New Septic System Installation and Replacement in Florence, SC

Lots outside city sewer lines in Florence County and Darlington County need a septic system before a home can be built, and older systems sometimes reach the point where repair no longer makes sense. Either way, the job involves the state permit process, the right system for the soil, and a licensed installer. Call (843) 960-3805 and we will connect you with an independent septic installer serving Florence and the Pee Dee. Florence SC Septic Pros is a referral service operated by Recover Profits Now. We do not pump tanks, inspect systems or dig drain fields; the independent provider you are connected with quotes and does the work.

When you need a new system

• New home construction on a lot without public sewer
• A manufactured home going onto rural land
• A drain field that has failed and cannot be repaired
• A cracked, collapsing or rusted-out tank
• Adding bedrooms beyond what the current system was permitted for

How the process usually works in South Carolina

1. Apply for a permit. A new system needs an SCDES permit before installation. The application starts the process; ask your installer or builder who handles it.
2. Site and soil evaluation. The soil, water table and lot layout decide what type of system can be used and where it can go. For a single lot this is often done by SCDES; for larger subdivisions the rules call for private soil professionals and engineers.
3. Permit to construct. SCDES issues the permit with the system type and layout.
4. Installation. A licensed installer sets the tank, lays the lines or chambers and connects the house, following the permit.
5. Final approval. The work is checked before it is covered and put into use. Ask your installer how the final inspection and approval work for your job.

Common system types

Conventional systems

A tank plus gravel or gravel-less trenches or chambers. These are the simplest and usually the least expensive where the soil allows.

Pump systems

When the field must sit uphill or far from the house, a pump tank moves effluent to it. They add a pump, floats and an alarm to maintain.

Alternative and engineered systems

Where the water table is high, the soil is poor or the lot is small, the permit may call for a specialized design such as a raised or mounded field, pressure distribution or an aerobic treatment unit. Under South Carolina's tiered installer licensing, only the highest tier (Tier 3) may install and maintain systems permitted under the state's specialized-design standard, so ask your installer which tier they hold.

Typical installation costs

These are typical national-guide ranges from published cost guides, not quotes. The soil and the permit decide much of the price.

What moves the price

• The soil and water table. Good soil allows a conventional system. A high water table or poor soil can require an alternative design that costs much more.
• House size. Systems are sized by the number of bedrooms.
• Distance and slope. Long runs or uphill fields need more pipe and often a pump.
• Removing the old system. Replacements may include pumping and abandoning the old tank.
• Fill, hauling and site work. Clearing, bringing in fill and restoring the lawn add up.
• Permit fees. Ask the installer what the fees are and whether they are in the quote.

How long it takes

The paperwork usually takes longer than the digging. Allow time for the permit application and site evaluation; ask your installer what to expect right now, since workloads change through the year. Installation itself often takes a few days for a conventional system and longer for alternative systems. Wet weather can delay digging, because heavy equipment and saturated soil do not mix.

Getting a septic permit in Florence County

The state's Florence office handles septic permits for Florence, Darlington, Dillon, Marion, Marlboro and Chesterfield counties. Its onsite wastewater team is listed at (843) 661-4825. SCDES is blunt about the order of things: without the septic permit, the county cannot issue your building permit. Based on Clemson Extension's guide to the process (written when the agency was still DHEC), here is how it usually goes:

1. Apply through the state's online e-permitting system. Include a plat or deed showing the lot dimensions and an owner permission letter. The fee has historically been $150, so confirm the current amount when you apply.
2. Get the lot ready. Clear the underbrush, stake the house footprint, and post the site cards from the packet, sealed in plastic bags, at the front of the property and at the spot you prefer for the system.
3. An evaluator looks at the landscape, slope and soil. Evaluations are done first-come, first-served.
4. The permit comes with a sketch that shows where the system goes and an area held back for future repairs.
5. Your installer notifies the office the day before installation so the work can be inspected before it is covered.

To move faster, you can hire a South Carolina-licensed Professional Soil Classifier for the soil work. A Professional Engineer may also design the system, and that route can be required if the site is found unsuitable for a standard design.

Building on Pee Dee land

The soil decides a lot. Well-drained Norfolk-type farmland may take a conventional system. Wetter soils such as Lynchburg (the state soil) or Rains (described from a site near Timmonsville) carry a winter water table close to the surface and often push a lot toward a raised or engineered design. Before you buy, look the parcel up on the USDA's free Web Soil Survey. Ask too whether the land flooded in 2015, 2016 or 2018, especially near the Lynches, the Great Pee Dee or Black Creek. If you are buying land to build on, ask about the septic permit before you close on the lot, not after. Our permits, soils and flooding page has more.

Questions to ask an installer

• What is your SCDES installer license number and tier?
• Who applies for the permit, and are the fees in your quote?
• What system type did the permit call for, and why?
• What does your price include: tank, field, pump, hookup, fill, lawn restoration?
• What maintenance will the system need, and how often?

South Carolina permits and licenses

In South Carolina, septic systems (the state calls them onsite wastewater systems) are regulated by the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services, or SCDES. SCDES took over the septic program when the old Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) was split into two agencies on July 1, 2024, so older paperwork and websites may still say DHEC. SCDES issues the permits for new systems and licenses the people who do the work: septic system installers, under a tiered license, and septic pumper/haulers who clean tanks and haul the waste. Ask any provider for their SCDES license before work starts, and ask whether your job needs an SCDES permit and who will apply for it.

Call (843) 960-3805 to get connected with a licensed installer for your lot.

Frequently asked questions

Areas we serve

We connect callers across Florence, Darlington, Hartsville, Lake City and the Pee Dee region of South Carolina, including:

• Florence
• Darlington
• Hartsville
• Lake City
• Timmonsville
• Quinby
• Effingham
• Pamplico
• Mars Bluff
• Johnsonville
• Olanta
• Coward
• Scranton
• Society Hill
• Florence County
• Darlington County

Local pages: Darlington, Hartsville, Lake City.

Related services

• Septic Tank Pumping
• Septic Inspections
• Septic & Drain Field Repair
• Emergency Septic Backups
• Grease Trap Pumping