Commissioners decline to adopt revised on‑site sewage rules after public hearing; related fee change approved

Washington County Commissioners Court on April 15, 2025, held a public hearing on proposed revisions to the county's on-site sewage facility (OSSF) order and declined to adopt the order after discussion and public comment.

The proposal, presented by Mr. Stokes of the county environmental health staff, would have kept the existing lot-size requirement from the county's 2009 order but introduced several substantive updates to reflect newer products and development patterns. The changes under consideration included classifying small dwellings such as tiny homes and PMRVs (permanent model recreational vehicles) as equivalent to a one- or two-bedroom single-family home for sizing; allowing reuse of existing tanks if pumped within five years; and a new approach to multiple dwellings on a single parcel that uses a flow‑based standard rather than a simple dwelling-per-acre rule.

Mr. Stokes told the court the recommended flow standard for multiple dwellings is 440 gallons per day per acre with a required 25% reserve area. The proposal also would cap recreational vehicle (RV) connections at eight per acre and add several setback adjustments for aerobic spray systems (proposed 25 feet from buildings/property lines and 75 feet from creeks or ponds, versus the county's previous, more restrictive distances). Stokes said the draft had been…