Septic System Installation in Muskoka and Simcoe County

Quick Answer A new septic system needs a design by a qualified designer, a permit from your municipality and a final inspection before use. Independent local contractors install them in Muskoka and Simcoe County.

Independent local contractors, a permit-ready design and a final inspection. No-obligation quotes.

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Installation

What a new septic installation involves

A new system in Ontario starts on paper. A qualified designer evaluates the site and designs a system that suits the soil, the water table, the lot and the size of the building, and the application goes to the municipal building department with a site plan and the designer and installer forms. A registered installer then builds it, and the building department inspects it before it is covered and again at the end.

  1. Site evaluation and design by a qualified designer.
  2. Permit application to the municipal building department.
  3. Installation by a registered installer.
  4. Inspections during construction, before the bed and tank are backfilled.
  5. Final inspection before the system is put into use.

Most rural homes and cottages use a Class 4 system: a septic tank that treats the waste, followed by a leaching bed that disperses it into the soil. A Class 5 system is a holding tank, which stores waste and has to be pumped out.

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Lake Country Septic Services is a free referral service: your request goes to one independent local septic contractor, who quotes and does the work. We may receive compensation when you are connected with a septic contractor; there is no charge to you.

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System types

Beds, raised beds and advanced treatment

A conventional bed is built into the native soil. Where the soil is shallow, the water table is high or setbacks are tight, the design may call for a raised bed built above grade on imported fill, which needs extra clearance. A Level IV treatment unit is an advanced treatment system that can feed smaller Type A or Type B dispersal beds, and the Code points to a Canadian certification standard (CAN/BNQ 3680-600) for these units.

Which one fits is a design decision for your site; none is better in general. The designer will explain the choice and the permit it needs.

Setbacks

How far from the lake, the well and the property line

Municipal septic guides reproduce the Ontario Building Code’s table of minimum clearances. For the distribution piping of a leaching bed, that means 15 metres from a lake, river, pond or stream, 15 metres from a drilled well with watertight casing at least 6 metres deep (30 metres from any other well), 5 metres from a building and 3 metres from a property line. A raised bed needs extra clearance. Local zoning and conservation authority rules can be stricter, and the Code is updated from time to time, so your designer will confirm the current figures for your lot.

Where we connect you

Permit and inspection information by community

Each municipality issues its own permits and runs its own inspections. These pages explain what each one says.

Good to know

Not what you need?

Pumping, tank cleaning and clogged drains are a different trade, and this site does not refer them. This page is about installing, replacing or repairing the system itself.

Common Questions

Septic Installation FAQ

Yes. A permit from your municipality’s building department is required to construct, alter, repair or install a sewage system, and a final inspection is done before the system is used. In the Muskoka and Simcoe County towns we cover, the building department is the permit authority; see the local pages linked on this site.
Ontario registers on-site sewage system installers and designers through the Building Code qualification system, and the province lists the registered practitioner types on its website. Ask any contractor you are considering for their qualification and registration, and confirm it before work starts.
Municipal septic guides reproduce the Ontario Building Code’s table of minimum clearances. For the distribution piping of a leaching bed, that means 15 metres from a lake, river, pond or stream, 15 metres from a drilled well with watertight casing at least 6 metres deep (30 metres from any other well), 5 metres from a building and 3 metres from a property line. A raised bed needs extra clearance. Local zoning and conservation authority rules can be stricter, and the Code is updated from time to time, so your designer will confirm the current figures for your lot.
The site and the design drive the cost: the soil, the depth to bedrock or the water table, whether the bed has to be raised on imported fill, whether an advanced treatment unit is needed, access for equipment, and permit and design fees. We do not publish a price range because it varies too much between lots. A contractor can quote your property after seeing it.
A holding tank (a Class 5 system) stores waste without treating it and has to be pumped by a licensed hauler. Health units describe new holding tank installations as allowed only in limited circumstances, so ask your building department before planning on one.
Stages vary by municipality, but building departments generally inspect the work before the bed and tank are backfilled and again at the end, and the system is not to be used until the final inspection is done. Ask your building department for its inspection stages when you apply.