Adding on to Your Home or Property

For more information call the Water Quality Division at (513) 946-7863.

If you have a septic system and plan to add a room to your home or make other modifications to your property (adding a garage, pole barn, driveway, swimming pool), certain requirements must be met. The following is a list of property additions/modifications that require an inspection by the Hamilton County Public Health, Division of Water Quality.

Please contact the Water Quality Division at (513) 946-7863 if you plan to do one of the following: 

  • reconfiguration and/or additional square footage of a single family residence, duplex (two-family), triplex (three-family) dwelling 
  • deck 
  • detached and attached garages 
  • porch 
  • auxiliary buildings utilizing a foundation and/or footers 
  • in-ground or above ground swimming pools 
  • driveways, sidewalks, other concrete or blacktop areas

When you contact our office, staff will provide instructions on what you need to do next, including the following:

Requirements

  1. Sewage treatment system must be brought to grade level including septic tank risers, distribution boxes, and drywell risers, etc. prior to an approval. 
  2. Addition must be staked off before an inspector comes to the site. 
  3. Personal check/money order for $75.00 payable to the Hamilton County General Health District (HCGHD) 
  4. Site Plan (8 ½ x 11), this can be drawn by hand, containing the following:
  • Owner’s name, address and telephone number 
  • Building Department application number (if known) 
  • Location of cistern or well if not connected to public water service 
  • Location of house, driveway, barn, etc. 
  • Sewage system location 
  • Proposed addition(s) to the property (dimensions of each) 
  • Distance between sewage system and proposed addition(s)
  1. Any reconfiguration and/or additional square footage of a single family residence, duplex (two-family), or triplex (three-family) dwelling, will require a floor plan for the entire house. Please make sure to include all windows, doors and closets. These plans are not required to be professionally drawn.

The above items may be submitted either in person or by mail to:
Hamilton County General Health District
250 Wm. Howard Taft, 2nd FL.
Cincinnati, OH 45219
(513) 946-7872 

An inspection will be conducted within 5 business days of application submission.

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Inspections

  • Confirm household sewage treatment system is in proper working order and not creating a health nuisance. 
  • Confirm the addition(s) will not interfere with the household sewage treatment system. 
  • Determine the household sewage treatment system can accommodate the addition. 
  • Assure replacement area for the household sewage treatment system is not compromised.

After the inspection
After approval, your building department will be notified that the site has been checked and approved by Health District staff. If you have no additional business with the building department, a building permit may be issued.

If your plan has been disapproved, you will be notified by mail, including an explanation of the disapproval.

Any subsequent re-inspections are subject to a $75 re-inspection fee.

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