Who Issues Septic Permits in Florida?

Last updated October 19, 2026 · Sources checked October 19, 2026 · By Florida Septic Works

Florida septic permits used to be simple: you went to the county health department. Since 2021 the program has belonged to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and DEP has been taking over the day-to-day permitting county by county. Today, a homeowner in Ocala applies to DEP, while a homeowner a few miles away in Sumter or Alachua County still applies to the county health department. This guide is written for homeowners, realtors and county staff who need the current answer, with links to the official pages so you can check it yourself.

The short answer

• Marion County: Florida DEP's Onsite Sewage Program, since July 1, 2025. Apply online at osp.floridadep.gov.
• 16 Panhandle counties: also DEP (listed in the table below).
• Every other Florida county: the county health department's Environmental Public Health program (find your county health department).
• Building permits: still your city or county building department. Under a 2026 law, a single-family home may need only proof of a septic permit application; confirm with the county.

How septic permitting moved from the health department to DEP

The change happened in two steps, set by two different laws.

Step one, 2021: the program moved on paper. The Clean Waterways Act (chapter 2020-150, Laws of Florida) made DEP responsible for Florida's onsite sewage program effective July 1, 2021. DEP's own program page explains that even after the transfer, "the county health department offices will continue to do the permitting and inspection." So for several years nothing changed at the counter: DEP owned the rules, and the local health department still issued the permits.

Step two, 2024 onward: the phased takeover. Chapter 2024-180, section 6, says the transfer is to "be completed in a phased approach," and that "when the Department of Environmental Protection begins implementing the program within a county, the Department of Health may no longer implement or collect fees" there. DEP started with the Panhandle. Its Phase I, which DEP describes as running from Escambia to Jefferson County, began January 2, 2025. Marion County followed on July 1, 2025. In July 2025, the first month with Marion included, DEP reported 848 permits issued and 1,106 inspections across all DEP-run counties combined (DEP program update).

A note for county staff: a 2024 DEP presentation said the interagency agreement between DEP and the Department of Health was "set to expire on June 30, 2026." No replacement document was found, but DEP's permitting FAQ, last modified September 24, 2026, still lists the same 17 DEP-run counties. If you need the current list, read DEP's permitting FAQ rather than relying on any copy, including this one.

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Florida septic permits by county

This table shows the counties DEP names in its permitting FAQ, plus the counties around Marion County that share the Silver Springs and Rainbow Springs basin plan. Every Florida county not listed as DEP-run is handled by its county health department.

The Villages is the case that trips people up. Most of it is in Sumter County, where the Department of Health in Sumter County permits septic systems. The smaller Marion County part (about 8,041 people, ACS 2024 5-year estimates) is on central sewer, and any septic permit on the Marion side would be DEP's. See our The Villages page for more.

Marion County: DEP since July 1, 2025

If your property is in Marion County, including Ocala, Belleview, Dunnellon, Silver Springs, Summerfield and the rural north, your septic permit comes from DEP. Here is how to reach the right people:

• Apply online: osp.floridadep.gov (the older address, ostds.floridadep.gov, redirects there). Technical help: [email protected].
• Marion County program staff: DEP's staff directory says to "email Marion County program staff at [email protected] or call our main phone line at 850-245-8362."
• Statewide program line: 850-245-4070, or [email protected].
• Paper applications: Form DEP 4015 (application plus site plan) goes to DEP's Onsite Sewage Program, 2600 Blair Stone Road, MS #3599, Tallahassee, FL 32399-2400. DEP's FAQ says an application also needs the building floor plan and a site evaluation, which DEP can do or a private site evaluator can provide.

Two cautions. First, no local Ocala street address for DEP's Marion septic staff could be found, so don't go by an old address for the former health department office. Second, some older county contact lists still point septic questions to the Florida Department of Health in Marion County. For permits after July 1, 2025, use DEP's contacts above.

Questions about getting quotes? Call (727) 300-6656

Types of septic permits

DEP's portal sorts its permits into three groups. County health departments issue the same kinds of permits under the same rule, chapter 62-6 of the Florida Administrative Code.

• Construction permits: new system, repair, existing system approval, modification, abandonment and holding tank. A new home, a drain field replacement and an addition that adds bedrooms usually all start here. See septic system installation, drain field repair and septic tank repair.
• Operating permits: for aerobic treatment units (ATUs) and performance-based treatment systems. An ATU owner must keep a maintenance agreement with a DEP-permitted maintenance entity, which inspects the unit at least twice a year (s. 381.0065(4)(v)).
• Service permits: for businesses, such as a septage disposal service permit for pumping trucks and an ATU maintenance entity permit.

