Sourced from Florida DEP onsite sewage program guidance, s. 381.0065 F.S., and the Indian River Lagoon Protection Program (s. 373.469 F.S.) — last checked August 2026.
Quick answer: in Florida your septic permit comes from your county health department, not from Tallahassee. The statewide rules in Chapter 62-6 F.A.C. set the floor, but fees, timelines and inspection practice vary county to county — and in four counties the rules are meaningfully stricter.
Find Your County
Florida has 67 counties, and your county health department is who actually issues your septic permit. Counties with a full guide are linked below. IRL marks the four counties in the Indian River Lagoon Protection Program, where the rules are stricter than the rest of the state.
Do not see a guide for your county yet? The statewide pages cover the rules that apply everywhere in Florida, and the quote form will still reach licensed pros in your area.
Why the County Matters More Than the State Rule
Two things change at the county line. The first is administrative: fee schedules, how long an application sits, and whether the health department will look at a repair permit the same week you call. The second is regulatory, and it costs real money.
Under s. 403.067 F.S., new systems on lots of one acre or less inside a Basin Management Action Plan, Reasonable Assurance Plan or Pollution Reduction Plan area must use nitrogen-reducing technology where sewer is not available. That took effect July 1, 2023. Under s. 373.811 F.S., the same applies inside the protection areas for Outstanding Florida Springs.
The Indian River Lagoon counties go further. Under s. 373.469 F.S., covering parts of Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie and Volusia, the nitrogen-reduction requirement applied to all lot sizes from January 1, 2024 — and existing systems on commercial property, or residential property of 10 acres or less, must reach at least 65 percent nitrogen reduction by July 1, 2030. That is not a new-construction rule. It reaches systems that are already in the ground.
What to do with it: before you price a new system or budget a repair, find out whether your parcel sits in a BMAP, a springs protection area or the lagoon program. An enhanced nutrient-reducing system costs substantially more than a conventional one, and finding out after you have a quote in hand is the expensive way to learn.
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What Is the Same Everywhere in Florida
Some things do not vary by county, and they are worth knowing before you call anyone.
No county can force you to inspect at the point of sale. Section 381.0065(4)(v) F.S. says an inspection of a system may not be mandated by a governmental entity at the point of sale. If a listing agent tells you the county requires one, they are mistaken. A buyer can still ask for one, and usually should — but that is a negotiation, not a legal requirement.
Permitting authority is still moving. Regulatory responsibility for onsite sewage shifted from the Department of Health to the Department of Environmental Protection on July 1, 2021, and the transfer has been running county by county since. In most counties you still apply through the county health department office.