Introduction
The Aquifer Protection Permit (APP) Residential Unit reviews applications for subdivisions, sewage collection systems, and on-site systems.
Some applications are reviewed by local government agencies (such as a local county, city, or DEQ regional office).
See the Application Submittal Locations form to determine if a local government agency has been delegated responsibility for reviewing your project.
For simplicity, the remainder of this page will only refer to ADEQ, instead of referring to ADEQ or the applicable delegated agency.
See the county health department contact and address list for more information.
The purpose of the APP Residential Unit is to protect human health and the environment from pollutants and disease associated with sewage from sewage collection systems and on-site systems.
We issue general aquifer protection permits to sewage collection systems and on-site systems that have a design flow that is less than 24,000 gallons per day (gpd).
On-site systems with a design flow equal to or greater than 24,000 gpd require an individual aquifer protection permit.
See the Aquifer Protection Program for more information about individual permits.
The APP Residential Unit also issues subdivision approvals, which is one of several components required by the Arizona Department of Real Estate in their Application for Public Report and is required prior to sale or lease of subdivided lands.
ADEQ Form 222 is the Completeness Review Guide for Engineering Review that provides a quick overview of the requirements for application submittals for Subdivisions, Sewage Collection Systems, and On-site Systems.
Track Application Status
See Track Application Status to determine the status of a sewage collection, onsite, or subdivision application.
Subdivisions
When a new subdivision is developed, the impact of those residents on the area's existing drinking water delivery and wastewater collection and treatment must be considered.
As a result, subdivision developers are required to submit to ADEQ information on sanitary facilities that will serve their future residents.
All subdivisions must obtain a Certificate of Approval of Sanitary Facilities for Subdivisions from ADEQ before a public report can be issued by the Department of Real Estate.
See the Arizona Department of Real Estate  for more information about its subdivision process.
These requirements apply whether a subdivision is to be served by existing facilities or will use a new on-site treatment facility.
General Application Process
- The applicant submits the Subdivision Application with the appropriate fee to ADEQ.
Subdivision applications typically need to be approved for the following, before a certificate of approval can be issued.
A complete list of what is required is included in the Approval of Sanitary Facilities application.
- ADEQ reviews the application for administrative deficiencies and sends out a deficiency letter if needed.
- Once all administrative and technical issues have been resolved a Certificate of Sanitary Facilities will be issued.
Fees
Subdivision review fees are established by Arizona Administrative Code (A.A.C.) R18-14-102(C)(4).
The application cost for a subdivision is as follows:
-
Sewered Subdivisions (treatment/disposal NOT within the lots):
150 lots or less = $300; 151 to 300 lots = $600; 301 to 450 lots = $900; etc.
($300 for each full 150 lot increment plus an additional $300 for any remaining "partial increment")
-
Subdivisions wherein sewage treatment and disposal will be located within each individual lot (individual septic systems or individual alternative on-site treatment/disposal systems):
40 lots or less = $500; 41 to 150 lots = $1,000; 151 to 300 lots = $1,500; 301 to 450 lots = $2,000 etc.
($1,000 for each full 150 lot increment plus an additional $1,000 for any remaining "partial increment", but 40 lots or less = only $500)
How Long Will it take to Obtain an Approval?
Subdivision applications are subject to Licensing Time Frames (A.A.C. R18-1-525), which limits the number of business days ADEQ can review your project without a penalty.
| License Type | Administrative Completeness
Review | Substantive Review | Overall Time Frame |
| Subdivision Community (Sewered) Facilities | 21 | 37 | 58 |
| Subdivision Individual (On-site) Facilities | 21 | 46 | 67 |
Forms
Applicable Rules
Sewage Collection Systems
All sewage collection systems must obtain approval from ADEQ prior to construction under the authority of a 4.01 General Permit.
ADEQ also has two Type 1 Sewage Collection System General Permits and a Capacity, Management, Operation, and Maintenance of Sewage Collection Systems Type 2 General Permit.
This permit allows a permittee to manage, operate and maintain a CMOM plan that complies with the Type 2 General Permit Rule.
See the Type 1 General Permits or the Type 2 CMOM General Aquifer Protection Permit for more information.
General Application Process
A Type 4.01 General Aquifer Protection Permit is required to construct and operate a sewage collection system in Arizona.
Sewage collection systems collect domestic waste and typically transport it either by gravity or under pressure to a wastewater treatment plant.
The Type 4.01 General Aquifer Protection Permit is a two-phase process.
The first phase is for construction authorization.
This phase begins when ADEQ receives your Notice of Intent to Discharge for a Sewage Collection System (NOI),
Sewage Collection System Capacity Assurance form (if applicable),
and Sewage Treatment Facility Capacity Assurance form and applicable fee.
The applicant must obtain a Construction Authorization from ADEQ before construction can begin.
