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Photograph of a swimming pool installed too close to a septic drainfield - in failure (C) Daniel FriedmanTexas Septic Setback Distances
Septic Tank & Field Clearance Distance
Q&A on Required Distances Between Septic System & Wells, Streams, Trees, etc.

  • POST a QUESTION or COMMENT about the required distances or clearances between septic systems, wells, property boundaries, and other site features

Questions & Answers about clearances for septic tank, drainfield, soakaway bed, & wells in Texas.

This article provides answers to common questios about the required diistances between septic system components and other site feature, including typical septic tank and field clearances

In this article series we give detailed septic distances tables describing the distance requirements between septic components (septic tank, leach field, cesspools, drywells) and other site features such as wells, water supply piping, streams, trees, property boundaries, lakes, etc.

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Texas Septic Setbacks & Clearance Distances

Septic mound measurements (C) Daniel Friedman at Inspectapedia.com

Question: What are the OSSF Clearance Distances for Septic Systems in Texas ?

2019/11/10 Kristina Daddio

Buying a house in the country with a well and septic system on an acre of land.

We were told that Texas requirements are that there must be two acres of your property between you and our neighbor.

That would mean we would have to buy an additional acre of land, in case of leaching/ leaking problems that could arise in the future. Is this true, Please help. ASAP.

Reply: Acres are not a separation distance; 5 ft. sepaation OSSF to property line required in Texas

Frankly what you were told sounds very unlikely.

First-off, "Two acres" is an area measurement, not a distance measurement.

**IF** which they are not, your "acre of separation" were exactly square it would be 208.9 feet on a side.

But acres are not square. They can be any shape: round, oval, trapezoid, skinny, fat, ... whatever.

One Acre is 43,560 square feet. So by that theory to meet the "two acres" clearance distance you could have a bit of property that is 1/2 ft. wide by 87,000 feet long as a separation boundary? Makes no sense.

In Texas septic system or as the state calls it OSSF (On-Site Sewage Facility) separation requirements are in §285.91(10) but geez the state couldn't have made it more difficult for a normal person to find the actual information in (10) Table X. Minimum Required Separation Distances for On-Site Sewage Facilities.

In Texas Title 30 at RULE §285.30 Site Evaluation we find

Rule (4) Separation requirements.

All features in the area where the OSSF is to be installed that could be contaminated by the OSSF or could prevent the proper operation of the system shall be identified during the site evaluation. The separation requirements are in §285.91(10) of this title. All features and separation distances shall be clearly indicated on the site drawing, as required in §285.5(a) of this title.

Below I provide Table X. Minimum Required Separation Distances for On-Site Sewage Facilities. Figure: 30 TAC §285.91(10), where you will see that "property line" clearance distance is FIVE FEET or less.

This document gives the minimum required separation distances for on-site sewage facilities in Texas from which the setbacks are given in this table - an excerpt from the larger document cited below.

...

OSSF - Septic Setback Clearance Distances in TEXAS
FROM Distance TO - in feet
  Tanks Soil
Absorption
Systems, &
Unlined ET
Beds		 Lined
Evapotranspiration
Beds		 Sewer Pipe With
Watertight Joints		 Surface Application
(Edge of Spray
Area)		 Drip Irrigation
Public Water Wells 2 50 150 150 50 15j0 150
Public Water
Supply LInes 2		 10 10 10 10 10 10
Wells &
Undergound
Cisterns		 50 100 50 20 100 100

Private Water
Line

 10 10 5

10 exc. at conn
to structure 5

 No distance 10
Wells IAQ 16 TAC
§76.1000(a)(1)		 50 50 50 20 50 50
Streams, Ponds,
Lakes, Rivers,
Creeks (Measured
From Normal Pool
Elevation and
Water Level);
Salt Water Bodies
(High Tide Only);
Retention
Ponds/Basin
(Spillway
elevation)		 50 75
LPD with
secondary
treatment &
disinfection -
50		 50 20 50 25 when
Ra< 0.1
75 when
Ra>0.1
(With Secondary
Treatment &
Disinfection - 50)
Foundations,
Buildings, Surface
Improvements,
Property Lines,
Swimming Pools,
and Other
Structures		            
Foundations,
Buildings, Surface
Improvements,
Property Lines,
Swimming Pools,
and Other
Structures		 5 5 5

5

Pipe may run
beneath
driveways and
sidewalks or up
to surface
improvements if
it is Schedule 80
pipe or sleeved in
Schedule 40 pipe
Pipe containing
secondary
effluent has no
setbacks from
building
foundation

 No Separation
Distances Except:
Property lines - 206
Swimming Pools -
25		 No Separation
Distances Except 4
: Property Lines - 5
Underground
Easements		 1 1 1 1 May spray to edge
of easement, but not
into.
Sprinkler heads
must be 1 feet from
easement edge		 1

Overhead
Easements

 1

 1

1

 

1

 1 1
No setbacks if permission is granted by easement holder
Slopes Where
Seeps may Occur
and detention
ponds		 5 25 5 10 10 10 when
Ra< 0.1
25 when
Ra>0.1
Edwards Aquifer
Recharge Features
(See Chapter 213
of this title relating
to Edwards
Aquifer) 3		 50 150 50 50 150 100 when
Ra< 0.1
150 when
Ra>0.1
Following items added from other TX sources
OSSF Feature §285.33 Distance Length Separation      

Parallel drainline separation
Within
Drainfield
§285.90(5)
for excavations > 4ft wide

4
center
to
center

          
Pipe from treatment tank
to gravity disposal field		   minimum 5        
Suitable soil
below bottom
of Trench to Groundwater
or restrictive horizon		 2          
Drainfield trench depth

Min: 18"

Max: 3ft 4

or 6" below
Frost depth

          
Drainfield trench length   Maximum 150        
Drainfield Undisturbed soil between trenches     3      
Drainfield tolerance out of level     within 1" per 25 ft.      
Drainfield total linear feet of perf. pipe
for 1-family 2-bedroom		   Minimum 1000 ft        
As above, each additional bedroom   400 ft.        
As above, maximum distribution
line from header		   Maximum 70 ft        
Excavation width   Min 6" wide        
Excavation trench separation   Min 3 ft        

Notes to the table above

Watch out: Texas code RULE §285.33 Criteria for Effluent Disposal Systems provides additional OSSF clearance or setback or separation distance specifications for a range of situations and OSSF types. Be sure to consult a licensed professional where you live.

