Land & New Construction
Market News & Data
General Info
Real Estate Strategies
![](http://bpimg.biggerpockets.com/assets/forums/sponsors/hospitable-deef083b895516ce26951b0ca48cf8f170861d742d4a4cb6cf5d19396b5eaac6.png)
Landlording & Rental Properties
Real Estate Professionals
Financial, Tax, & Legal
![](http://bpimg.biggerpockets.com/assets/forums/sponsors/equity_trust-2bcce80d03411a9e99a3cbcf4201c034562e18a3fc6eecd3fd22ecd5350c3aa5.avif)
![](http://bpimg.biggerpockets.com/assets/forums/sponsors/equity_1031_exchange-96bbcda3f8ad2d724c0ac759709c7e295979badd52e428240d6eaad5c8eff385.avif)
Real Estate Classifieds
Reviews & Feedback
Updated over 14 years ago on . Most recent reply
![John Harvey's profile image](https://bpimg.biggerpockets.com/no_overlay/uploads/social_user/user_avatar/47418/1694663303-avatar-j_harvey.jpg?twic=v1/output=image/cover=128x128&v=2)
permitting for septic & water
I came across a group of vacant building lots for sale in a 1960’s subdivision. About 1/3 of the lots are built on and I would guess most of the houses are 20-30 years old. Of the vacant lots, the largest lot is over 1 ½ acres and is flat & wooded. The lots are selling for roughly $5k each. This subdivision is in the county and all of the lots would need to have private water and sewer, and none of them are currently permitted for this.
I understand that the property is selling for such a reduced rate due to the areas poor soil drainage (I live in an area that is predominately clay) and the expense associated with installing a more expensive and engineered septic system. The seller has provided a study by a soil scientist stating that “some of the lots would be potentially suitable for a drip sub-surface septic systemâ€. I contacted this individual, and asked a bunch of questions on this and I understand that this process would take between $6-8k to evaluate and design a system for permitting – this cost would not include the actual septic system.
Even with the expense associated with septic and water permitting, I feel this is a good opportunity to either buy/permit/sell or develop as a sfr or simply buy and hold the lot. Does anyone have any thoughts on the expense or process associated with having a vacant lot permitted for water & septic?
Most Popular Reply
![Corey Williams's profile image](https://bpimg.biggerpockets.com/no_overlay/uploads/social_user/user_avatar/5266/1637250538-avatar-corey1973.jpg?twic=v1/output=image/crop=1396x1396@447x0/cover=128x128&v=2)
A quick google search gave me the following link with some general information regarding well and septic systems. Every State and/or County Department of Health is a bit different in their regulations. I searched North Carolina which I assumed is where the lots are.
http://www.bae.ncsu.edu/programs/extension/publicat/wqwm/wm1.html