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soma
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# Posted: 15 Jan 2015 11:31am
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I'm getting close to making an offer on a small lot of land and was told by the county that in order to build my small cabin, I have to first do a site suitability assessment to check for the viability of installing a septic tank (even though I'm not planning to put one in, this is a requirement). The lot is only .62 acres, and a good portion of it is on a steep hill, so there is somewhat limited flat area to build on.
It seems like I have to do a site survey to determine the property lines, then the suitability assessment, but before paying around $1,000 for all of that, is there any way to determine if the site suitability test will make my building plans impossible? Will the site suitability assessment limit where I can build?d
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razmichael
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# Posted: 15 Jan 2015 11:48am
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With the caveat that every area is different - I went through the same thing even though I was using an outhouse and grey water (allowed in my area for a recreational place). To get the building permit (again very simple and cheap in my area), I still needed to have a "septic" engineer do a site assessment (including digging a few holes and perc tests). In the end, the report stated that I could have a septic system but it would be expensive. No problem as I was not putting one in. The justification used for the report is that, should I sell in the future, any new owner would know they can put in a system. I don't really buy that argument but it was not something I could fight. Given how easy everything else was ($50 building permit with very limited documents or inspections), I sucked this up.
So - if your rules state you must use a septic system, then this could be a show stopper (although it is unlikely you could not put one in given unlimited $$). If you are allowed to use something else and they are looking for a report for the same reason as my area, then, other than the assessment cost, it is unlikely that it will impact your plans. I think the key might be your statement Quoting: soma even though I'm not planning to put one in
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soma
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# Posted: 15 Jan 2015 03:11pm
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Razmichael, thanks for the reply. I'm in the same situation as you where I will not install a septic system and have an outhouse. For the septic site assessment, is there any stipulation like you can't build on any area that could accommodate a septic system? Like for instance if the conditions are correct to build a septic system only on one particular 1ftx1ft area on the lot, would that prevent me from building anything on top of that particular area?
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JJHess
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# Posted: 15 Jan 2015 04:09pm
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Could you install a holding tank instead of a system? I know of several cabins (and even some homes) that couldn't/didn't want to do a septic system and were permitted to install a holding tank instead.
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razmichael
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# Posted: 15 Jan 2015 04:54pm
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Quoting: soma For the septic site assessment, is there any stipulation like you can't build on any area that could accommodate a septic system?
Anything I said would be pure guess work because every area has different rules and will enforce them differently. Even the amount of area you need to be able to build will be different. I think, in my situation, there was not real connection between the building permit site plan and the septic report but I could be wrong as I had lots of space anyway, and I think I told the septic engineer where I was planning to build.
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 15 Jan 2015 04:58pm
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1. Ask the local authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) whether or not septic is required to actually build a habitable building. Outhouses may not be permitted there. Or they may be. You have to ask them; all of us out here may have different rules.
2. Just because land is for sale does not mean that a habitable building can be built on it. See #1 for local rules. The septic field size depends on number of bedrooms / number of people usually. Whether or not it can be built on also may involve the size of ones wallet. Some things just need a lot more money and possibly engineering.
3. If there is only one particular area that is suitable for septic, you should not build on it; near it, okay. About all you can do directly on a septic site is walk on it or maybe grow grass.
4. Holding tanks... again check the AHJ. Some places allow them and others do not.
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Littlecooner
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# Posted: 16 Jan 2015 10:31am
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soma
I would be glad to give you some guidance on your question, but I need to know what State your proposed purchase is located within.
Your states rules for "onsite sewage disposal" will probably be available on the internet. Every site stands alone and yes there may be restrictions in place that would prevent you from building exactly what you have planed.
2/3 of an acre is a small site. In my state of residence, to meet these requirements, unless a public water supply is available, you can not develop ( build ) on anything smaller that one acre. There are also slope restrictions in place for steep lots that prohibit development (in the rules).
If you proceed with your purchase and find that the only suitable place for the onsite sewage system is "the flat part" of your .62 acres, then yes, you do not need to build any improvements in this area.
Do you have any numbers to define the "steep slope"? as in how many feet of fall in some number of horizontal distance ( i.e. - lot falls 10 feet every 25 feet)
Is your small lot located in some type of development where their could be protective convents recorded ?
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soma
Member
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# Posted: 19 Jan 2015 09:13pm - Edited by: soma
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Littlecooner, I talked to someone from the county and they were 100% OK with my building plans, but the site suitability assessment is still required 
This image is painfully not to scale.
The area I could build on that is flat is 60ft x 100ft, but then this area is reduced to 25ft x 80ft because of a requirement for being 10ft away from each property line and 35ft from the road. is it possible for anything in the site suitability assessment to prevent me from building in the small 25ft x 80ft slice of buildable space?
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Littlecooner
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# Posted: 21 Jan 2015 07:19am
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Yes
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turkeyhunter
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# Posted: 21 Jan 2015 08:51am
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Quoting: MtnDon 4. Holding tanks... again check the AHJ. Some places allow them and others do not.
and if you "happen" to knock a couple holes in it while installing it....you never have to have it pumped out ...a friend up in New England said to me about his holding tank at his camp..which has been there for years...it sits on a bed of gravel
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