Septic services in North Carolina
North Carolina regulates on-site wastewater (septic) through the NC DHHS Division of Public Health, Environmental Health Section, On-Site Water Protection (OSWP) Branch, under administrative code 15A NCAC 18E and enabling statute G.S. 130A, Article 11. The rules were comprehensively rewritten effective January 1, 2024 — the first major overhaul in 34 years. Unlike many states, NC long ago moved away from the old percolation ('perc') test: siting is driven by soil morphology, with a Licensed Soil Scientist or county Environmental Health Specialist evaluating soil texture, structure, wetness (color), depth to rock or restrictive horizons, and depth to seasonal high water table. Every system runs a three-permit sequence — Improvement Permit (IP), Construction Authorization (CA), then Operation Permit (OP) — administered locally by each of the 100 county health departments, so fees and turnaround vary widely. About half of all NC homes (roughly 2 million systems) rely on septic, climbing toward 80% along the coast and in rural counties. Installers and real-estate point-of-sale inspectors must be certified by the NCOWCICB, whose roster is publicly searchable. There is no statewide pump-out mandate and no universal inspection-at-sale requirement.