Scoop on Poop: A Sewer Rule Change That Could Cost Thousands

St. Tammany changed how on-site sewer systems get inspected, and it quietly shifts who pays when you buy or sell. Here’s what it means for you.

The silly title is doing some work here, because the subject underneath it is one most people never think about until it costs them.

In St. Tammany, the rules for on-site sewer, septic tanks, and advanced treatment systems that many Northshore homes rely on have changed.

If your home has one, or you’re about to buy or sell one that does, you now have to think about it.

The responsibility quietly moved off the seller. It used to be simple. Sell a home with an on-site system, and the contract required the seller to get it certified by the parish, with a hard backstop: the buyer couldn’t even turn on the utilities in their name until the parish cleared the system.

That rule is gone for most of the parish now. St. Tammany drew what it calls an urban growth boundary line, and below it, where most people live, sellers no longer have to certify anything at all.

The parish checks every system now, on a timer. What took its place is a three-year inspection cycle. The parish calls it triennial inspections, and they apply whether or not a home is on the market. So if you spot someone you don’t recognize lifting the lid on your system in the yard, that’s the parish, not a trespasser.

The point of the switch is long-term maintenance. Under the old way, a system got looked at once during a sale and then nobody checked it again for 15 or 20 years, which is plenty of time for a line to break or an aerator to quit and start sending waste downstream, into the ditches that run to the bayous, Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, and eventually the Gulf. All drains lead to the ocean, as Gregg likes to say.

A failed inspection can get expensive fast. These inspections are already underway, and many of the systems checked so far haven’t passed. A failure doesn’t just mean a note from the parish; it means hiring a private contractor to fix the problem, and that can run into the thousands. On a good note, the parish offers grants and financial help for homeowners whose systems fail or need replacing.

For buyers and sellers, it’s a bargaining chip now. Since the seller no longer has to certify below the line, certification becomes something you negotiate, right alongside price and closing date. A seller can decline, and the buyer can let it slide for a better price, ask for the parish certification anyway, or hire their own contractor who knows the new rules. One catch still applies: the parish collects a fee, $100 in St. Tammany and more in some neighboring parishes, and either side can be responsible now.

You can watch the full breakdown above, or jump to the part that affects your situation using the timestamps below.

00:00 — The Scoop
00:33 — How Sewer Works
02:40 — The New Change
06:16 — Parish Inspections
07:25 — Assistance & Negotiation Options
10:03 — Do Your Part

Let’s make sure this doesn’t catch you off guard. Mark my words. Livingston, Tangipahoa, and Washington will likely see something like this soon too.

If you’re buying or selling a Northshore home with an on-site sewer system, you may want to review St. Tammany’s Environmental Services.

We’re also working through these deals right now, and we’d be glad to walk you through yours. Call or text us at (985) 218-5445, email us at TGroup@kw.com, or visit findnolahomes.com. We’ll help you handle the scoop on poop, with a smile.

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