A septic system rarely quits all at once. It slows, it gurgles, it smells after a rain, and then one morning the lowest drain in the house fills with something it shouldn't. If you're in Huntsville, Madison, Athens, Arab or the country between, this page covers what Alabama counts as a failed system, which fixes need a permit, and how a repair gets done properly.
Signs the system is in trouble
The EPA lists these as the common warning signs:
- Toilets, sinks or tubs backing up, or draining slowly.
- Gurgling in the plumbing.
- Standing water or damp spots over the tank or drain field.
- Sewage odor around the tank or field.
- A strip of bright green, spongy grass over the field, even in dry weather.
EPA also points out that an odor's cause can't be diagnosed from a distance; someone has to look. Under Alabama's rules, a system has failed when effluent surfaces or ponds around any part of it (when not designed to), when sewage backs up into the house because of the system, or when it contaminates ground or surface water.
If sewage is already in the house
Stop running water, keep people and pets out, and avoid touching it. EPA's guidance is to wear protective clothing for cleanup, disinfect affected surfaces and tools with a 10% bleach solution, and keep the area out of use until it's been dry for at least 24 hours. Then call to get a contractor out.
Tell us the town and the trouble, and we will put you through to a licensed septic contractor. (256) 692-6131
Maintenance, repair, or replacement: it matters which
Alabama's rules sort septic work into three buckets, and the bucket decides whether the county health department gets involved.
| Type | What it covers | Permit? |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | Pumping, cleaning or replacing the filter, replacing a pump or other electrical or mechanical part, replacing solid (non-perforated) lines, fixing a lid, baffle, inlet or outlet | No repair permit needed |
| Repair | Fixing a failing part of the system when the household's flow and waste strength haven't changed | Permit to Repair from the county health department |
| Relocation / replacement | A new system or new field, needed when flow or waste strength has changed or the old one can't be fixed | Treated as a new system, with full site evaluation |
How a repair permit works
ADPH's repair procedures depend on whether the county has an Approval for Use on file for your system:
- Approval for Use on file: a licensed installer can replace a tank or solid lines under a verbal permit from the health department, calling in the tank number on the day of the work. Repairs to the field lines themselves need a soil professional to size the repair, an application (form CEP-2) with any fee, and a Permit to Repair.
- No Approval for Use on file: the health department needs a signed application before it issues the Permit to Repair, and a field repair needs a site evaluation by an engineer, land surveyor, soil classifier or geologist, just as a new system would.
- Waiver: the owner (with a notarized signature) and the installer can sign a waiver of the repair permit. The work then isn't inspected and no Approval for Use is issued, but it still has to meet the state rules, and the installer still files a completion form.
When a verbal go-ahead is given for a conventional system, the written application has to follow within 10 days. Repaired systems get the same inspection as a new install.
When repair isn't an option
If a failed system can't be repaired under the rules and public sewer is available within 500 feet, the state rules require hooking up to the sewer, subject to approval from the officials who run it. Where there's no sewer close, a failed field may mean a relocated field, which brings in the full permit process and, on hard sites, an engineer. The clay and sinkholes covered in the soil guide are often why.
Tell us the town and the trouble, and we will put you through to a licensed septic contractor. (256) 692-6131
Common fixes
- Clearing or replacing a clogged effluent filter (often found at a pump-out).
- Replacing a broken baffle, tee, lid or riser.
- Replacing a crushed or root-filled solid line between the house, tank and field.
- Replacing a failed effluent pump or float (see pumps and alarms).
- Repairing or relocating drain field lines that have stopped taking water.
Get the diagnosis and the price in writing before work starts, and ask whether the job needs a permit.
FAQ
Do I need a permit to fix my septic system in Alabama?
Maintenance such as pumping, filter work, pump replacement, solid-pipe replacement and baffle or lid repairs does not need a repair permit. Repairs to a failing part of the system do, issued by your county health department.
Can I be forced onto city sewer?
Under ADPH rules, if a failed system cannot be repaired and public sewer is within 500 feet, the home must connect, subject to the sewer operator's approval.
Who can repair a drain field?
A contractor holding the right AOWB installer license, working under a Permit to Repair, with a soil professional sizing the repair where the rules require it.