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Waupaca County updates sanitary code: inspections, maintenance program and $5 annual tracking fee approved
Summary
The County Board approved broad amendments to Chapter 35 (Sanitary Ordinance) on May 18, 2021, adding inspection and maintenance requirements for private sewage systems, new recording and permitting rules, emergency repair procedures, and a $5 annual per-tank-set fee for inventory and tracking.
Waupaca County supervisors on May 18 approved sweeping changes to the county’s sanitary code (Chapter 35) that revise permitting, inspection and maintenance requirements for private on-site wastewater treatment systems (POWTS).
Key changes approved include: a clarified definition of county and state sanitary permits; explicit recording requirements for maintenance agreements, easements and multi-owner systems prior to permit issuance; a 2-year completion window for work authorized by sanitary permits with renewal provisions; emergency repair and installation procedures with prompt reporting; and a mandatory maintenance program requiring visual inspection within three years of installation and at least once every three years thereafter, with pumping required if combined sludge and scum equal or exceed one-third of tank volume.
The Board also added a charge of five dollars ($5) per septic tank set annually to support inventorying and tracking of maintenance and pumping records, to be recovered consistent with municipal special charge procedures. Holding tanks, privies, and pre-treatment device rules were clarified; a requirement was added that a well or water supply cannot be connected to a building unless there is a sanitary sewer, an approved private sewage system, or a valid sanitary permit.
Supervisor Fred Zaug moved and Supervisor Wengelski seconded the motion; the Planning & Zoning Committee recommended the amendments and the motion carried without a negative vote.
Why it matters: the changes create explicit county-level oversight and recordkeeping for septic systems, increase county capacity to track maintenance and compliance, and impose a modest recurring fee to fund those records. Property owners with private sewage systems should expect new documentation and inspection responsibilities.
Next steps and implementation: the Planning & Zoning Office will implement the maintenance program, require recording of maintenance agreements and easements as described, and add the annual fee collection for septic tank sets per the ordinance language.
