Page Banner

Onsite Sewage Program

Permitting of Enhanced Nutrient Reducing Onsite Sewage Treatment and Disposal Systems (ENR-OSTDS), House Bill 1379 

Map: BMAPs and Alternative Restoration Plans - OSTDS Requirements 

Ichetucknee Springs
*UPDATED* Springs Protection and Basin Management Action Plans (BMAPs)

Enhanced Nitrogen-Reducing OSTDS to meet requirements of House Bill 1379/ Laws of Florida 2023-169 

Nitrogen-Reducing Systems Product List

Onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems (OSTDS), commonly referred to as septic systems, are currently used for wastewater disposal by approximately 30% of Florida’s population. With an estimated 2.6 million systems in operation, Florida represents 12% of the United States’ septic systems. 

Proper design, construction and maintenance of systems are important to help protect Florida’s ground water, which provides 90% of the state's drinking water. Permitting and inspection of OSTDS is handled by the Environmental Health section of the Florida Department of Health in each county. If you have a question or concern about an issue that is located entirely within one county, versus statewide, please contact your local county health department directly.

Onsite Sewage Program News & Rule Development

Program Transfer

Please Note: Some documents are still in the process of being updated to reflect the transfer of the Onsite Sewage Program from the Florida Department of Health to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the location of some documents may have changed. If you have questions, please contact OSTDS_Feedback@FloridaDEP.gov.

Effective July 1, 2021, DEP is responsible for implementing the Florida Statutes and regulations applicable to OSTDS. Under Florida's Clean Waterways Act of 2020, the county health department offices will continue to do the permitting and inspection for septic tanks; please continue to work with them for all of your permitting-related needs. For more details, please see our dedicated program transfer page.

    For the Public

    For Businesses

    Special Focus


    Onsite Sewage Program
    Florida Department of Environmental Protection
    2600 Blair Stone Road, MS 3596
    Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2400
    850-245-4070
    OSTDS_Feedback@FloridaDEP.gov

    Some content on this site is saved in an alternative format. The following icons link to free Reader/Viewer software:
    PDF: | Word: | Excel: