(a) Any proposed site for a residence, place of business, or place of public assembly in an area not served by an approved wastewater system shall be evaluated by either (i) the local health department in accordance with rules adopted pursuant to this Article or (ii) by a professional engineer, licensed soil scientist, or licensed geologist acting within the engineer’s, soil scientist’s, or geologist’s scope of work, as applicable, and pursuant to the conditions of the engineered option permit in N.C. Gen. Stat. § 130A-336.1 or the Authorized On-Site Wastewater Evaluator permit option in N.C. Gen. Stat. § 130A-336.2 An improvement permit issued by a local health department shall include:

(1) For permits that are valid without expiration, a plat, or, for permits that are valid for five years, a site plan.

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(2) A description of the facility the proposed site is to serve.

(3) The proposed wastewater system and its location.

(4) The design wastewater flow and characteristics.

(5) The conditions for any site modifications.

(6) Any other information required by the rules of the Commission.

Neither the improvement permit nor the construction authorization shall be affected by change of ownership of the site for the wastewater system provided both the site for the wastewater system and the facility the system serves are unchanged and remain under the ownership or control of the person owning the facility. No person shall commence or assist in the construction, location, or relocation of a residence, place of business, or place of public assembly in an area not served by an approved wastewater system unless an improvement permit and a construction authorization are obtained from the local health department unless that person is acting in accordance with the conditions and criteria of an engineered option permit pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 130A-336.1 or the Authorized On-Site Wastewater Evaluator permit option pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 130A-336.2 This requirement shall not apply to a manufactured residence exhibited for sale or stored for later sale and intended to be located at another site after sale.

(b) The local health department shall issue a construction authorization authorizing work to proceed and the installation or repair of a wastewater system when it has determined after a field investigation that the system can be installed and operated in compliance with this Article and rules adopted pursuant to this Article. This construction authorization shall be valid for a period equal to the period of validity of the improvement permit and may be issued at the same time the improvement permit is issued. No person shall commence or assist in the installation, construction, or repair of a wastewater system unless an improvement permit and a construction authorization have been obtained from the Department or the local health department unless that person is acting in accordance with the conditions and criteria of an engineered option permit pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 130A-336.1 or the Authorized On-Site Wastewater Evaluator permit option pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 130A-336.2 No improvement permit or construction authorization shall be required for maintenance of a wastewater system. The Department and the local health department may impose conditions on the issuance of an improvement permit and a construction authorization.

(b1) An improvement permit or construction authorization issued by a local health department from January 1, 2000, to January 1, 2015, which has not been acted on and would have otherwise expired, shall remain valid until January 1, 2020, without penalty, unless there are changes in the hydraulic flows or wastewater characteristics from the original local health department evaluation. Permits are transferrable with ownership of the property. Permits shall retain the site, soil evaluations, and construction conditions of the original permit. Site activities begun or completed pursuant to requirements from the local health department under the original permit, however, shall not be construed to be altered conditions and shall not constitute a basis for refusal of the permit extension. The property owner may contract with a person licensed pursuant to Chapter 89F of the N.C. Gen. Stat. as a licensed soil scientist to conduct a site verification to determine whether the conditions of the original permit are unchanged. Written verification by the licensed soil scientist shall be accepted by the local health department, used in lieu of verification by the local health department, and be attached to the permit.

(c) Unless the Commission otherwise provides by rule, plans, and specifications for all wastewater systems designed for the collection, treatment, and disposal of industrial process wastewater shall be reviewed and approved by the Department prior to the issuance of a construction authorization by the local health department.

(d) If a local health department repeatedly fails to issue or deny improvement permits for conventional or accepted septic tank systems within 60 days, or within 90 days for provisional or innovative systems, after receiving completed applications for the permits, then the Department of Health and Human Services may withhold public health funding from that local health department. (1973, c. 452, s. 5; c. 476, s. 128; 1981, c. 949, s. 3; 1983, c. 891, s. 2; 1985, c. 273; 1991, c. 256, s. 2; 1991 (Reg. Sess., 1992), c. 944, s. 5; 1995, c. 285, s. 1; 1995 (Reg. Sess., 1996), c. 585, s. 3; 1996, 2nd Ex. Sess., c. 18, s. 27.31(d)-(f); 1997-443, ss. 11A.83, 11A.119(a); 2014-120, s. 40(c); 2015-241, s. 14.30(u); 2015-286, s. 4.14(g); 2017-211, s. 19; 2018-114, s. 9; 2022-11, s. 5(b).)