Skip to content
Nearby Septic — nearbyseptic.com · Verified septic directory · printed Sep 28, 2026
Permit guide

Medina County Septic Permits (2026): Rules & Fees

Verified against county records · sources last read August 7, 2026 · rules change — confirm with the agent before applying

Medina County approved the replacement of 140 sewage systems in 2025 and formally abandoned another 24, and it does not publish a septic fee schedule anywhere on its website. Two sewage-related fees are in writing: a lot split application at $150 and a site evaluation application at $350. The installation permit, the alteration permit and the operation permit all have prices; none of them is published, and the honest answer is that Environmental Health on (330) 723-9523 is the only source. What follows is everything Medina County Health Department does put in writing.

What Does a Septic Permit Cost in Medina County?

Nobody outside the office can tell you, and anyone quoting you a Medina permit fee from a website is quoting something they made up. We looked for a schedule across the department’s site, its document library and its sitemaps, and there is none. These are the figures the county publishes.

ItemFeeSource
Lot split application$150.00Lot split / site evaluation fact sheet (Rev. 4-24)
Site evaluation application$350.00Lot split / site evaluation fact sheet (Rev. 4-24)
State portion of every Ohio installation permit$74.00 new or replacement, $35.00 alterationOAC 3701-29-05(C)(3)
Ohio EPA notice of intent, discharging systems$200.00 to Ohio EPAOhio EPA HSTS general permit page

The third row is the only permit figure you can rely on without calling. Since January 1, 2017 every Ohio board of health has collected $74 on each new or replacement installation permit and $35 on each alteration and passed it to the Ohio Department of Health. Whatever Medina charges, that much of it belongs to the state.

A trap worth naming. Search for Medina County septic fees and you will find a fee and charge schedule for Medina County sewer and water systems. That belongs to the Medina County Sanitary Engineer, a different agency handling public sewer and water. Its one septic-adjacent line is septage disposal: a $75 permit fee per vehicle and a disposal rate of $0.15 per gallon, which is what a pumper pays to unload, not what a homeowner pays to permit. Do not budget from it. For what a system costs to build, see our cost guides.

Who Issues Septic Permits in Medina County?

The Medina County Health Department is the health district for the whole county, and its Environmental Health division issues septic permits. No city in Medina runs a separate health district.

Medina County Health Department, Environmental Health
4800 Ledgewood Drive, Medina, OH 44256
Environmental Health: (330) 723-9523 · Main: (330) 723-9688 · Fax: (330) 723-9650
Email: env@medinahealth.org
Web: medinahealth.org

Lot Splits and Site Evaluations, the Two Gates Before a Permit

Medina separates the two, prices them differently, and asks different questions in each.

  • Lot split evaluation, $150. Required any time a parcel is split into a new lot that contains an existing dwelling. Submit a preliminary scaled plat and a soil report. Where the existing system is functioning the county looks for one replacement area; where it is failing, two. A system causing a nuisance has to be replaced before the split is approved. Adding acreage to a parcel does not trigger an evaluation.
  • Site evaluation, $350. Required any time a new vacant parcel is created. Submit a soil report meeting Ohio Administrative Code 3701-29-07, a scaled drawing with contour lines, and mark all lot lines on the ground.

Both start with soil work you commission yourself. The county publishes a soil evaluator list, though it is dated May 26, 2021 and names seven firms and individuals, so ask the office whether it is current before you ring anyone on it.

What the State Rules Require, Wherever You Are in Ohio

Medina publishes little, but Ohio Administrative Code Chapter 3701-29 applies here in full, and it sets most of the sequence.

  1. Site review before the permit application. Rule 3701-29-09(A) requires the board of health to run a site review, including a soil evaluation and a design, before it accepts a permit application. An approved site review stays valid five years so long as the site and the design do not change.
  2. Permit before construction. Rule 3701-29-09(B) makes it unlawful to install, replace or alter a system without a permit. The installation permit runs one year from issue, the board may add six months, and it transfers with the property on sale.
  3. Registered installer only. Rule 3701-29-09(D) requires the work to be done by a registered installer under the permit. Our installation guide covers what that work involves.
  4. Inspection before cover, then again within a year. Rule 3701-29-09(E) requires the board to inspect the installation before final cover, and rule 3701-29-09(H) requires another inspection within twelve months of approval to see how the system is running.
  5. Operation permit for the life of the system. Rule 3701-29-09(I) prohibits operating a system without a valid operation permit, which may run for up to ten years at the board’s discretion.

