Jefferson County Septic (POWTS) Ordinance and Fee
Routine Maintenance
This page covers regular POWTS pumping and upkeep, not a real estate transaction.
Jefferson County has its own Private Onsite Wastewater Treatment System Ordinance, administered by the Planning and Zoning Department, which runs both a septic maintenance program and a separate Holding Tank Maintenance Program.
The maintenance program
The county requires inspection, maintenance, or servicing events to be reported to the county under its POWTS ordinance, on a maintenance program cycle county staff describe as running roughly every 3 years for a conventional system. Holding tanks are tracked separately under their own program because they need to be pumped far more often than a tank-and-drainfield system.
Jefferson County requires that inspection, maintenance, or servicing events be reported to the county under its POWTS ordinance, and runs a Holding Tank Maintenance Program as a separate track from the standard tank-and-drainfield maintenance program.
Read the code at jeffersoncountywi.govThe recording fee
A Maintenance Agreement has to be recorded for every sanitary permit issued, unless one is already on file for the property, and the county charges a flat fee to record it.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Maintenance Agreement recording fee, per sanitary permit | $30, unless already recorded for the property |
Beyond that recording fee, the county’s full zoning and sanitary fee schedule is published as a standalone PDF that was not reliably readable at the time this page was checked. Call Planning and Zoning for permit-specific figures.
County contact
Jefferson County Planning and Zoning Department
311 S. Center Ave., Jefferson, WI 53549
Frequently asked questions
- What is the $30 fee for
- Recording the Maintenance Agreement that comes with every sanitary permit, unless the property already has one on file from a prior permit.
- Is a holding tank on the same schedule as a regular septic tank
- No. Jefferson County tracks holding tanks under a separate Holding Tank Maintenance Program, since they fill up and need pumping much more often.
- Where do I find the county's POWTS ordinance
- Jefferson County publishes its full Private Onsite Wastewater Treatment System Ordinance as a PDF through the Planning and Zoning Department.
For the state rule behind this, see Wisconsin septic maintenance rules. Nearby: Walworth County and Dodge County.