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The Environmental Sanitary Code has been amended effective February 5, 2004.
The purpose of the Code is to promote public health, safety, and well-being; to
control potential sources of disease & pollution in food, solid waste, sewage,
air, water, or other media; and to protect the integrity of natural resources by
preventing pollution & environmental degradation. The Code accomplishes these
purposes by regulating private sewage treatment systems (residential, commercial,
and industrial); by regulating the companies or people that design, install, and
pump out private treatment systems; and by regulating swimming pools (public and
semi-public). The Environmental Department is the agency that administers the Code.
The 2004 Code incorporates two major changes: 1) private residential sewage treatment
systems (commonly called septic systems), and 2) user fees.
The revised Code is in effect in the cities of Leawood, Lenexa, Merriam, Mission,
Olathe, Prairie Village, Roeland Park, Shawnee, Spring Hill, Westwood, and in the unincorporated areas of Johnson
County. As other cities in Johnson County adopt the revised Code, this website will be
updated to list the current areas where the new requirements are effective.
Private Residential Sewage Treatment Systems (Septic Systems)
There are about 9,000 residential properties in Johnson County that rely upon a
private septic system to treat their wastewater, rather than a public sewer system.
It is estimated that at least 24 percent of these systems are either actively leaking
untreated sewage into the environment or need repairs to prevent leaks. Human contact
with untreated sewage can cause serious illness. Leaking septic systems can also
contaminate water resources.
The 2004 Code still allows the Environmental Department to perform courtesy inspections
of residential septic systems when property is being sold. This is a voluntary program
in which the prospective seller or buyer may request the inspection, allowing the
condition of the septic system to be taken into account during the property transaction.
If the Department discovers leaks in a septic system during a courtesy inspection, they
must be repaired. Click here to view photos of a
typical septic system inspection conducted under the courtesy program.
The 2004 Code expands the Department's authority to inspect septic systems when
prospective buyers or sellers do not avail themselves of the voluntary inspection
program. The new owner of residential property served by a septic system must obtain
a use permit from the Environmental Department after the property is transferred. Prior
to issuing the permit, the Department is required to inspect the septic system and
identify any needed repairs. The property owner will need to have the tank pumped out
by a licensed sanitary disposal contractor in advance of the inspection. If a courtesy
inspection of the system took place no more than sixty (60) days prior to the property
transfer and any needed repairs were already completed, the Department will issue the
use permit to the new owner without conducting another inspection. The purpose of the
new use permit requirement is to ensure that residential properties with septic systems
are periodically inspected and any needed repairs are completed.
The fee for conducting a courtesy inspection is $150.00. There is an additional $25
fee charged to the new property owner for the use permit when a courtesy inspection
took place prior to the property transfer. This covers the Department's cost to verify
that a previous inspection and any necessary repairs were already completed. In cases
where a courtesy inspection did not take place prior to the property transfer, the
fee for the use permit is $150 to cover the cost to conduct an inspection before the
permit is issued. This fee is owed by the new property owner.
Use Fees
The Environmental Sanitary Code establishes fees for regulatory services rendered.
Most of these fees have been increased in the 2004 edition of the Code. Some of the
parties affected by the increase in fees include private sewage disposal system
designers, private sewage disposal system installers, sanitary disposal contractors,
owners of private sewage treatment systems, and owners of public and semi-public
swimming pools. Click here to view a table showing
the new fees.
For More Information...
For more information, call (913)715-6900 and ask to speak with any of the environmental
health specialists working in the septic system or swimming pool programs.
Download the Johnson County Environmental Sanitary Code, 2004 Edition
(pdf 246K)
For a bound copy of the Code, please visit our office in Lenexa. The bound copy
is $7.00.
Directions to our office
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