1. All distances measured in feet, unless otherwise indicated.

2. For additional information or revisions to these separation distances, see Chapter 290 of this title (relating to Public Drinking Water).

3. No on-site sewage facility may be installed closer than 75 feet from the banks of the Nueces, Dry Frio, Frio, or Sabinal Rivers downstream from the northern Uvalde County line to the recharge zone.

4. Drip irrigation lines may not be placed under foundations.

5. Private water line/wastewater line crossings should be treated as public water line crossings, see Chapter 290 of this title.

6. Separation distance may be reduced to 10 feet when sprinkler operation is controlled by commercial timer. See §285.33(d)(2)(G)(i) of this title (relating to Criteria for Effluent Disposal Systems).

7. In areas of the state where annual precipitation is less than 26 inches per year the maximum trench depth can be 5 ft.

Sources:

See typical septic clearance distances from property lines and other features

at CLEARANCE DISTANCES, SEPTIC SYSTEM -

There you'll see that property line clearance distances to septic system features (tanks, drainfields) etc. range from about 10 ft. to 75 ft. (not 200 ft and certainly not 43,560 feet).

When you are installing a septic system on YOUR property, the health or building department who issues the septic permit will require you to assure that YOUR septic system meets the state required septic clearance setback distances from YOUR property line.

Bottom line: you need to get your site survey done and to review the septic installation on YOUR property to be sure that your own septic system complies. If your property's septic system does not comply with local septic clearance regulations, then yes you'll need to fix that - by buying land IF such is available (what a horrible negotiating position you'll be in) or sometimes by moving or modifying the existing septic system.

These references may be useful:

Texas Title 30 Texas Administrative Code (TAC), Chapter 285, Subchapter D Exit the TCEQ contains the rules for planning, construction, and installation of an OSSF. Found in multiple sections at https://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/readtac%24ext.ViewTAC?tac_view=5&ti=30&pt=1&ch=285&sch=D&rl=Y

TEXAS ON SITE SEWAGE FACILITY CONSTRUCTION FIGURES SUBCHAPTER I: APPENDICES §285.90, §285.91 Effective December 27, 2012 [PDF] retrieved 2019/11/10 origial source: https://www.tceq.texas.gov/assets/public/legal/rules/rules/pdflib/285i.pdf

 

 


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Reader Comments, Questions & Answers About The Article Above

Below you will find questions and answers previously posted on this page at its page bottom reader comment box.

Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

On 2018-12-26 by (mod) - Texas drainfield trench separation space requirements

Dallas,

Drainfield trench separation distances vary by the type of drainfield or soakaway bed design, materials, and soil conditions.

See details at https://inspectapedia.com/septic/Septic-Drainfield-Size.php SEPTIC DRAINFIELD SIZE

On 2018-12-20 by Dallas

How far do drain fields have to be apart from each other

On 2019-06-11 by (mod) - septic tank under a power line?

I'm not aware of an explicit regulation per say describing the routing of a septic drain field under a power line.

However because electrical power lines are normally constructed over a right-of-way which is owned by the power company, it seems to me that if a septic drain field has been installed under a power line it may be in violation of the property rights involved. In particular the field may have been installed across someone else's land.

On 2019-06-11 by ray rohmeyer

what is regulations on septic field lines under power lines

On 2019-05-28 by (mod) -

Did you talk to your neighbor? I would think that the neighbor would not want to install septic components that she later could be required to move.

see NEIGHBORING SEPTIC SYSTEM PROBLEMS - setbacks and clearances for septic systems, septic distances to other site features

On 2019-05-23 by Bob

What can you do if the nieghbors is installing a septic syatem and his engineer measured wron distance from your well? What is the minimuim distance from street and storm drains in mass?

On 2019-02-24 by (mod) -

Mitch

In the ARTICLE INDEX found near the end of this article please see

SEPTIC TANK DEPTH

On 2019-02-24 by Mitch

How deep is the septic tank for a single house?

On 2018-08-28 by (mod) - How close can an old field be to a new field?

There are different approaches to separating versus interspersing replacement septic absorption beds or drain fields.

For example you may leave space between leach line trenches to install a replacement trenches later. Most standards want two feet or more between the edges of those trenches

On 2018-08-28 by Anonymous

How close can an old field be to a new field?

On 2018-06-17 by (mod) - neighbor can't put their septic on your property

Doug

It's a perfectly fair question but one that you need to take to a local attorney. I speculate that unless there's a actual document granting your neighbor an easement on your property that he has no business running his septic line there and it's most likely also in violation of septic or plumbing codes.

On 2018-06-16 by Doug

A neighbor's field line is possibly across the line on to my property . He claims if it is there , it is grandfathered in . I have tried to work it out with him on a land trade. He refuses. I want to put a natural gas line in . If I cut his field lines , am I in trouble?




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