ADEQ will review the NOI and the supplemental information to verify that the applicant has submitted all required documents.
If any required document has not been submitted, ADEQ will notify the applicant of an administrative deficiency.
If ADEQ determines, based upon its review of an administratively complete application that the facility does not conform with the technical requirements of the general permit outlined in the 18 A.A.C. 9, Article 3, ADEQ will make a written request for additional information.
When ADEQ determines that the facility design conforms to the requirements of the general permit, ADEQ will issue a Construction Authorization, which is valid for 2 years.
If the authorization expires the permittee must resubmit the NOI and applicable fee.
The second phase is for discharge authorization.
After completion of construction, the applicant must submit the following:
The receipt of these documents begins the second phase of the process.
If ADEQ determines that the facility conforms to the applicable requirements of the general permit, the permittee will receive a Discharge Authorization.
This is the applicant's authorization to discharge under a Type 4.01 general permit.
Fees
The fees in the table below only apply during the Construction Authorization phase.
There is no fee to obtain the Discharge Authorization.
| Permit Type | Fee Category | Number of Connections | Fee |
| 4.01 | Gravity Sewer Only with Manholes | 50 or Less | $500 |
| 4.01 | Gravity Sewer Only with Manholes | 51 to 300 | $1,000 |
| 4.01 | Gravity Sewer Only with Manholes | More than 300 | $1,500 |
| 4.01 | Force Mains Including Gravity Sewer Components | 50 or Less | $800 |
| 4.01 | Force Mains Including Gravity Sewer Components | 51 to 300 | $1,300 |
| 4.01 | Force Mains Including Gravity Sewer Components | More than 300 | $1,800 |
How Long Will it take to obtain a Construction or Discharge Authorization?
Sewage Collection System applications are subject to Licensing Time Frames (A.A.C. R18-1-525), which limits the number of business days ADEQ can review your project without a penalty. The Licensing Time Frames for Sewage Collection Systems is summarized in the table below.
| License Type | Administrative Completeness
Review | Substantive Review | Overall Time Frame |
| 300 Connections or fewer | 42 | 53 | 95 |
| More than 300 Services | 42 | 94 | 136 |
The Licensing Time Frames for the construction authorizations and discharge authorizations are combined for all sewer collection system applications received by the department after July 1, 2007.
Forms
Construction Authorization Forms
Discharge Authorization Forms
Permit Transfer Forms
Applicable Rules
On-site Systems
General Application Process
ADEQ currently has 22 general aquifer protection permits for on-site systems.
An on-site system is a septic system that disposes domestic waste on the property.
By far, the most common type of on-site system is the septic tank, which is sometimes called a conventional system.
ADEQ has developed the Type 4.02 general permit for septic tanks.
Systems other than conventional septic tanks are called alternative systems.
These include technologies such as Wisconsin mounds, composting toilets, and pressurized systems, just to name a few.
Type 4 on-site general permits can be combined if the general permit conditions prescribed in rule are met.
For example, you may combine a 4.02 septic tank general permit may be combined with a pressure distribution system (4.04) and Wisconsin Mound (4.08) general permit.
All 22 general permits follow the same two-phase process.
The first phase is for construction authorization.
This phase begins when the Engineering Review Desks receives your Notice of Intent to Discharge for a Type 4.02 general permit
or Notice of Intent to Discharge for a Type 4.03 through 4.23 general permit and applicable fee (see below).
The applicant must obtain a Construction Authorization from ADEQ before construction can begin.
ADEQ will review the NOI and the supplemental information to verify that the applicant has submitted all required documents and will notify the applicant if there are any administrative deficiencies.
ADEQ will make a written request for additional information if a facility does not conform with the technical requirements of the general permit outlined in the 18 A.A.C. 9, Article 3.
When ADEQ determines that the facility design conforms to the requirements of the general permit, ADEQ will issue a Construction Authorization, which gives the applicant has 2 years to build the on-site system before the construction authorization expires.
The permittee must resubmit the NOI and the applicable fee if the authorization expires.
The second phase is for discharge authorization.
After completion of construction, the applicant must submit the following before they can operate their on-site system:
- Request for Discharge Authorization for a Type 4.02 general permit or a
Request for Discharge Authorization for a Type 4.03 through 4.23 general permit (see below)
- One set of as-built plans
- All required test results
- Percolation Test Data Sheet
- Soil Test Data Sheet
The receipt of these documents begins the second phase of the process.
If ADEQ determines that the facility conforms to the applicable requirements of the general permit, the permittee will receive a Discharge Authorization.
This is the applicant's authorization to discharge under the appropriate general permit.
Fees
Fees for on-site systems can be determined by using the table below.
