Rep. Chris Dorworth (R-Lake Mary) introduced legislation to repeal mandatory five-year septic tank inspections and give local governments power to regulate them. The bill uses the current statute’s mandatory inspections, including who would be allowed to do them, how often they are required, and price caps for each step of the process.

It also makes the measures optional at the discretion of county commissions and allows county health departments to inspect tanks with possible compliance issues. Rep. Marti Coley (R-Marianna), who is sponsoring legislation that would repeal the septic tank inspections entirely, was a primary co-sponsor on Dorworth’s bill.

Sen. Charles Dean (R-Inverness) filed the Onsite Sewage Treatment and Disposal Systems bill that would transfer onsite permits with the title of the property, provide circumstances when systems are not considered abandoned, assure the system’s validity if rules change before final approval of the system, and require an upgrade only if a bedroom is added to a single-family home. If passed, the act would take effect July 1.

New Jersey

The state Department of Environmental Protection rewrote legislation passed in 2008 that limits onsite systems and sewers on more than 300,000 acres. Ray Cantor, chief adviser for the DEP, stated that the rules were flawed and could not be implemented.

An overhaul of the solid waste and recycling code by the State Commission of Investigation to combat organized crime infiltration could require pumpers to undergo an extensive criminal background check before obtaining or renewing their licenses.

Rhode Island

Coastal homeowners wishing to extend a wall or add a breezeway will no longer be required to install denitrification units. The state Department of Environmental Management rewrote the rule and suspended the requirement for three years. Only renovations costing 50 percent or more of the assessed value of a home – or a septic system failure – would trigger the requirement to install a denitrification system.

The agency also allowed alternative denitrifying technologies permitted in other states to be used in Rhode Island. A third rule change would allow up to 10 pilot installations of each new nitrogen reduction technology. The agency also plans to re-file legislation requiring onsite upgrades as part of property transfers.