Septic pumping & service in Delaware, Ohio

Township septic systems and the Delaware Public Health District's O&M program.

The city of Delaware is largely on city sewer, but the townships around it, including Brown, Delaware, Troy, Concord, Scioto, Radnor, Marlboro and others, are full of homes on private septic systems. Many date from decades before the 2015 rules, while newer rural subdivisions often use aerators or mounds because of the area's clay soils.

Your health district: Delaware Public Health District

• Address: 470 S. Sandusky Street, Delaware, OH 43015. Phone: 740-368-1700.
• O&M permits: 5 years for a septic tank plus leach field, and 1 year for systems with mechanical parts (aerators, mounds with pumps, drip, pump stations, discharging systems).
• No charge for the O&M permit itself. A maintenance inspection fee applies if the district has to do the evaluation because no registered provider sent in a report ($75 on the 2025 schedule).
• DPHD has been enrolling existing systems in phases, south to north, and expects all known systems in the program by about 2028. If you haven't heard from them yet, you likely will.

What Delaware-area homeowners usually need

• Routine pumping on 3–6 year cycles.
• Annual aerator service for one-year permits.
• Evaluations when they get a DPHD O&M notice.
• Septic inspections for home sales in the townships.
• Risers, so lids don't have to be dug up each time.

Tip

Ask DPHD for your system's permit record and as-built drawing, if one exists. It shows where the tank and field are, and saves the contractor time (and you money) locating lids.

Sources

• Ohio Administrative Code 3701-29-03 (registration of installers, service providers and septage haulers): codes.ohio.gov
• OAC 3701-29-19 (operation and maintenance management): ohrules.elaws.us
• Delaware Public Health District O&M FAQ: delawarehealth.org; permit lengths by system type: delawarehealth.org; 2025 fee schedule: delawarehealth.org
• Union County Health Department, Septic Systems and Renew Sewage Permits: uchd.net/septic-systems, uchd.net/renew-sewage-permits
• HomeGuide, septic tank pumping cost: homeguide.com