Onsite Sewage Treatment Program

Fact Sheet

State and Local Policies

By Ken Olson

Sewage and wastewater contain many bacteria, virus and fungi, known as "pathogens," which can cause disease, illness, and even death.

Health standards established in the 1920's are the basis for today's Minnesota Rule 7080, which regulates septic systems. Designs have changed drastically since the 1920's because our life styles involving water use have changed so much since then! People used to take baths once a week, now most of us take one or more a day. We used to wash several loads of clothes with the same water using a wringer washer once a week. Today we might run a washer using 50 or more gallons per cycle to wash a single sweatshirt.

In the 1960's Minnesota started developing wastewater treatment rules to upgrade septic systems on lakeshores. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and local units of government are responsible for enforcement of these rules.

Our many lifestyle changes have led to code revisions. Statewide licensing of on-site septic system designers, installers, inspectors and pumpers is mandatory. State law also requires homeowners to disclose everything they know about the septic system to potential homebuyers. Many local units of government also require inspections and mandatory upgrades at the time of a home sale. Upgrades on lakeshore have been mandatory since 1972. All code enforcement is up to the local unit of government.

Local units of government are required to adopt chapter 7080 to regulate septic systems. Because of unique local conditions, ordinances may be slightly more or less restrictive than state rules.

The most recent code and statute changes affect:

vertical separation of existing drain fields in certain situations

length of time that certifications are valid

adjustment of local standards

allowance of performance and warrantied systems

The code can be found on the State Register web site. Questions about local code adjustments and enforcement should be directed to your local planning and zoning or environmental services office.

 

For More Information

Visit our web page at http://septic.umn.edu for information.
The Septic System Owner’s Guide is an excellent resource. To order, call 800-876-8636 or go to http://shop.extension.umn.edu. University of Minnesota Extension web site: http://www.extension.umn.edu.