GregHarris

gregharris@watsontitle.net

(904)4613220
http://www.watsontitle.net

WatsonTitleServicesofNFL,Inc.|11226SanJoseBlvd.,Suite2|Jacksonville,FL32223

Are You on Septic or City?

This is of the most important and occasionally overlooked question both a listing agent and a selling agent need to
ask as soon as possible, Does this house have a septic tank, or is it hooked up to the city?
While a homeowner may know, there are a lot of properties out there that are not owner occupied or are being
sold as part of an estate. The person who is selling the home may not know.
Sometimes it is obvious, sometimes not. Not all septic systems have mounds. You can have neighbors on both
sides hooked up to the city, but the home in the middle is on septic. The home inspector may not notice or
mention it, and the septic tank does not always have to be on the survey. City lines may be in the neighborhood,
but not all houses may have been hooked up. The only way to know for sure is to check with the city or county.
If you know the property is on septic, there is a second question to ask is there a requirement to hook up to the
city before the home is sold? In the last few years, a lot of neighborhoods in NE FL are being hooked up to the city
as their older septic tanks are failing and causing significant pollution problems in our local waters. We will be
seeing this more and more.
Determining the septic tank status is critical, as to shift from septic to city can cost thousands of dollars and require
significantly disruptive work around the house as the septic tank is made inoperable and the connection to the city
is made. The week before closing is not the time to find out, and this kind of surprise may cause some problems
with the transaction.
Unfortunately, there is no one place to go to find out. In Duval County for example, there are many different septic
decommissioning and phaseout programs some voluntary, some mandatory. Most parts of Duval County are
covered by JEA, but Neptune Beach, Atlantic Beach, and Jacksonville Beach have their own service and
requirements. You will find similar complications in surrounding counties.
Here is a starting list for you on who you should call to determine your propertys status. Not all areas have
programs to phase out septic tanks or requirements. Some who do, specifically JEA, have programs in place to
mitigate the costs in some circumstances.
Duval County: JEA Project Outreach, 6657500 or projectoutreach@jea.com. Note: JEA also services parts of
Nassau, Clay, and significant parts of St. Johns County.
Atlantic Beach: Chris, 2475834
Neptune Beach: Kelly, 2702400 ext. 30
Jacksonville Beach: Chuck, 2476219
St. Johns County: 2092700 option 4
Nassau County: 5306450
Fernandina Beach: 3103420
Though asking questions to the seller about the septic tank status is important, we recommend that you determine
the status yourself if there is any doubt, as if you are caught by surprise, it will delay closing. It is always better to
get paid this month than next.