On-site sewage system non-compliance fee

The Clark County Board of Health approved a new Public Health fee for on-site sewage systems (OSS). The OSS non-compliance fee will be assessed to onsite sewage system owners who are not in compliance with required OSS inspections per Clark County Code 24.17.180(d).

OSS non-compliance fee policy

Any OSS owner who is more than one year past their required OSS inspection date as of Dec. 31, 2024 will receive the OSS non-compliance fee on their 2025 Clark County property tax bill.

Example: An OSS was due for inspection on Dec. 30, 2023. The inspection is still not completed on Dec. 31, 2024. The property will be assessed the OSS non-compliance fee on its 2025 property taxes.

2025 OSS operation and maintenance fees

  1. All properties with an OSS pay the annual OSS operating permit fee of $13.21. This is roughly a 20% reduction from the 2024 fee of $16.46. 
     
  2. Properties that are more than a year past due for routine OSS inspection will be assessed an additional fee of $23.35.

Actions owners of non-compliant systems should take

Property owners with an out-of-compliance OSS should contact a certified inspector to schedule a full inspection. The inspection must be completed and reported to Clark County Public Health before Dec. 31, 2024 to avoid the non-compliance fee. Please note: It may take inspectors up to two weeks to report inspections to Clark County Public Health (CCPH)

Important: CCPH does NOT require OSS pumping as part of inspection compliance. Pumping is a maintenance action. In addition, only pumping the system does not meet the inspection requirement. 

Frequently asked questions

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OSS inspection requirements are designed to protect public health and groundwater. CCPH will use the funding from this fee to enhance education and outreach efforts to increase the OSS inspection compliance rate in Clark County. Additionally, funding will be used to increase access to financial assistance programs.

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On average, about 70% of OSS are in compliance with inspection requirements. The compliance rate increased in 2016-17 but has remained about 70% since then (see Chart 1). A significant portion of the 30% OSS that are out of compliance have been so for multiple years (see Chart 2). 

Chart 1

Graph showing OSS inspection compliance since July 2015

 

Chart 2
About 69% of non-compliant OSS are more than a year beyond required inspections. Approximately 34% of non-compliant OSS have not had a required inspection for five years or more.

Graph showing number of years past due for OSS in Clark County
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Yes. CCPH’s policy provides a one-year grace period before assessing the fee. If your OSS is more than one year past the inspection due date and an inspection is not completed and reported by Dec. 31, 2024, you will be assessed a non-compliance fee.

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Your inspection company may have failed to report the inspection. Immediately contact the company that performed your inspection and tell them to report it to CCPH. Inspection reports that have been submitted to CCPH can be viewed at www.onlinerme.com.

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CCPH records show that you have a septic system. You need to provide CCPH with a record of your septic tank decommissioning and evidence from the utility that you’re connected to public sewer. To avoid the OSS fees, provide this information to CCPH by Dec. 31, 2024.

Still have questions? Contact the Onsite Sewage System Operation & Maintenance program at 564.397.8007 or PHossOM@clark.wa.gov.