CONTACT INFORMATION:
Our administrative offices are open Mon – Fri by phone, email, and virtual 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. For in-person service, front-desk hours are 9 a.m. – noon.
Sanitary (wastewater) and stormwater sewers are not the same in Fairfax County. View a diagram of proper and improper connections to the sanitary system and where private ownership responsibilities begin and end.
In order to connect a structure to the sanitary sewer, it must be located within the approved sewer service area and public sewer must be deemed available to the property. On July 2, 1979, the Board of Supervisors adopted the following wording to clarify Board policies on extending sanitary sewer service:
"The delineation of the sewer service area boundary is determined to include the immediately adjacent area which can be served by the smallest allowable gravity lines installed in accord with the normal engineering practices which will result in the safest and most cost-effective operations and, further, any extension of a sewer line across the surface drainage divide of an approved sewer service area shall not exceed a distance of 400 feet nor a manhole depth of 12 feet without approval by the Board of Supervisors."
Serving someone beyond 400 feet outside of the approved sewer service area (ASSA) with public sewer will require an expansion of the ASSA. Expansion of the ASSA must be considered and adopted by the Board of Supervisors, if an existing structure has a failed or failing on-site sewage disposal system which poses an imminent health threat to the public and the environment. Expansion of the ASSA must be adopted by the Board of Supervisors and requires documented public and/or environmental health issues validated by the Health Department.
Please note that historically, the Board of Supervisors has not allowed an expansion of the ASSA for new development and redevelopment. The expansion process starts with the Department of Planning and Development in collaboration with Wastewater Management.
To request public sewer extension beyond 400 feet outside the ASSA, please contact the Department of Planning and Development at 703-324-1380, TTY 711, provided the above conditions are met.
Questions about the Fairfax County Sewer Service Area?
Call the Wastewater Planning and Monitoring Division at 703-324-5015, TTY 711.
Public Sanitary Sewer Availability
Public Sanitary Sewer Availability
Sanitary discharge shall be conveyed from a building by gravity to the sanitary sewer wherever public sewer is available. Per Chapter 65, Article 6 of the Fairfax County Code regarding connections to the sanitary sewer system, a sanitary sewer main shall be deemed available when the main is within the distances specified below:
For single-family attached or detached dwelling units: within 300 feet of the structure.
All other structures: within 500 feet of the structure.
Pumped sewage systems will only be permitted in unusual circumstances when it can be proven that gravity connection to the sanitary sewer is technically unfeasible.
Once sewer is deemed available to the property, a permit must be obtained to connect the structure to the system.
Only a licensed plumber can obtain a permit to perform the actual sewer tap into a sewer main. If there is an existing spur, a homeowner may connect to the spur and install the sewer line to the house.
Payment of availability charge will not be accepted for any type of project or area that is not in an approved sewer service area (Effective Sept. 25, 1986).
For information regarding which charges apply to a given property, call the Wastewater Planning and Monitoring Division at 703-324-5015, TTY 711, or visit the public service counter at 12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 358, Fairfax, Va. 22035, Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. to noon.
Direct service connections to a sanitary sewer manhole must be inspected by the Wastewater Collection Division. The plumber must call the Wastewater Collection Division at 703-250-2003, TTY 711, at least 48 hours prior to actual connection.
Abandoning a Septic Field
Abandoning A Septic Field
If you are going to abandon a septic field, contact the Health Department at 703-246-2201, TTY 711 for more information.
Cap Off Sanitary Sewer
Cap Off Sanitary Sewer
Prior to demolishing a residential or commercial property that is currently connected to the public sewer system, obtain a sewer cap off permit and get a final inspection before a demolition permit will be issued.
Low pressure sewer systems use grinder pumps to grind the sewage from your home (much like a garbage disposal in your kitchen) and pump the sewage through small pipes to the Wastewater Collection System. Low pressure systems are sometimes used in areas which cannot be served by gravity pipes.