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Clay County adopts minor amendments to subsurface sewage code, removes prescriptive pumping/reporting requirements
Summary
After a public hearing, the board adopted Ordinance 2025‑06 to remove a prescriptive annual holding‑tank pumping requirement and a requirement that pumpings be tabulated and regularly submitted to county staff. Environmental services said the changes reflect current practice and staff capacity.
The Clay County Board on July 1 adopted Ordinance 2025‑06, amending Chapter 61 (Subsurface Sewage Treatment Systems) to remove two prescriptive items from the county code: a requirement for a minimum of one pump per year on holding tanks and a requirement that pumpings be regularly tabulated and submitted to county staff.
Kent and Olivia from Environmental Services explained that the county does not have the capacity to collect and maintain routine pumping data and that the prescriptive language does not reflect current practice. Kent said pumpers will continue to provide a tank inspection report as part of compliance inspections, which the county relies on for enforcement and licensing.
The board opened and then closed a public hearing before adopting the ordinance. Commissioner Ebinger moved to close the hearing and later moved to adopt Ordinance 2025‑06; the board approved both motions by voice vote.
The change does not remove the requirement that a full compliance inspection include an inspection of pumped tanks when applicable; rather, it removes an administrative reporting requirement that staff said is not being used and would be difficult to maintain.
