New to Septic in Kaufman County? Your First 30 Days on It
- →About 98% of 2024 Kaufman County septic permits were aerobic or surface irrigation systems, so a newer home here almost always has an aerator, pump tank, alarm panel, and spray heads.source
- →Kaufman County requires every aerobic system to have a maintenance contract with a licensed provider and an inspection every four months; owners can't do the maintenance themselves.source
- →The county's OSSF order requires purple pop-up spray heads set to spray between 12 a.m. and 5 a.m., which is why your sprinklers run in the middle of the night.
If you're living on septic for the first time in Kaufman County, your home almost certainly has an aerobic system. In your first 30 days, find the tank lids, alarm panel, and spray heads, sign a maintenance contract with a licensed provider, and gather the permit and past reports. Then keep wipes, grease, and harsh chemicals out of the drains, and spread out laundry.source
Is my house on septic or city sewer?
Check your water bill first. If there's a sewer charge, you're on city sewer; if there isn't, and especially if you're on a water supply corporation or a private well, you're almost certainly on septic.
Plenty of new residents with a Forney, Crandall, Kaufman, or Terrell mailing address are surprised by this. City addresses often stretch well past the city's sewer lines, and most homes on acreage or in rural subdivisions treat their own wastewater on the lot.
The other giveaways are in the yard: a small panel with a red light mounted on a post or the house, green or purple sprinkler heads in one section of the yard, and round lids in the ground somewhere between the house and the spray area. If you see those, you have an aerobic septic system.
How to find your septic system and its parts
Start with the paperwork, then walk the yard. The system's design drawing shows where each part sits, and you can get it from the seller's closing documents or from Kaufman County Development Services (publicworks@kaufmancounty.net, (469) 376-4127). Inside Terrell or Oak Ridge city limits, ask the city. Near Heath or Cedar Creek Lake, check with the City of Heath or the Tarrant Regional Water District, which TCEQ also lists as authorized agents.
Don't probe or dig blindly. Tank lids are usually close to the surface, and the lines between the tanks and spray heads are shallow. Texas 811 marks public utility lines before you dig, but it won't mark your private septic lines, so use the design drawing or ask your maintenance provider to show you.
| Part | What it looks like | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| Tank lids and risers | Round green or concrete lids, often two or three in a row | Usually a short walk from the house, on the side where the plumbing exits |
| Air compressor (aerator) | Small box or housing that hums constantly | Next to the tank lids or mounted near the house |
| Alarm and control panel | Gray box with a red or amber light and a silence button | On a post near the tanks or on an exterior wall |
| Chlorinator | A capped tube you can open, holding a stack of tablets | Between the aeration tank and pump tank |
| Spray heads | Purple pop-up sprinkler heads | In the designated spray area, away from the house and wells |
| Maintenance tag | A weather-resistant tag signed at each visit | On or inside the control panel or aerator housing |
How an aerobic septic system works, in one minute
An aerobic system is a small treatment plant in your yard. Wastewater leaves the house and settles in a trash tank, where solids sink and grease floats. The liquid moves to an aeration chamber, where the air compressor pumps in oxygen so bacteria can break down the waste. It then settles again, passes a chlorinator that disinfects it, and collects in a pump tank. At night, a pump sends it out to the spray heads.
