Septic Tank Pumping in Boca Raton, FL

Is Your Boca Raton Home on Septic or City Sewer?

The city's Utility Services Department runs water and sewer service for Boca Raton and parts of unincorporated Palm Beach County. The city's stated goal is to end septic tank use in the city and connect those users to sewer.

The city's 2020 plan notes one unsewered area inside its sewer service area. The city runs a special assessment program to install sewer lines in unsewered areas. Until sewer reaches a home, the tank still needs regular care.

A Boca Raton mailing address can also sit outside the city limits. Census ZIP code maps put most of 33433 and 33434 in unincorporated Palm Beach County. For those homes, the county's permit office answers the building questions.

Boca Raton Soils, the Water Table and Your Drain Field

Boca Raton sits on flat ground, mostly 5 to 20 feet above sea level, according to the city's plan. Low ground near the El Rio Canal and the Intracoastal Waterway sits within 5 feet of sea level. The Lake Worth Drainage District runs the E-3 and E-4 canals inside the city limits. The South Florida Water Management District runs the Hillsboro and C-15 canals.

Nearer the coast, much of the city rests on St. Lucie and Paola sands. The federal soil survey lists both as excessively drained, so water moves through them fast.

Farther inland, Immokalee and Myakka fine sands are common. The survey lists both as poorly drained. It puts the water table about a foot down from June through November. In April and May, the water sits closer to 4 feet down.

The soil survey rates all of these sands very limited for septic drain fields. Near the coast the reason is poor filtering, and inland it is a wet layer close to the surface. Florida's site rule calls for the wettest-season water table to sit at least 24 inches below a drain field's bottom. On a lot with water a foot down, that can mean fill to raise the field.

Slow drains during the wet months can point to a soaked drain field. That is a job for septic tank repair.

Who Permits Septic and Sewer Work in Boca Raton?

The Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County issues septic permits for Boca Raton homes. The state put its Department of Environmental Protection in charge of septic rules on July 1, 2021. The county health department still handles the permits and inspections.

Florida law requires a permit before anyone builds, repairs, modifies or abandons a septic system. Under the state rule, pumping a tank without disturbing the drain field is not a repair.

Inside the city, a new septic tank is the exception. The city's plan allows one for a new structure only in a previously developed, unsewered area. Even then, gravity sewer has to be more than 200 feet away. Where a new system fits those rules, septic system installation starts with the health department permit.

When sewer reaches a street, Florida law sets the timeline. Section 381.00655 gives the owner of a working septic system 365 days to connect after the sewer utility's written notice. A system that needs repair gets 90 days after the state's written notice. The city's checklist for a septic to sewer job asks for Palm Beach County Health Department approval.

In the Old Floresta and Pearl City historic districts, exterior work also needs a Certificate of Appropriateness. The city answers the permit questions for a given address, and we point you there.

Older Boca Raton Homes Still on Septic

Census survey data puts the median year built for Boca Raton homes at 1983. About half of the city's homes went up in the 1970s and 1980s. About 1 in 10 was built in 2010 or later.

About 4 in 10 homes here are single-family detached houses. Many of the rest sit in condo and apartment buildings. A 1983 home still on its first septic tank has a tank more than 40 years old.

A septic tank inspection shows what shape an older tank and drain field are in. The University of Florida extension service advises an inspection at least every three years.

Under the state septic rule, replacing a broken tank lid is not a repair. Adding an approved outlet filter is not a repair either, as long as the drain field is left alone. We handle both jobs.

The city's Innovative Sustainable Infrastructure Program lists water main replacement projects in Golden Harbour and Old Floresta. That work covers the city's water mains and meters.