Sewage System Maintenance Inspection Program

• Review your information package carefully
• Mark your week of inspection in your calendar.
• Complete the online Sewage System Maintenance Inspection Program Questionnaire as soon as possible (Due May 19, 2026)

If you are unable to complete the questionnaire online, please contact the Building & Planning Administrator as soon as possible. You can request a paper copy by mail or complete it at the Township office.

You may retain your own qualified inspector to complete this inspection and file the certificate 1 week prior to the Township's scheduled date of inspection and shall be on a form prescribed by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. This form is found in the 2024-31 Building By-law under Appendix B (Mandatory Program Certificate) and Appendix C (Discretionary Program Certificate. You are responsible for all privately charged fees. The Document Review - 3rd Party Certificate fee noted in in the fees section below will apply. 

Important! Failure to submit an outside agency inspection certificate 1 week prior to your inspection date will result in the Township inspector attending your property as scheduled and you will be responsible for all associated fees.

Preparation

An inspector from the Township will contact you by phone one week prior to your inspection to determine if you wish to be onsite and if there is a date of preference during the scheduled week. They will book an inspection slot with you at this time. During the call you will also be reminded to expose your sewage system lids, and the inspector may have additional questions regarding your sewage system at this time.

The property owner is responsible for locating the sewage system(s) on their property and uncovering the earth of the tank lids if applicable. If you require assistance locating the lids or uncovering them please contact a local sewage system service company to assist you.

You do not have to be present during an inspection; however, you may choose to be.

Inspection

An inspector will visit your property at the inspection time arranged during the phone call, or as close to it as possible. Inspections will be completed during normal business hours (8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday). The inspector will knock on the door, identify themselves to anyone present and explain the nature of the visit.

Photos may be taken during this process to note site observations.

Following the inspection of your sewage system (or review of the submitted certificate completed by a qualified inspector, submitted by the property owner to the Township) you will be provided with a certificate and a corresponding invoice by mail.

Certificates and Reports

Green Certificate – This certificate is issued when there are no obvious or outward signs of malfunction, non-compliance or failure at the time of inspection. 

Yellow Certificate – This certificate is issued when there are no obvious or outward signs of malfunction, non-compliance or failure at the time of inspection, however at the discretion of the inspector, there are conditions that exist that may threaten the long-term health of the system that need to be brought to the owner’s attention.

Due to the low-risk nature of the existing condition, the property owner may choose to monitor the concern, or the owner may choose to rectify the concern and request that the Department issue a green certificate upon verification by the inspector that the concern does not exist anymore (appropriate fee to assessed).

Red Report – This report is issued when there are obvious or outward signs of malfunction, non-compliance or failure at the time of inspection. The deficiencies outlined in the report must be corrected within 30 days. Verification that the deficiency has been corrected will result in an additional fee being charged to the owner. Failure to address the deficiency within 30 days will result in an Order to Comply being issued with associated fees being charged.

For complete details regarding enforcement in the event of failed systems please refer to the Building By-law 2024-31, as amended.

Do NOT have your tank pumped out prior to the inspection.

A reasonably full, operational tank is required in order to conduct a proper inspection and to determine the overall health of your tank.

If your tank is scheduled to be pumped out before your date of inspection, please contact us immediately! We will do our best to get to your property prior the pump out. 

Fees for the Sewage System Maintenance Inspection program are listed in Schedule A of the Township's 2024-31 Building By-law and are shown below.

A general description of the fees is as follows:

Standard Inspection – A standard inspection fee will be assessed on every property where an inspection is to take place, unless a 3^rd party certificate has been accepted by the Chief Building Official in accordance with the provisions of the Maintenance Inspection Program.

Follow-up Inspection – A follow-up inspection fee will be assessed in addition to the standard fee when the standard inspection fails or cannot be completed and a subsequent site visit must be completed. 

Supplemental Review – A supplemental review fee will be assessed in addition to a standard fee when the standard inspection fails or cannot be completed and a review of supplemental information is required without the need for a site visit.

Document Review - 3^rd party certificate – This fee is assessed when the property owner elects to have an inspection completed by a qualified professional and submits the required form to the Building Department for review. This fee will be charged in addition to the Standard Inspection Fee if the Certificate is not submitted to the Building Department within the prescribed timeframe. 

Invoicing

An invoice will be provided to the Owner by mail following the completion of the inspection(s) and it is payable by December 31st of the year that it was issued. Unpaid amounts will be added to the tax account for the following year to be collected in accordance with the Act.

For more information on Drinking Water Source Protection or the Clean Water Act please contact Otonabee Region Conservation Authority (ORCA) at otonabeeca@otonabeeconsersation.com or by phone at 705-745-5791.

For more information about the health and safety of your sewage system in Ontario, please visit the Ontario Onsite Wastewater Association (OOWA) website and check out their Homeowner Resources page.

If you have questions about the  Sewage System Maintenance Inspection Program please contact the Building Department by email at building-planning@dourodummer.ca or by phone at 705-652-8392 ext. 211.