On-Site Septic

Fee Increase Notice: Building, Onsite, Planning, Code Compliance, and Addressing Fees will increase July 1, 2024.

Permit history search, applying for, paying for and scheduling inspections for permits: 

Oregon ePermitting.

Please call or email for assistance: 541-447-3211 onsite@crookcountyor.gov

Applications can be emailed to onsite@crookcountyor.gov - please include a phone number for us to call for payment
or mailed to 300 NE 3rd St, room 12, Prineville OR 97754 - include check for payment or a phone number for us to call for payment

The On-Site Septic Program, sometimes referred to as On-Site Sanitation, or just On-Site Program is administered by the County through authority granted by the State's Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ).  The County is obligated through this authority to apply ODEQ regulations and requirements.  These can and do change through time. The On-Site Septic Program is utilized for rural development where no public sewer is available.  Because State land use laws limit these types of public facilities in rural zones, it is the only established and approved method of sewerage disposal in these areas.  In urban areas, such as incorporated cities, a public sewer system is typically available and is the system of choice for higher density development.

The program requires two (2) primary steps to legally establish a system associated with a rural zone development.  First, a site evaluation must be performed using specific criteria or rules. An applicant initiates the process by applying for a site evaluation including providing fees, a site plan map for the property indicating the desired location of the system, and a minimum of three (3) test holes dug in the area desired for the system.  Once a site evaluation is complete and approved based on evaluation of the test holes provided, an application for construction can be made. The application for construction includes fees and is specific to the type of system approved for the site.  Lastly, a series of inspections is conducted by the County Engineer to ensure the system is installed properly by measuring such items as slope across the septic lines and leveling of the tank.  The complexity of the system required and the physical features of the site determine the number of site inspections needed.  For the simplest systems, one or two inspections are usually required.  For more complicated systems, such as a sand filter, multiple inspections may be necessary.

DEQ Webpage-License Search  

Homeowner General Information 

Oregon e-permitting