How to confirm you have septic, get the as-built drawing and find the tank and lid, with where to ask in Suffolk, Lee, Orlando, Gwinnett and the East Valley.
By the SepticRated team · Facts checked against the sources listed below on November 1, 2026. General information, not professional advice.
If you're not sure a home uses septic at all, EPA suggests looking for these clues:
Start with the records before you dig. EPA says the local permitting authority, usually a health or environmental department, can give you a copy of the as-built record drawing and the permits, which may also list the installation date and soil properties. UGA's extension guide adds that the builder should have given the first owner a map, that the health department may have a sketch of the system, which it will provide on request, along with information on the system type, length and depth, and that records for very old systems may be incomplete or missing.
Gwinnett County says Environmental Health keeps records for septic systems installed since 1959, and that the county's GIS Data Browser can show past repair applications and permits when available. In 2011 the county and the East Metro Health District announced they had digitized hundreds of thousands of old paper records showing where septic tanks and drain fields are, and added them to the county's GIS. GNR Public Health posts instructions for getting septic drawings through the GIS, and the county says you can also request copies of septic records directly from Environmental Health.
Florida's Department of Health says that from January 2, 2025 the Department of Environmental Protection handles septic permitting in 16 counties, and that everywhere else the county health department still handles septic permitting and inspections. Lee, Orange, Seminole and Osceola are not on the list, so start with the Department of Health office in your county.
The county Department of Health Services' Office of Wastewater Management lists a FOIL request form (WWM-074) for records among its residential forms, and takes questions at (631) 852-5700.
Maricopa County Environmental Services has an online septic research request form for public records. It asks for the site address and, optionally, the year installed, parcel number, subdivision and lot. For property in Pinal County, the University of Arizona's March 2025 contact list gives the Pinal County Health Department at 520-866-6562. If you bought an Arizona home with a septic system, look for the transfer inspection report: the University of Arizona says it should include a scale drawing of the system as installed, showing the treatment tanks and equipment and the primary and reserve dispersal areas.
If there's no drawing, UGA's guide describes a careful way to find the tank yourself:
The surface can help. UGA says that in dry weather the grass may be drier over the tank and greener over the drainfield, though not always, and that slight depressions in straight lines can show where drainfield lines run. If you'd rather not search, UGA says the health department can give you a list of certified professionals who can locate the system, and EPA likewise suggests asking the local permitting authority for septic professionals who can find the tank and drainfield.
When you do find it, UGA says to draw a rough sketch of its location relative to the house so it is not lost again. EPA's inspection checklist starts with reviewing the permit, design and installation records, so keep the sketch with them.
Leave the lid closed. EPA says only trained specialists should clean or repair septic tanks, because tanks may contain dangerous gases. Keep your sketch with the pumping and inspection records, and keep the area clear: Suffolk County tells owners of advanced systems that covers can be landscaped around but must stay fully accessible.
UGA notes that a tank's lid or access port is generally level with the top of the tank but can sit on a riser, and EPA describes risers that show at the surface as a black or green disc. If yours are buried, ask a provider about risers. Companies on this site that list risers and lids are on our risers and lids page. If your system is due for service, our guide to how often to pump explains what the provider should measure.
EPA's flood guidance says only trained specialists should clean or repair septic tanks, because tanks may contain dangerous gases. Our suggestion: find and mark the lid, then leave opening it to a septic professional.
UGA's Georgia extension guide says the top of a tank is usually 1 to 4 feet below the ground, that the lid or access port is generally at the same level as the top of the tank, though it can be on a riser, and that a typical tank is about 5 by 8 feet. UGA says health department records should also show the system's depth.
UGA says having utilities marked first can stop you driving a rod through a gas, water, telecommunications or electric line.
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