Updated August 2026
Filing a septic system with Island Health
A septic system in British Columbia is filed, not permitted. An Authorized Person files a Record of Sewerage System with Island Health before construction, then a Letter of Certification within 30 days of completion. The Regional District of Nanaimo requires that filing as a supporting document on a building permit application for any property not connected to a municipal system.
Updated August 2026
The single most common misunderstanding about onsite systems in this province is the word permit. Nobody issues one. The obligation sits with a qualified person who files, certifies and signs — which changes who is accountable, and for what.
A filing is a record of a sewerage system lodged with the health authority by an Authorized Person, rather than a permission granted by that authority.
What that filing sits inside is what a new system involves.
A filing, not a permit
Onsite systems are governed by the Sewerage System Regulation, B.C. Reg. 326/2004, made under the Public Health Act. Under that regulation the work is recorded with the health authority rather than approved by it. The practical consequence is that no official signs off the design before construction, and no inspector arrives to bless the result.
Who is allowed to file
Two categories of Authorized Person exist. A Registered Onsite Wastewater Practitioner, registered with ASTTBC, may file Type 1 and Type 2 systems under 9,100 litres per day. A Professional — an engineer or geoscientist registered with a recognized professional association — may file any type, including Type 3, and higher flows. A property owner may build a system only under the supervision of an Authorized Person.
| Authorized Person | System types | Flow limit |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Onsite Wastewater Practitioner (ASTTBC) | Type 1 and Type 2 | Under 9,100 L/day |
| Professional (engineer or geoscientist) | Type 1, Type 2 and Type 3 | Higher flows |
| Property owner | Construction only, under supervision | Not applicable |
What Island Health does, and what it does not do
Island Health states that it does not approve the sewerage system design, and does not routinely review filing documents for their technical merit. What Island Health checks is that a filing meets minimum submission criteria — that the form is complete, the plans are present, and a scaled site plan is included. Responsibility for whether the system works rests with the Authorized Person who signed it. Anyone buying a property with a filed system should read that sentence twice.
What gets submitted, and when
Before construction: the Record of Sewerage System, plans and specifications, a scaled site plan, and any covenants, easements or hydrogeological reports that apply to the parcel. Within 30 days of finishing construction: a Letter of Certification, an as-built diagram, and a maintenance plan for the system as built. Those three documents are what a future buyer, inspector or lender will ask for, and they are also what a property with an older system frequently does not have.
| Distance | Measured from | Published by |
|---|---|---|
| 30 m | A well supplying a domestic water system | Province of British Columbia |
| 15 m | A well, for a holding tank | Province of British Columbia |
| 30 m | Natural boundary of tidal and non-tidal water | Island Health subdivision standards |
| 3 m | A parcel boundary | Island Health subdivision standards |
| 3 m | A building | Island Health subdivision standards |
| 15 m | A breakout point | Island Health subdivision standards |
| 0.46 m to 1.2 m | Minimum soil depth, by soil type, slope and water supply | Island Health subdivision standards |
The 30 m and 15 m well separations are provincial requirements applying to systems filed after 25 June 2010, and may be varied by a professional competent in hydrogeology. The remaining distances are drawn from Island Health's published subdivision standards rather than from the regulation itself. Confirm current figures with the Authorized Person for any specific property.
Where the building permit fits
The septic filing and the building permit are separate processes with separate authorities. The Regional District of Nanaimo's building permit application checklist requires a septic filing accepted by Island Health for any property not connected to a municipal system. In the District of Lantzville the building permit comes from the District instead, while the septic filing still goes to Island Health.
The filing sequence
- 1
Assessment and design — an Authorized Person logs the soil, measures the setbacks and designs to what the site supports.
- 2
Record of Sewerage System filed — plans, specifications and a scaled site plan lodged with Island Health before excavation.
- 3
Construction — the system built to the filed design.
- 4
Letter of Certification — filed within 30 days of completion with an as-built diagram and a maintenance plan.
Filing touches two other things most often — an inspection of an existing system, what the work costs and Lantzville.
Filing is the part of an onsite system that people discover late, usually when selling. To have the filing handled from the start, get a site assessment booked.