Perc Tests & Septic Permits for New Lots

Alabama Septic Tank Services helps landowners, buyers and builders around Bessemer, McCalla, Brookwood and Tuscaloosa through the perc test and the septic permit. One customer who called us for a perc test wrote that the owner “took the time to explain what a perk test is, how it would be carried out, and what to expect”, and that the technician who dug the two test pits made sure he understood what was happening.

On a lot without city sewer, a house needs a septic system – and a septic system needs soil that can take the water. That is what a perc test (percolation test, or more broadly a soil and site evaluation) is for. It is often needed when you buy, sell or build on land, and the county health department will not issue a septic permit without it.

1. Call us first. We talk through your lot, where you plan to build and what you need the test for – a purchase, a sale or a building permit.
2. Test pits. We dig the test pits (or holes) where the system would go, so the soil layers can be seen and evaluated.
3. Soil evaluation. The soil and site information is evaluated and certified by a licensed professional as the health department requires – in Jefferson County that is a professional engineer, a land surveyor or a professional soil classifier.
4. Permit. The county health department reviews the results and issues the septic permit, which sets the size and type of the system.
5. Installation. We install the system the permit calls for – see septic system installation.

Septic permits in our area come from two offices: the Jefferson County Department of Health for Bessemer, McCalla, Hueytown and Hoover (Jefferson County side), and the Tuscaloosa County Health Department, part of the Alabama Department of Public Health, for Brookwood, Vance, Tuscaloosa and the rest of Tuscaloosa County. Their requirements and timelines differ a little, and we tell you what to expect for your lot.

• Soil type – heavy red clay drains slowly, sandy or loamy soil faster.
• Water table and rock – the system needs enough suitable soil above them.
• Slope and space – room for the tank, the field lines and a repair area, with setbacks from wells, water, property lines and the house.
• Season – wet-season conditions can matter on some lots.

If the soil is not ideal, that does not always mean no – it may mean a different layout or type of system. We explain the options honestly.