That's why it needs more care than a city sewer connection. It has electrical parts that wear out, bacteria that can be killed by the wrong products, and a chlorinator that has to stay stocked. It's also why Texas requires a maintenance contract on it. If you want the full background, read why Texas requires aerobic maintenance contracts.source
Your first 30 days on septic: a checklist
Do these in your first month, roughly in this order. The maintenance contract is the one with a deadline: the affidavit recorded on aerobic properties says a new owner must obtain a maintenance contract within 30 days of the transfer, unless the system is still in the installer's initial two-year service policy, which carries over to you.source
TCEQ also advises new owners to contact the local permitting authority to identify themselves as the new owner. In most of the county, that's Development Services.source
| When | Task |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | Find the lids, aerator, alarm panel, chlorinator, and spray area; confirm the aerator is humming and no alarm light is on |
| Week 1 | Collect the permit, design, contract, and past reports from the seller, title file, or countysource |
| Week 1-2 | Call the previous owner's provider and one or two others; sign a contract with a licensed maintenance providersource |
| Week 2 | Confirm the provider filed the contract with Development Services and ask about the $25 yearly county renewal fee |
| Week 2-3 | Ask for a first visit now, not at the next route date; get a dated report |
| Week 3 | Buy calcium hypochlorite septic tablets if you're responsible for chlorine; store them outside the house and garagesource |
| Week 4 | Set a calendar reminder 60 days before the contract expires; start a folder for every report and invoice |
State rules let some owners maintain their own aerobic systems after two years, but Kaufman County's OSSF order requires a licensed maintenance provider for all aerobic maintenance. Plan on a contract for as long as you own the house.source
What not to flush or pour down the drain on septic
The short rule: only toilet paper and human waste go in the toilet, and nothing that would kill bacteria goes down any drain. Aerobic systems depend on a stable population of microbes, and Texas A&M AgriLife's guide to living with an aerobic unit is blunt that if something will harm them, don't send it down the drain.
"Septic safe" on a wipe usually means it flows through the pipe, not that it breaks down in the tank. Those wipes pile up in the trash tank and raise your pumping bill. For the longer list of daily habits, see our do's and don'ts of living on an aerobic system.
| Keep out of the system | Why |
|---|---|
| Wipes of any kind, including "flushable" | Don't break down; collect in the tank and can clog pumps |
| Cooking grease and oil | Forms a scum layer and can pass into the spray lines |
| Feminine products, diapers, condoms, dental floss | Nondigestible; must be pumped or pulled out |
| Coffee grounds and cat litter | Add to the sludge that has to be pumped |
| Medications and antibiotics | Hard on the bacteria that do the treating |
| Chemical drain openers | Kill the bacteria; use boiling water or a plunger |
| Paint, solvents, gasoline, pesticides, antifreeze | Toxic to the system and the soil |
| Automatic toilet bowl cleaners | Send a steady dose of chemicals into the tank |
| Lots of bleach or antibacterial soap | Fine in normal amounts; heavy use hurts treatment |
Water habits that keep an aerobic system happy
An aerobic system is sized for a certain amount of water each day, and it treats best when flow is steady. A 3-bedroom home is typically designed around 240 gallons a day with water-saving fixtures. Big surges, like six loads of laundry on Saturday, push water through before it's fully treated.
Most of these are small changes, and they matter more on Blackland Prairie clay, where the spray area can't soak up much extra water after a wet week.source
- Spread laundry across the week instead of doing it all in one day
- Fix running toilets and dripping faucets; a toilet that runs all day quietly sends a lot of extra water into the system
- Use the garbage disposal sparingly or not at all; it adds solids and water
- Ask your provider whether your water softener's backwash or your AC condensate line drains into the system; neither needs treatment
- Go easy on big soaking tubs and multi-head showers that dump large volumes at once
- After a vacation, ease back into normal water use over a couple of days so the bacteria can recover
The aerobic routine: what you do and what your provider does
Your maintenance provider handles the technical work three times a year. Your part is a few minutes of noticing things between visits. Our guide to what an aerobic maintenance visit should cover shows what a good visit looks like.
| How often | You | Your provider |
|---|---|---|
| Daily | Glance at the alarm light when you pass it | Nothing |
| Weekly | Listen for the aerator humming; look for soggy spots or odor | Nothing |
| Monthly | Check the chlorinator if you're responsible for tablets; clear grass from spray heads | Nothing |
| Every 4 months | Check the tag afterward and file the report | Inspect aerator, pumps, floats, alarm, chlorinator, and spray heads; report to you and the county within 14 days |
| Yearly | Make sure the renewal reaches the county 30 days before expirationsource | Measure sludge and recommend pumping when needed |
Use calcium hypochlorite tablets made for septic chlorinators. Kaufman County says not to use swimming pool or stabilized chlorine. Pool tablets look almost the same and are a common cause of failed disinfection.source
What to do if the septic alarm goes off or the power goes out
If the alarm sounds, press the silence button, cut back on water use, and call your maintenance provider. The alarm usually means high water in the pump tank or a problem with the aerator, and there's some reserve room built in, but not much. Our guide to a septic alarm going off walks through the common causes.