If your system discharges off-lot, there is a second permit and it is not the county’s. Ohio EPA’s general permit OHK000004 for discharging household sewage treatment systems took effect on January 1, 2022 and expires on December 31, 2026, with a homeowner notice-of-intent fee of $200 payable to Ohio EPA and the first part filed by the local health department. A discharging system in Medina needs both permits, and the state one has a renewal date on the calendar.

One genuinely local rule is published and worth knowing: a memo dated May 14, 2024 states that all garage floor drain installations must be installed under a plumbing permit from the Medina County Health Department, and that in areas served by household sewage treatment systems those drains may continue to discharge to the storm drain unless another agency’s rules prohibit it.

Which Contractors You Can Use

Ohio issues no septic license, and Medina does not publish its registered contractor lists. Ask the office for them.

Under Ohio Administrative Code 3701-29-03 an installer, service provider or septage hauler registers with each health district they work in, and the registration expires at the end of the calendar year. Registration requires at least $500,000 of general liability cover, six continuing-education hours a year at renewal, and a statewide surety bond filed on the Ohio Department of Health’s form: $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. Medina directs enquirers to the office for the current lists, so a contractor’s claim to be registered here is worth checking on the phone rather than taking on trust. Nobody in Ohio is a “licensed” septic contractor; see how we verify for what we check instead.

Medina County Permit FAQs

How much is a septic permit in Medina County?

The county does not publish it. Call Environmental Health on (330) 723-9523 for the current figure. The two sewage fees Medina does publish are $150 for a lot split application and $350 for a site evaluation application. Any Ohio installation permit also carries a $74 state portion, or $35 on an alteration.

Do I need a site evaluation before splitting land in Medina County?

Yes, and which one you need depends on what you are creating. Splitting a parcel that contains an existing dwelling triggers a $150 lot split evaluation; creating a new vacant parcel triggers a $350 site evaluation. Both require a soil report and a scaled drawing, and a system causing a nuisance must be replaced before a split is approved.

Who does the soil evaluation in Medina County?

A private soil evaluator you hire, not the health department. The county publishes a soil evaluator list, but the version on its site is dated May 26, 2021, so confirm with the office that a name on it is still working before you book.

Does a discharging septic system in Medina County need an Ohio EPA permit?

Yes. Off-lot discharging systems are covered by Ohio EPA general permit OHK000004, which runs to December 31, 2026, with a $200 notice-of-intent fee payable to Ohio EPA. The health department files the first part of the notice of intent. That permit is separate from, and additional to, the county installation permit.

How many septic systems does Medina County permit each year?

The health department reported inspecting and approving 140 sewage system replacements in 2025, plus the formal abandonment of 24 decommissioned systems. The county publishes replacement and abandonment counts rather than a total permit figure, and does not publish a count of existing systems.


Sources: Medina County Health Department lot split and site evaluation fact sheet (Rev. 4-24); garage floor drain memo dated May 14, 2024; soil evaluator list dated May 26, 2021; Medina County Health Department Annual Report 2025; Medina County fee and charge schedule for county sewer and water systems, updated January 1, 2026 (Sanitary Engineer, cited only to distinguish it); Ohio EPA, Household Sewage Treatment Systems general permit page. All read August 7, 2026. Ohio Administrative Code Chapter 3701-29, effective January 1, 2015. Fees change; confirm before filing.

Ground conditions, registered contractors and the wider picture: Medina County septic hub. How permitting works elsewhere in the state: Ohio permit guides.

Ready to build or repair?

Every installer and site evaluator on our Medina County list is checked against ODH records.

Find Medina County pros
Ready when you are

Get free quotes from verified Medina County pros.

Pumping, an inspection, or help fixing a septic system: tell us once and we send it to up to 3 verified pros. Free, no spam, delete your request anytime.

Septic Quote Request

Secure form. Sent over an encrypted connection to up to 3 verified pros. Never sold to data brokers, and you can have your request deleted anytime.