Why do you need to know where your septic system is?
Because everything else depends on it. A pump-out needs the lid, a repair needs the box and an inspection needs access. A buyer’s inspector needs it too, and inspections often start with finding the tank.
Do not build, pave or plant over it either. The EPA says drain fields are not built for vehicles or heavy equipment, that concrete and asphalt cut off oxygen to the soil, and that tree roots can enter the pipes. The drain field protection guide has more.
A tank that is easy to find also saves digging time and avoids damage from probing in the wrong place. Marking it once helps every service visit afterward.
Can I find the system myself first?
Check records
Ask the local health department for your permit file. VDH says permits describe the components and planned locations, and an as-built drawing shows where they went. UGA Extension adds that the builder or the home paperwork may have a site map. Records are requested through the local health department.
Follow the house pipe
Find where the main drain leaves the basement or crawlspace wall. UGA Extension says the tank is often 10 to 20 feet from the house, in line with that pipe, and commonly 2 to 4 feet down. Call 811 before probing so buried utilities are marked.
Look at the lawn
Grass over the field may be greener in dry weather, and over the tank may be drier. These clues are not reliable, especially on older systems.
How does Dunn Rite locate a system?
Probe rods
A rod pushed into the ground along the line of the house pipe meets resistance at the tank and slides deeper past its edge.
Electronic locators
Locators can trace a pipe or a transmitter run through it. Which tools Dunn Rite brings depends on the site.
Camera
Where a camera is used, it follows the pipe from the house toward the tank. Confirm by phone.
What do I get after the system is located?
The tank lid, the box and the field edges can be marked on the surface, and a riser brings the lid to grade. Virginia Tech recommends a scaled map of the house, tank, box, pipes and field with measurements to the house and property lines.
If you do not have one, make it at the visit, take photos, and pass copies to the next owner.
Keep the map with your pumping receipts and permit paperwork. A buyer will ask for them, and the next service visit goes faster.
The health department can also refer you to certified locators if you want a second opinion.
What if the system is old or does not match the records?
Older properties may have no drawing, and some have a second tank or lines that were never recorded. If the field does not match the permit, tell the health department or your buyer’s agent.
The field may sit where the red clay drained best, not where you would guess. We locate systems in Campbell County and Bedford County, and in the rest of our service area.
Pascat photo requestPhoto needed hereCrew member probing the lawn with a steel rod while a second holds a house floor plan, a green lawn and the house wall in the background, shot from waist height in daylight
Common questions
Where is the septic tank usually located?
Typically 10 to 20 feet from the house along the line of the main sewer pipe, according to UGA Extension, buried with the lid at or below the surface. Permit drawings and as-built maps narrow it down faster than guessing, and a tank may sit farther out where the lot slopes or the builder had to avoid a well.
Can the health department help me find my tank?
They hold permit records that can show component locations, and VDH says sanitarians may help locate components. Call the office for your county and have the property address ready. Older systems may have incomplete files, so a record can narrow the search without ending it.
How deep is a septic tank buried?
UGA Extension puts it at roughly 2 to 4 feet down, and Virginia Tech notes a foot or more of soil over the lid. Depth varies with the lot and the builder, which is why locating comes before digging. A tank brought up with a riser removes the question for next time.
Why call 811 before probing?
Probing can hit a gas, water or electric line. Calling 811 gets buried utilities marked before anyone pushes a rod into the ground. The call is free to the homeowner and should be made a few days ahead, so it belongs at the start of any search that involves a probe.
What if I find the tank but not the drain field?
The field is generally downhill from the tank in open lawn. The permit file, or tracing the pipe from the distribution box, shows the lines. Do not dig or drive there until you know where the trenches are, since a crushed line turns a locating job into a repair.
Can I book a locating visit on its own?
Locating is one of the listed services. Whether it is booked as a standalone visit or alongside pumping or repair is confirmed by phone. A standalone visit still leaves you with the useful part: the lid, box and field edges marked, plus a sketch to keep with your septic papers.