A homeowner can do work on the system serving his or her own owner-occupied single-family home without contractor registration, but s. 381.0065(4) says that owner "is subject to all permitting requirements." Anyone hired to do the work must be a DEP-registered septic tank contractor. Ask for the registration number and check it through DEP's contractor registration page.

State permit fees under Rule 62-6.030

These are the government fees set by Rule 62-6.030 (amended June 8, 2026), as checked on October 19, 2026. They are separate from what a contractor charges. The statute, s. 381.0066(2), sets the caps; for example, an ATU operating permit cannot exceed $100.

Read this as a list of parts, not a total. The exact combination for your job depends on the permit type, and what DEP collects in Marion per permit type was not confirmed for this guide. Ask DEP's Marion staff for the total before you apply. For what the work itself typically costs, see the septic system installation cost guide.

Questions about getting quotes? Call (727) 300-6656

Building permits and the septic permit application

Marion County Building Safety issues building permits; DEP issues the septic construction permit. The two used to be locked in sequence: the prior rule in s. 381.0065(4) said a county or city could not issue a building or plumbing permit for a building that needs a septic system until the owner or builder held the septic construction permit.

A 2026 law, HB 589, reported signed by the Governor in May 2026, changes that for single-family homes. It provides that a city or county "may not require an owner or builder to obtain a construction permit for the septic system as a condition of issuing the building or plumbing permit." Proof of a septic permit application is enough, and any construction before the septic permit issues is at the owner's risk. Its chapter number and effective date were not confirmed for this guide, so confirm with the county (Marion County Building Safety in Marion) what it requires today. For anything other than a single-family home, ask the county as well.

The ENR rule overlay

A septic permit in much of Florida now comes with a second layer: the nitrogen rules for springs and other protected waters, known as basin management action plans (BMAPs). In those areas, a permit may require an enhanced nutrient-reducing (ENR) system that removes at least 65% of nitrogen.

Statewide: HB 1379 (chapter 2023-169) requires ENR for new systems on lots of 1 acre or less inside a BMAP where sewer isn't available, starting July 1, 2023 (s. 403.067(7)(a)10; DEP's ENR permitting page). Where sewer is available, a new septic system in a BMAP is not allowed at all.

Marion County is stricter. The Silver Springs and Rainbow Springs BMAP, signed June 27, 2025 and final and effective April 27, 2026 (final order), sets these rules:

• New systems, any lot size: must be ENR. DEP's August 2026 ENR requirements table marks this "as of July 27, 2026."
• Existing systems: when a DEP permit is needed to repair, modify or replace the system, the new work must be ENR, unless sewer to the property is planned and funded.
• Working systems with no permit need: nothing to do now. The plan requires all conventional systems in the area to upgrade or connect to sewer within 20 years of its adoption; published sources disagree on the exact year, so don't plan around a single date.

Approved ENR types are in-ground nitrogen-reducing biofilters (INRBs), NSF 245 nitrogen-reducing aerobic treatment units and nitrogen-reducing performance-based systems. Most of Marion County is inside the BMAP; confirm your parcel on DEP's BMAP map. The full rules are in our ENR requirements guide, and typical prices are in the ENR septic system cost guide.

Questions about getting quotes? Call (727) 300-6656

Notes for realtors and county staff

• No point-of-sale mandate. Section 381.0065(4)(x) says an inspection "may not be mandated by a governmental entity at the point of sale in a real estate transaction," and permits "transfer with the title to the property." Florida Realtors (September 29, 2026) still encourages buyers to get septic inspections. In Marion, an inspection that leads to a repair permit also triggers the ENR rule, so the result can swing a deal by $15,000 or more. See septic inspection.
• Old permit files: records from before July 1, 2025 may sit with either agency. Our septic records guide lists the routes to try.
• Sewer coming? Connection deadlines (365 days after written notice) are in the septic-to-sewer guide.
• Contractor check: ask any contractor for the DEP septic tank contractor registration number and verify it from DEP's registration page.

Florida septic permit FAQ

More guides: all Florida Septic Works guides. Ready for prices on permitted work? Request free quotes from independent local septic companies.

Florida Septic Works is an independent referral service. It is not a septic tank contractor, is not affiliated with DEP or Marion County, and is not affiliated with any septic company of a similar name. Septic work is done by independent DEP-registered septic tank contractors, who quote, contract and do the job.