Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems

Environmental Health Services is committed to ensuring the safe and proper treatment and disposal of domestic wastewater (sewage) within the unsewered parts of Kendall County. The private sewage disposal program serves as the foundation of this effort.  

As part of this program, staff will: 

• Perform design plan reviews 

• Issue permits and conduct inspections for the construction or repair of onsite wastewater treatment systems

• Perform routine inspections of commercial septage pumping and hauling vehicles and related land application sites 

• Perform investigations of wastewater-related issues and illness 

• Conduct comprehensive plat reviews of proposed residential developments 

Permitting

• Click here for the Septic Permit Application.

• Click here for the Septic Tank Abandonment Permit Application.

• Click here for the Permit & Drawing Requirements.

Governing Codes & Ordinances

• Click here for the Illinois Department of Public Health Private Sewage Disposal Licensing Act and Code.

• Click here for the Kendall County Onsite Wastewater Treatment System Ordinance.

Contractors

Click here for the Septic Well and Soil Contractor List.

Maintenance Requirements for Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems 

Routine maintenance is required on ALL onsite wastewater treatment systems to ensure they operate properly. Even a conventional, or gravity, system with a standard septic tank and subsurface seepage field requires periodic pumping to operate properly. The pumping of the tank(s) is required to keep solids from entering the soil treatment area. If solids are not pumped out on a routine basis, they will leave the tank and accumulate inside the septic field or soil treatment area (trenches, mound, at-grade, seepage bed, etc.). If solids leave the tank, the treatment area will not perform as designed and the effective life of the onsite system could be substantially reduced. 

If you do not know details or maintenance requirements for your specific system, please call us at (630) 553-8026. Our staff can review permit records and discuss your specific system with you.   

Subdivision Planning/Development

Designing a residential subdivision for unincorporated Kendall County, out of reach of public water and sewer, requires special considerations and careful planning in the areas of onsite wastewater treatment systems and onsite water well supply. In the early stages of planning, the developer will need to demonstrate to the health department that each lot in a proposed subdivision will be furnished with onsite systems. The health department, in accordance with Illinois' Plat Act (765 ILCS/205), is charged with requiring that such assurances are received.  Please call us at (630) 553-8026 for more information. 

Click here for the Plat Plan Review Application.