Septic-to-sewer conversion in Florida is driven by two things: a state law that makes owners connect once sewer reaches their street, and springs cleanup plans that push utilities to extend sewer into septic neighborhoods. In Marion County, with about 100,000 septic systems (Florida TaxWatch, 2023), the county runs its own conversion program in unincorporated areas while Ocala, Belleview and Dunnellon run city sewer. This guide covers the connection deadlines, what “available” sewer means, Marion's program and the Silver Springs Shores project, city sewer, and who does the hookup.
This is general information, not legal advice. Rules, tables and programs change. Check the current statute, rule or DEP table, or contact the agency named, before you rely on anything here.
The septic-to-sewer law: s. 381.00655
Section 381.00655(1)(a), Florida Statutes, says the owner of a properly functioning septic system “must connect the system or the building's plumbing to an available publicly owned or investor-owned sewerage system within 365 days after written notification by the owner of the… sewerage system that the system is available for connection.” Key points:
- 365 days from the utility's written notice for a working system. Utilities must give at least one year's advance notice.
- Owners may prepay connection charges in monthly installments over up to two years.
- 90 days for a system that “needs repair or modification” when sewer is available, counted from written notice by DEP (s. 381.00655(1)(b)). One extension of up to 90 days is allowed for hardship.
- Local hardship plans can allow up to five years of interest-free installments for investor-owned utility fees (s. 381.00655(2)(a)).
What counts as “available” sewer
The deadlines only start when sewer is “available.” Section 381.0065(2)(a) defines that: the system must be capable of connection, not under a moratorium, and have adequate capacity, and for flows of 1,000 gallons a day or less there must be a gravity sewer line that maintains gravity flow, “or a low pressure or vacuum sewage collection” line, within distances the statute sets. Distance and layout matter, so read the current statute or ask your utility to confirm in writing whether your lot meets the definition before you plan around it.
The same definition controls new septic systems in springs areas: s. 403.067(7)(a)10 prohibits a new septic system inside a BMAP where sewer is available. See our ENR septic requirements guide for what applies where it is not.
The BMAP utility list requirement
The 2025 Silver Springs and Rainbow Springs BMAP adds a step aimed at utilities. Utilities inside the BMAP must give DEP lists of properties that still use septic where sewer is available, “by February 2, 2026, and every two years thereafter” (Appendix E.1.2). In practice, that list is how DEP and utilities find owners who have not connected within the legal window. The plan also gives an exception to its ENR repair rule: an owner needing a repair permit can avoid an ENR upgrade by documenting that sewer to the property is planned and funded, and that the buildings will be connected.
Marion County's septic-to-sewer program
Marion County commissioners approved a septic-to-sewer conversion plan by ordinance in April 2022, using part of the county's $72 million American Rescue Plan Act allocation, with Silver Springs Shores as the top priority (WCJB, April 25, 2022). A countywide septic-to-sewer feasibility study, funded with $500,000 from DEP, was completed in 2021.
- Where: designated Program Areas in unincorporated Marion County only. The program does not cover Ocala, Belleview or Dunnellon.
- Cost to owners: the county describes a grant to cover the property owner's cost in Program Areas. A 2023 Silver Springs Shores notice listed construction, connection, tank termination and capacity fees, for owners who sign up within 365 days of the third and final notice (per a search summary of the county's page; confirm with Marion County Utilities).
- Connection rule: county notices tie the hookup to s. 381.00655, so the 365-day clock generally applies once the county says sewer is available.
Silver Springs Shores: the first project
Silver Springs Shores is an old platted subdivision on septic inside the Silver Springs Priority Focus Area. The 2025 BMAP lists the Marion County Utilities project as three phases of about 500 lots each, covering 859 existing homes, funded with $60,000,000 in U.S. Treasury (ARPA) money plus $3,000,000 from DEP, underway with an estimated 2025 completion. Marion County's own page describes the project differently (four phases of 400 to 600 lots, with Phase I at 455 lots and 212 occupied homes on septic), so treat the numbers as approximate. Phase 1 construction was underway in February 2026, when a boil-water notice was issued for Spring Road and Spring Loop. A separate additional phase would remove about 385 more septic tanks. Earlier CR 464 force mains, completed in 2015 and 2019, gave the area capacity for the conversion. Homeowners nearby can read our Silver Springs service area page.
