Septic and Plumbing Questions Around Lake Houston, TX

An independent pro who holds the license the job calls for: a plumber under a Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners license for plumbing, and for septic work an installer or maintenance provider licensed or registered with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. This site answers the phone and the form and passes the details to him. The inspection, the price, the permit and the work are his, and the contract is between you and him.

Look for a round or rectangular lid in the yard, check whether you pay a monthly sewer charge on a utility bill, and ask the district or city that supplies your water. Around Lake Houston some streets are on a district's sewer and others, especially the acreage lots toward Huffman, Crosby, Dayton, New Caney and Porter, are on septic. The septic-or-sewer page walks through how to tell.

The county, and the county depends on where the lot sits. Harris County's Office of the County Engineer permits systems on unincorporated Harris County property outside public sewer; Montgomery County Environmental Health Services in Conroe covers New Caney and Porter; Dayton is in Liberty County, whose rules this site has not read. The permits page sets out what each county's own pages say.

The sources disagree a little, which is honest. Harris County's page says every two to three years; the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality says every three to five years for a conventional tank and, for aerobic units, by sludge depth and the manufacturer's advice. Household size, tank size and a garbage disposal all push the interval, and the pro who opens the lid can tell you.

TCEQ's maintenance page says aerobic treatment systems are maintained by a licensed maintenance provider, with a report at least once every four months, or every six months if the unit has an electronic monitor. The aerobic service page explains what the visits cover and what is left to the owner.

Harris County's page says installation must be done by a TCEQ-registered installer or by the homeowner, and the drawings and site evaluation still come from a registered engineer or sanitarian. Montgomery County requires a registered site evaluator and a sealed design. Either way a permit comes first, and the inspection comes before anything is covered.

Montgomery County's guide lists $295 for a new residential system, which includes a $10 TCEQ assessment, and $145 for a licensed add-on modification. Harris County's page gives no county fee but says a registered engineer or sanitarian generally costs $300 to $700 and installation for a single-family house generally $5,000 to $10,000. Liberty County is not covered here.

This site has not read a county rule on that and will not guess. Ask the county before any digging that is not an emergency, and ask the pro what the county requires for the specific repair.

It depends on the job and where the house sits. The pro confirms with the local authority before work that needs one. This site files no permits.

Stop running water: no flushing, no laundry, no dishwasher. If it is a septic house, a full tank or a failed field is the usual cause and the lid is the place to look; if it is a house on a district’s sewer, every drain slowing at once points at the lateral or the main, and the district can tell you whether the main is blocked. Do not pour chemical drain opener into a line that is holding water, and keep people and pets away from standing sewage.

That is a question for your insurer and your policy. Nobody on this site handles insurance claims, and the pro’s quote is written the same way whether or not a policy is involved.