Washington County Septic (POWTS) Rules
Routine Maintenance
This page covers regular POWTS pumping and upkeep, not a real estate transaction.
Washington County runs its POWTS program under its own sanitary code, administered by the Land Resources Division. The county’s cycle splits by system type more explicitly than most of its neighbors.
The maintenance cycle
Conventional systems are inspected every 3 years. Mound systems, at-grade systems, and in-ground pressure systems, all of which use a pump, are inspected every 2 years, since a pump has more that can go wrong between visits.
Washington County requires pumping or inspection of treatment tanks by a licensed master plumber, master plumber-restricted sewer, certified POWTS inspector, POWTS maintainer, or certified septage servicing operator. At-grade, mound, and in-ground pressure systems require inspection every 2 years; conventional systems every 3 years.
Read the code at washcowisco.govWho can inspect it
The county names the exact credentials that qualify: a licensed master plumber, a master plumber restricted to sewer work, a certified POWTS inspector, a POWTS maintainer, or a certified septage servicing operator. If your reminder card names a specific inspector type for your system, that is why.
Fees
The county publishes a Land Resources fee schedule covering sanitary permits, tank repairs and replacement, and cell additions, but the specific dollar figures were not readable from the published PDF at the time this page was checked. This county does not make POWTS maintenance-program fees easy to find online. Call Land Resources directly for the current number before budgeting a repair or replacement.
County contact
Washington County Land Resources Division
Land Use, Planning and Development, West Bend, WI
Sanitary permits and POWTS: see the department’s POWTS page for the current phone line, since department phone routing has changed more than once in recent years.
Frequently asked questions
- Why is my mound system on a shorter cycle than my neighbor’s tank
- Because it has a pump. Washington County checks pump-based systems (mound, at-grade, in-ground pressure) every 2 years instead of 3.
- Can any septic company do the inspection
- No. The inspector has to hold one of the specific Wisconsin credentials the county names: master plumber, master plumber-restricted sewer, certified POWTS inspector, POWTS maintainer, or certified septage servicing operator.
- Where do I find the exact fee for my permit
- The published fee schedule PDF exists but is not reliably readable online. Call the Land Resources Division and ask for the current sanitary permit fee for your project.
For the state rule behind this, see Wisconsin septic maintenance rules. Nearby: Waukesha County and Ozaukee County.