Last September, a new Texas statute went into effect that relaxes onsite inspection requirements. It states that rural residents may maintain the systems instead of relying on service companies to inspect them three times a year. Furthermore, residents are no longer required to file periodic county reports to prove systems are working properly.Collin County commissioners are debating whether to pass an ordinance requiring rural homeowners to be trained in how to maintain onsite systems and report test results to the county. Some North Texas counties, including Dallas, Denton and Ellis, already have passed local rules that override the state guidelines.
