Register your septic tank or small sewage (package) treatment plant

If a building you own is not connected to a mains sewer, your sewage will probably be dealt with by:

a septic tank (the liquid soaks through the ground via an infiltration system)
a small sewage or package treatment plant (the liquid is treated to a level clean enough to flow into a river or stream)

Septic tanks and package treatment plants will in most instances only need a one-off, free registration.

If your system discharges to ground, you can use a septic tank or package treatment plant via a drainage field. If it goes to surface water, you must use a package treatment plant.

Private sewage systems in operation before 6 April 2010

If your private sewage system was in operation before 6 April 2010 and met the standards in place at the time you will be eligible for a free registration if you’re discharging to a watercourse even if you’re near sensitive sites or species or in an area with a public sewer.

if you’re discharging to ground (a drainage field), you will only be eligible for a free registration if you are not located within a groundwater Source Protection Zone 1 or within 50m of a well, spring or borehole that is used to supply water.

If your sewage system came into operation after this date, you will need to comply with the conditions below to qualify for a free registration.

How to register

If the following apply, you are eligible for a free registration of your private sewage system:

your discharge is only of domestic sewage (no business or trade waste)
your property cannot connect to a public foul sewer
your sewage system discharge is far enough away from a sensitive site, habitat or species - use our map to check
your sewage system meets the required design and manufacturing standards and is appropriately located
your property discharges less than 2000 litres a day to a drainage field in the ground; or
your property discharges less than 5000 litres a day to a watercourse

Before you register

Ensure your private sewage system is far enough away from sensitive sites, habitats or species

if you’re making a discharge to a watercourse the discharge must:

only be made to a watercourse that normally contains water throughout the year - it cannot be to an enclosed lake or pond
not be within 500m of a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), Special Protection Area (SPA), Ramsar site, Biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), freshwater pearl mussel population, bathing water or shellfish waters
not be within 200m of an aquatic local nature reserve
in tidal areas, be located below the Mean Low Water Spring (MLWS) tide limit

If you’re making a discharge to ground (to a drainage field) the discharge must:

not be located within a groundwater Source Protection Zone 1 or within 50m from a well, spring or borehole that is used to supply water
not be within 50m of a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), Special Protection Area (SPA), Ramsar site or Biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)
not be within an ancient woodland

Check your system is far enough away from any of the above

Ensure the manufacture and design meet standards

You should ensure that the sewage system meets the required design and manufacturing standards and is appropriately located.

You should have any necessary planning and building control approval for the treatment system and discharge.

The sewage system needs to comply with:

BSEN 12566: 2000 Part I prefabricated units
BSEN 12566: 2007 Part IV for septic tanks assembled in situ from prefabricated units
BSEN 12566: 2005 Part III for package or site assembled domestic sewage treatment plants

For discharges to ground the discharge must be to a drainage field installed in accordance with the British Standard BS6297:2007+A1:2008.

Check that you cannot connect to the public foul sewer

Your property must be at least 30 metres away from a public foul sewer.

Where there is more than one property requiring sewerage, the distance from the public sewer that is considered reasonable to connect is calculated by multiplying 30 metres by the number of properties. You can check this by contacting your local sewerage undertaker (normally the local water company).

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Register your septic tank or small sewage (package) treatment plant