Verified against county records · sources last read August 7, 2026 · rules change — confirm with the agent before applying
A new or replacement household sewage treatment system permit in Geauga County costs $874: $800 to Geauga Public Health plus the $74 every Ohio health district collects on the state’s behalf. Altering an existing system is $435 ($400 plus a $35 state portion). Neither is the first cheque you write, because Geauga requires an approved lot evaluation first, at $170, and will not accept a permit application until that evaluation passes.
$874 for a new or replacement system, $435 for an alteration, and $170 for the lot evaluation that has to come first. Every line below is read from Geauga Public Health’s own 2026 Environmental Health fee schedule, updated December 1, 2025.
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Lot evaluation | $170.00 |
| Site plan design review | $50.00 |
| HSTS/GWRS permit, new or replacement | $874.00 ($800 district + $74 state) |
| HSTS/GWRS alteration permit | $435.00 ($400 district + $35 state) |
| Renewal permit (new, replacement or alteration) | $200.00 |
| Penalty, new or replacement permit | $200.00 |
| Penalty, alteration permit | $100.00 |
| Red tag, revisit or re-evaluation | $75.00 |
| Operation and maintenance permit, five-year | $100.00 |
| Operation and maintenance permit, one-year | $30.00 |
| Operation and maintenance non-compliance inspection | $300.00 |
| For Sale of Property evaluation | $350.00 (includes two visits) |
| Board of Health variance request | $350.00 |
| Subdivision review, 1 to 10 lots | $100.00 |
| NPDES inspection | $75.00 plus lab fees |
| Installer or service provider annual registration | $175.00 |
| Septage hauler annual registration | $100.00 (+$50 each additional truck) |
The $74 and the $35 are not Geauga’s money. Since January 1, 2017, Ohio Administrative Code 3701-29-05(C)(3) has required every board of health to collect $74 on each new or replacement installation permit and $35 on each alteration, and to remit it to the Ohio Department of Health. Any Ohio figure quoted without it is the district’s share, not what you pay at the counter.
The two penalty lines deserve a note. Breaking ground before the permit issues adds $200 on a new system and $100 on an alteration, on top of the permit itself. For what the system rather than the paperwork costs, see our septic cost guides.
Geauga Public Health is the health district for the whole county, and it is the only office that issues septic permits here. No city in Geauga runs a separate health district, so there is no municipal carve-out to check first.
Geauga Public Health, Environmental Health Division
12611 Ravenwood Dr., Suite 300, Chardon, OH 44024
Phone: (440) 279-1900
Email: info@geaugacountyhealth.org
Web: gphohio.org
About 70% of the county’s estimated 32,350 housing units rely on a household sewage system, on the health district’s own figure. Records of past installations are held at the office and are retrievable by address and road name, which is the first call to make when you are buying and nobody knows where the tank is.
Geauga runs it in two stages: lot evaluation first, permit second, and the district will not let you skip the first.
On top of the state rules, the Geauga County Board of Health has adopted four local codes, and two of them surprise people.
Geauga also runs an Operation and Maintenance Program for existing systems, with a $300 non-compliance inspection fee for owners who do not keep up, and an NPDES inspection at $75 plus lab fees for the systems that discharge off-lot.
Ohio issues no septic contractor license at all. What exists is registration with each health district plus a statewide surety bond filed with the Ohio Department of Health, and Geauga publishes its registered lists.
Under OAC 3701-29-03 an installer, service provider or septage hauler registers with every district they work in, and the registration expires at the end of the calendar year. Registering means showing at least $500,000 of general liability cover, six continuing-education hours a year at renewal, and a surety bond on the Ohio Department of Health’s own form that covers work in any district in the state: $40,000 for an installer doing more than one system a year, $25,000 for a service provider (reduced to $15,000 where the same firm also registers as an installer), and $25,000 for a septage hauler. Geauga charges $175 a year for an installer or service provider registration and $100 for a septage hauler, plus $50 for each extra truck.
Geauga Public Health publishes a current Septic Installer List, Service Provider List and Registered Pumper List, all refreshed in July 2026. Soil work is separate and private: the soil evaluation comes from a certified soil scientist you hire, not from the district. If a contractor tells you they are “licensed” in Ohio, they are using a word the state does not issue; ask instead which districts they are registered in and who holds their bond. That is the check behind every listing on our verification page.
All of these are hosted by Geauga Public Health at gphohio.org. Download current versions rather than reusing a contractor’s copy.
$874 for a new or replacement system and $435 for an alteration, on the fee schedule updated December 1, 2025. Both include the portion Ohio requires the district to collect for the state, $74 and $35 respectively. Budget $170 more for the lot evaluation, which has to be approved before a permit application is accepted.
Yes. Ohio treats altering an existing system as permitted work, and Geauga charges $435 for the alteration permit. OAC 3701-29-09(B) makes it unlawful to install, replace or alter a system without a permit from the board of health, and starting before the permit issues adds $100 on an alteration or $200 on a new system.
Ask Geauga Public Health before you plan on it, because the state rule points the other way. OAC 3701-29-09(D) says installation or alteration “shall only be conducted by a registered installer” under a permit, while OAC 3701-29-03(H) lets a board of health waive parts of the registration requirement for someone working only on their own residence. Whether that applies to your project is the district’s call, not ours.
The installation permit runs one year from issue, and the board of health may extend it by six months. The approved lot evaluation behind it lasts five years so long as site conditions and the design do not change, and a permit transfers with the property if you sell before the work is done. A renewal is $200.
Geauga has adopted a For Sale of Property evaluation and charges $350 for it, including two visits. Ask the Environmental Health Division whether your transaction triggers the evaluation, and ask early: a revisit is another $75, and a two-visit process is not something to start in closing week. A septic inspection by a private provider is a different thing from the county’s evaluation.
Sources: Geauga Public Health, Environmental Health Fees 2026 (updated December 1, 2025) and Household Sewage Systems program page, both read August 7, 2026; Ohio Administrative Code Chapter 3701-29, rules 3701-29-03, 3701-29-05 and 3701-29-09, effective January 1, 2015, read August 7, 2026. Fees change; confirm with the district before you file.
Ground conditions, registered contractors and the wider picture: Geauga County septic hub. How permitting works elsewhere in the state: Ohio permit guides.
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