City sewer in Ocala, Belleview and Dunnellon
Ocala. The City of Ocala runs two permitted water reclamation facilities (6.5 and 4.0 million gallons a day). The BMAP lists city sewer expansions at Southwood Villas and Lake Weir (about 100 septic tanks, completed 2020), Fairfield Village (about 350 systems, completed 2022, in the Rainbow springshed) and Meadow Oaks (about 100 systems, completed 2023/2024, where the BMAP notes “Connections were not included”).
Belleview. The city's plant is permitted at 1.0 million gallons a day. The BMAP lists the Green Meadows subdivision septic-to-sewer project (115 lots) as completed and a plant expansion to 1.5 million gallons a day as underway.
Dunnellon. The city plant is permitted at 0.49 million gallons a day. A planned coordination project between FGUA, Marion County Utilities and Dunnellon “would allow about 266 OSTDS to hook up to central sewer” in the Rainbow Springs area, and a Rainbow River septic-to-sewer master plan study was completed in 2022.
Elsewhere, Marion County Utilities runs regional plants (Silver Springs Shores, Southwest Regional, Northwest Regional and Stonecrest). The old Marion Oaks plant is listed as closed, and this research found no Marion Oaks conversion project. The Marion County part of The Villages is on central sewer.
The hookup: who does the work
Connecting a house to a sewer line is plumbing-contractor work. Section 489.105(3)(m), Florida Statutes, lets a plumbing contractor install, maintain and repair septic tanks and “storm and sanitary sewer lines.” A septic tank contractor registered with DEP may also be involved in taking the old tank out of service; DEP's permitting portal handles abandonment permits. Before you sign:
- Ask the plumbing contractor for a license number and proof of insurance. Plumbing contractors must show their number in each offer of services (s. 489.119(5)(b)).
- Get a written quote that says who pumps and abandons the old tank and who pulls any permit.
- Ask Marion County Building Safety whether the house-side connection needs a building permit, and ask the utility for its connection fee in writing.
- If a county grant applies, confirm what it pays before work starts.
Other central Florida counties
Alachua, Lake, Sumter, Levy and Putnam counties share the Silver/Rainbow BMAP with Marion, so utilities in the BMAP there face the same list requirement, and the state 365-day and 90-day rules apply statewide. Septic permits in those counties still come from the county health department, not DEP. This research did not review county-run septic-to-sewer programs outside Marion, so ask your county or city utility directly. Orange County's septic upgrade incentive is tied to the Wekiwa Priority Focus Area and the Orange County Utilities service area; it is an upgrade program, not a sewer program.
If sewer is coming to your street
Until a written notice arrives, keep your septic system pumped and working; a failure that needs a repair permit can trigger an ENR upgrade in Marion's BMAP unless sewer is planned and funded. If you are buying a home, ask the utility whether sewer is available or planned, and consider a septic inspection. Questions about septic permits go to DEP's Marion staff at [email protected] or 850-245-8362; our septic permits guide has more.
Florida Septic Works connects Ocala and Marion County homeowners with independent local septic companies for free, no-obligation quotes. Florida Septic Works is a referral service, not a septic tank contractor; the work is done by independent DEP-registered septic tank contractors, who quote, contract and do the job. Request a free quote for pumping, inspection or repair while you wait for sewer.
Frequently asked questions
How long do I have to connect to sewer in Florida?
Under s. 381.00655, Florida Statutes, the owner of a properly working septic system must connect within 365 days after the utility gives written notice that sewer is available. If your system needs repair or modification and sewer is available, the deadline is 90 days after written notice from DEP, with one extension of up to 90 days for hardship.
Does Marion County's septic-to-sewer program cover Ocala, Belleview or Dunnellon?
No. Marion County's program, set up by an ordinance in April 2022, covers designated Program Areas in unincorporated Marion County. Ocala, Belleview and Dunnellon run their own sewer systems, so homeowners inside those cities should ask their city utility about sewer availability, connection fees and any expansion plans for their street.
Who does the sewer hookup work?
Connecting a house to a sewer line is plumbing work. Section 489.105(3)(m), Florida Statutes, allows a plumbing contractor to install and repair septic tanks and storm and sanitary sewer lines. Ask for the plumbing contractor's license number, a written quote that says how the old tank will be handled, and whether a building permit is needed.
This is general information, not legal advice.