SEPTIC TANK PERMITS ARE REGULATED BY STATE LAW

A 1996 state law that regulates the installation of septic tanks in Missouri won't change even if Cape Girardeau County implements planning and zoning.

Charlotte Craig, director of the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center, said her agency is charged with approving the installation of septic tanks in the county.

A permit is required if a person is building a house or installing a mobile home on a single platted parcel of land that is less than three acres, putting more than one residence on a parcel of land, or building a business on a single piece of land.

Permits also are required when inspections are requested by lending institutions regarding home loans, or when a formal nuisance complaint has been filed, Craig said.

The goal is to make sure that the size of the property is sufficient to handle a septic system and that the soil can absorb the waste, she said.

The permit costs $90. The fee is shared by the state and the county health department.

Craig said her office is required to inspect anywhere from 60 percent to 75 percent of the septic tanks installed by companies, depending on whether or not the contractor is licensed by the state.

Most septic tank installers in Cape Girardeau County have a state license, Craig said.

In the past four years, the county health department has issued 422 permits for septic tanks, with 128 of those coming in 1998. Last year, only 67 permits were issued.

Some people just ignore the law and put septic tanks in without getting permits, she said. But that could change if planning and zoning were implemented.

Craig said planning and zoning would help because individuals would have to get building permits from the county. That, in turn, would give notification to the county health department as to new septic systems slated for installation.