servicer wage ratio of 0.91, and no Florida company inspection price was there to count.

Fees charged by the state or a county are outside that range. DEP's fee rule lists $50 for an existing system and repair evaluation, and Seminole County's 2025-2026 schedule lists $100 for an existing system evaluation when the system was inspected within 3 years and $135 otherwise.

Estimated range. Built from national published ranges (1 source), adjusted by Florida's septic tank servicer wage ratio to the US (0.91, BLS May 2025). Not a quote. Two Florida septic companies publish a price we could count on their own websites; where five or more price the same job, the range is the middle half of their prices, and where two to four do, the estimate is widened to take them in. Coupons, specials and figures a page gives as an average are not counted. We have no counted Florida company price for this job, so the range is our national estimate alone. Full method. Prices as of Oct 24, 2026.

Counties with a five-year evaluation

Section 381.00651 let a county or municipality containing a first magnitude spring adopt, by January 1, 2013, an ordinance for evaluating each system once every 5 years, unless it opted out by a 60 percent vote or was grandfathered. A registered septic tank or master contractor, a licensed engineer or a certified environmental health professional does the tank and drainfield evaluation.

Such an ordinance can't require repair unless a failure is found, exempts systems with operating permits and residential lots of one bedroom per acre or greater, and may not call for an evaluation at the point of sale.

The aerobic unit's twice-a-year visit

Rule 62-6.012 has the maintenance entity inspect each aerobic unit at least two times each year, four times for units serving commercial establishments, and report to the department. Lee County adds that its health department inspects an aerobic unit at least once a year, and Sarasota County's reviews records and inspects on site each year.

Signs that call for a visit this week

Before an inspector comes out

1. Ask the county health department which permit is on file for the address and when the system was installed.
2. For an aerobic unit, find the maintenance contract and the last two service reports.
3. Ask whether the inspector qualifies as a private provider under DEP's list and will file Form DEP 4015A.
4. Ask whether the price includes pumping the tank.

The permits behind an inspection

An aerobic unit needs an operating permit before it's used, valid 2 years, and a system serving a commercial establishment needs one valid 1 year. For a conventional system, the permit worth asking about is the one already on file for the address.

Questions people ask

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Related services

• Real estate inspection
• Septic pumping
• Drain field

Florida licensing, code and permit facts · Report a wrong price or rule