Power outages work the same way. Texas A&M AgriLife notes that the minimum reserve capacity in Texas is one-third of the daily design flow, only about 80 gallons for a 3-bedroom home. During a short outage, limit water to toilets and hand washing. During a long one, stop using water. When power returns, the alarm may sound for a while as the system catches up; if it stays on more than 24 hours, call your provider.
Yard rules for living with a spray field
Treat the spray area as part of the system, not as extra lawn. The water it sprays is treated wastewater, not drinking water, and AgriLife notes Texas rules prohibit spraying it on vegetable gardens.
Before you plan a pool, shop, barndominium, or fence, pull out the design drawing. Spray areas and tanks have setback distances, and there may be less room than it looks. Our guide to barndominiums, shops, and guest houses on septic covers what needs a permit.source
- Don't park or drive on the tanks or spray area; clay ruts easily and lids can cracksource
- Don't build driveways, sheds, patios, or sidewalks over any part of the system
- Keep kids, pets, and play equipment out of the spray area
- Mow around the spray heads and keep grass from blocking them
- Point gutters and yard drainage away from the tanks and spray area
- Don't plant a vegetable garden in or next to the spray area
What living on septic costs each year in Kaufman County
Plan on roughly $450-$900 a year in routine costs for an aerobic system, plus chlorine tablets, before any repairs. The bills come in lumps rather than a monthly sewer charge: the contract comes due once a year and parts fail on their own schedule. Our aerobic maintenance contract pricing guide shows what a fair contract includes.source
| Cost | Planning range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance contractsource | $300-$600 per year | Three visits a year; ask what's includedsource |
| County renewal fee | $25 per year | Often bundled into the provider's price |
| Aerator electricity | $120-$240 per year | Runs around the clock |
| Chlorine tabletssource | Varies by use | Sometimes included in the contract |
| Pump-out | $300-$600 when needed | Every few years, based on sludge measurements |
| Aerator or pump repair | $400-$1,200 | The most common repair bill |
Who to call about your septic system
Call your maintenance provider first for almost anything: alarms, odors, spray heads, or questions about the chlorinator. They know your system and they're under contract. For anything beyond maintenance, the county requires a TCEQ-licensed contractor, even for sprinkler heads. Our aerobic septic maintenance page can connect you with licensed providers if you don't have one yet.source
| Situation | Who to call |
|---|---|
| Alarm, odor, spray heads not working | Your maintenance provider |
| No provider yet, or switching providers | Licensed maintenance providers; the county posts a provider listsource |
| Permit records, contract filings, renewal feesource | Kaufman County Development Services, (469) 376-4127 |
| Neighbor's septic surfacing or smelling | violations@kaufmancounty.net |
| Inside Terrell or Oak Ridge city limits | Your city |
| Near Heath or Cedar Creek Lake | City of Heath or the Tarrant Regional Water District |
| Licensing questions or complaints about a provider | TCEQ OSSF program, ossf@tceq.texas.gov |
- Kaufman County OSSF page
- TCEQ OSSF homeowner guidance
- TCEQ maintenance guidance
- TCEQ OSSF system selection
- Kaufman County maintenance requirements (Did You Know)
- Kaufman County TCEQ-approved OSSF order
- Kaufman County Development Services FAQs
- TCEQ historical OSSF permitting data
- TCEQ: Advice for an Owner of an On-Site Sewage Facility
- 30 TAC 285.3 General Requirements (aerobic affidavit)
- EPA SepticSmart: How to Care for Your Septic System
- Texas A&M AgriLife: Living with an Aerobic Treatment Unit and Spray Field (B-6234)
- Texas A&M AgriLife: Responding to Electrical Power Outages and Floods (ER-001)
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