What You Need to Know About the New Septic System Ordinance in Santa Cruz County

If you currently live in a home with a septic system or you are considering purchasing a rural home in Santa Cruz County, then it is important for you to listen up now. There is a new point-of-sale septic requirement that will go into effect in Santa Cruz County starting July 1, 2023. So what are the new septic system ordinances? That’s a great question.

Hi, I’m Shemeika Fox, Your Santa Cruz Real Estate Expert, and Your Personalized Real Estate Concierge.

First off, what is a septic system? Do all homes in Santa Cruz County have one? No. Septic systems are on-site water treatment units that fulfill the role of municipal sewers in rural areas. So no, not all homes in Santa Cruz have a septic system. Most septic systems consist of a septic tank, a distribution box, and a leach field. Septic tanks assist in digesting organic matter and will separate floatable matter, such as oil, grease, and solids, from the wastewater. A septic system that is functioning properly will discharge the liquid from the septic tank to a distribution box to perforated pipes that are buried in a leach field. The pipes are designed to release the effluent into the ground slowly.

If you live in a more rural area in Santa Cruz County, like the San Lorenzo Valley or Corralitos, La Selva Beach, and other areas throughout Santa Cruz, you may have a septic system on your property. And if you are looking to purchase a home, in one of our peaceful and beautiful rural areas, it is important for you to understand the ins and outs of owning a property with a septic system, the responsibilities you have, and what to look for when you’re purchasing that property.

So what are the new septic ordinances that will go into effect this summer? That’s a great question. The amendments state that residential sellers in Santa Cruz County with septic systems must have those systems professional pumped and inspected prior to the sale. This is a point-of-sale ordinance.

Additionally, the seller must provide the buyer a standard disclosure form detailing septic information along with any active annual service agreement documents. Below is the disclosure document.

The Santa Cruz home sellers holds responsibility for any needed repairs unless the buyer and seller agree to transfer those responsibilities to the buyer during the sales process. Much like the sewer lateral ordinance. Again, this point-of-sale ordinance will go into effect here in Santa Cruz County July 1, 2023.

So why is it important to have a septic system pumped and inspected? I’m glad you asked. Let’s dig a little deeper.

Septic systems can fail catastrophically, and in some cases, raw sewage can back up into the house. Gross. Talk about a crappy situation. If this happens, homeowners have to relocate for days to weeks until the system is repaired. These damages are costly and a sanitary issue that can cause lasting health concerns potentially. So a septic inspection makes sure that the system is operating as it should be so that you and your family do not have issues due to a leak or other major problems.

To make sure your septic system is functioning perfectly, you should have it inspected every three to five years. This is about the same schedule that you’ll need to keep when having the tank pumped as well, and that timeframe is dependent on how many people live in the property, how many visitors, et cetera. If you stick to a schedule like this, your septic tank should continue to work well for the life of the system. If you have a large family or frequent visitors, you may want to consider having your system pumped more often than even three to five years. Unfortunately, many homeowners don’t stick to a pumping and inspection schedule. Missing septic inspections and not having the tank pumped as frequently as it should be creates more of an opportunity for issues to arise. When this happens, the cost for repair work could be a lot more than the expense of maintaining the system correctly. So just maintain it.

Correct maintenance will also prevent any issues from developing and should make your home easier to sell when the time comes. So to avoid paying tens of thousands of dollars or potentially more when something goes wrong, it could be beneficial to have your septic system maintained regularly through inspection and pumping every three to five years. Which brings us back to the new septic system ordinance here in Santa Cruz County, so let’s recap.

Starting July 1, 2023, residential sellers in Santa Cruz County with septic system must have those systems professionally pumped and inspected prior to the sale of the home. The home seller must also provide the buyer a standard disclosure form detailing septic information along with any active annual service agreement documents. The Santa Cruz County home seller holds responsibility for any needed repair unless the buyer and seller agree to transfer those responsibilities to the buyer during the sales process. I will keep you updated as we learn more about the changes to the point-of-sale requirements here in Santa Cruz.

If you would like to learn more about septic system point-of-sale requirements, please reach out to me. I would be more than happy to schedule a complimentary and confidential consultation with you today. I’m Shemeika Fox, Your Santa Cruz Real Estate Expert, and Your Personalized Real Estate Concierge.