If an onsite wastewater treatment system is based on a design that combines elements from more than one Type 4 General Permit, the applicant shall pay the greatest fee established in Table 1 for the appropriate Type 4 General Permit; $250 for each additional general permit used in the design, and any additional fee specified in item 1 above.
For example, the total permitting cost of a system that incorporates a 4.02 septic tank general permit, a pressure distribution system (4.04) and Wisconsin Mound (4.08) general permit would be $500 (the highest fee) + $250 + $250 = $1,000.
The fees in the table only apply during the Construction Authorization phase.
There is no fee to obtain the Discharge Authorization.
Additional cost considerations are listed below the table.
| Permit Type | Fee Category | Fee |
| 4.02 | Septic tank/conventional disposal, less than 3000 gallons per day | $400 |
| 4.03 | Composting toilet, less than 3000 gallons per day | $400 |
| 4.04 | Pressure distribution system, less than 3000 gallons per day | $500 |
| 4.05 | Gravelless trench, less than 3000 gallons per day | $500 |
| 4.06 | Natural seal evapotranspiration bed, less than 3000 gallons per day | $600 |
| 4.07 | Lined evapotranspiration bed, less than 3000 gallons per day | $600 |
| 4.08 | Wisconsin mound, less than 3000 gallons per day | $500 |
| 4.09 | Engineered pad system, less than 3000 gallons per day | $600 |
| 4.10 | Intermittent sand filter, less than 3000 gallons per day | $600 |
| 4.11 | Peat filter, less than 3000 gallons per day | $600 |
| 4.12 | Textile filter, less than 3000 gallons per day | $600 |
| 4.13 | Denitrifying System Using Separated Wastewater Streams, less than 3000 gallons per day | $600 |
| 4.14 | Sewage vault, less than 3000 gallons per day | $400 |
| 4.15 | Aerobic system, less than 3000 gallons per day | $800 |
| 4.16 | Nitrate-Reactive Media Filter, less than 3000 gallons per day | $1000 |
| 4.17 | Cap system, less than 3000 gallons per day | $400 |
| 4.18 | Constructed wetlands, less than 3000 gallons per day | $600 |
| 4.19 | Sand-lined trench, less than 3000 gallons per day | $500 |
| 4.20 | Disinfection device, less than 3000 gallons per day | $500 |
| 4.21 | Surface Disposal, less than 3000 gallons per day | $600 |
| 4.22 | Subsurface drip irrigation, less than 3000 gallons per day | $500 |
| 4.23 | Onsite wastewater treatment facility, flow from 3000 to less than 24,000 gallons per day | $1800 |
Additional Costs to Consider (A.A.C. R18-14-102(C)(7)):
- A request for an alternative design, installation, or operational feature, $75 per change
- A design requiring an interceptor, $100 per interceptor
- A site visit verifying a construction deviation, $150 per site visit.
How Long will it take to obtain a Construction or Discharge Authorization?
On-site applications are subject to Licensing Time Frames (A.A.C. R18-1-525), which limits the number of business days ADEQ can review your project without a penalty. Each request for an alternative design, installation or operational feature under R18-9-A312(G) to a Type 4 General Permit adds eight business days to the substantive review time-frame.
| License Type | Administrative Completeness
Review | Substantive Review | Overall Time Frame |
| Standard single 4.02, 4.03, 4.13, and 4.14 General Permits |
42 |
31 |
73 |
| 4.23 General Permit |
42 |
94 |
136 |
| Standard combined two or three Type 4 General Permits |
42 |
53 |
95 |
| Complex combined four or more Type 4 General Permits |
42 |
94 |
136 |
The Licensing Time Frames for the construction authorizations and discharge authorizations are combined for all on-site system applications received by the department after July 1, 2007.
Product Listing
A.A.C. R18-9-A309(E) specifies how proprietary and other reviewed products are to be listed for on-site wastewater treatment facilities.
The list includes appropriate information on the applicability and limitations of specific products and may include manufactured systems, subsystems, or components within the treatment works if the products significantly contribute to treatment performance or overcome site limitations.
ADEQ will not list septic tanks, effluent filters or components that do not significantly affect treatment performance or provide the means to overcome site limitations.
A person may request that the department add a product to the list of proprietary and other reviewed products.
The request may include a proposed referenced design for review.
The performance values in the list shall reflect the treatment performance for defined wastewater characteristics.
A $1,000 initial fee is required.
Fees will be assessed at a rate of $61.00 an hour.
List of Proprietary Treatment Products for On-site Wastewater Systems in Arizona
Forms
- Type 4 General Permits
- Construction Authorization Forms
- Discharge Authorization Forms
- Request for Discharge Authorization for an Onsite System - Type 4.02 through 4.23 general permit (Word) (PDF)
- Transfer and Inspection (All Systems)
Applicable Rules
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| Web Site Services | Last Revision Oct. 26, 2007