Who issues septic permits in Bloomfield Hills?

The Oakland County Health Division does, under the county's own sanitary code. The Health Division witnesses the soil borings, and the permit follows an acceptable result. The city holds a new home's building permit on an unsewered lot until the septic permit is in hand. We dig the test holes and build the system to the owner's permit.

My septic system in Bloomfield Hills is failing. Do I have to connect to the sewer?

If a public sewer is available, expect a hookup. The city's grading rules require a septic property to connect when sewer is available. The county counts a sewer within 200 feet of the house as available. Where sewer is out of reach, we handle septic system repair or a full replacement under the owner's county permit.

What does a new septic system cost in Bloomfield Hills?

The price turns on what the soil borings find, such as a cutdown through poor soil or an engineered design. The county sizes the tank by bedrooms, so a large home needs a larger tank. Slope and lot access matter too. We look at the lot and put a free estimate in writing, and the county charges its own permit fees.

Do you handle teardowns on septic lots in Bloomfield Hills?

Yes. We take the old house down and haul the debris away. The old tank is emptied by a septage hauler, then crushed or filled under the county code. Then we dig for the new foundation and build the system or sewer connection the permits call for.

Septic System Installation in Bloomfield Hills, MI | Septic Repair, Sewer Lines and Excavation

Which Bloomfield Hills Homes Still Use Septic Systems?

Bloomfield Hills is a city of about 4,400 people. Bloomfield Township, a separate municipality, surrounds most of it, and Birmingham borders it to the south. The city has its own sanitary sewer system, which Oakland County's Water Resources Commissioner operates. Its master plan calls that system built out.

Some properties still run on septic systems, and the city keeps a septic care page for their owners. That page points them to the Oakland County Health Division. Whether a sewer runs near the lot decides the job.

Oakland County's sanitary code counts a public sewer within 200 feet of the house as available. Where one is available, the county can turn down a septic permit and call for a sewer connection. Then we dig the new line and restore the yard.

When a home switches to sewer, the old tank comes out of service. The county code has a septage hauler empty it first. Then the tank is crushed or filled with earth, preferably sand, and compacted.

Septic Permits and Soils in Bloomfield Hills

Septic permits here come from the Oakland County Health Division. Michigan has no statewide septic code, so the county's own sanitary code sets the rules. On a lot without sewer, the city's building permit for a new home waits on the septic permit.

The permit starts with soil borings in the proposed drain field area, and the Health Division witnesses them. We call MISS DIG 811 for locates, then bring the machine and dig the test holes. The code accepts soil that is at least half sand and turns down clay loam, silt loam, muck and peat.

Federal soil surveys map about 31 percent of the city as Marlette sandy loam. Much of it lies on 6 to 12 percent slopes. They rate about 89 percent of the city very limited for a conventional drain field. Slow water movement through the soil is the most common reason, followed by a seasonal high water table.

Where poor soil sits over good sand, the code calls for a cutdown through the poor layer. A site that cannot fit a conventional system may take an engineered design instead. Slopes of 12 percent or more may call for an engineer's plan. A drain field's bottom must stay at least 4 feet above the seasonal high water table.

Tank Sizes and Setbacks on Bloomfield Hills Lots

Homes in Bloomfield Hills are large, with a median of 8.5 rooms. The county sizes a septic tank by bedrooms. Up to four bedrooms take a 1,500-gallon tank, five take 2,000 gallons, and each added bedroom adds 250 more.

The city lies in the Rouge River watershed, with lakes such as Vhay Lake and Endicott Lake. FEMA maps flood zones along the Quarton and Stonycroft branches of the Rouge. The county can refuse a septic permit on a site subject to flooding. It keeps tanks and drain fields at least 50 feet from lakes and streams.

Nothing gets built on top of a system. The code keeps driveways, paved surfaces, pools and buildings off it, and pools at least 10 feet away. A new pool or an addition brings a county review of the existing system.

Teardowns and Rebuilds on Bloomfield Hills Septic Lots

The median Bloomfield Hills home was built in 1972. The city's master plan names the teardown as the most common kind of home building here. An older house comes down and a new one goes up in its place. Census permit data counts 11 new single-family homes in 2023, 8 in 2024 and 4 in 2025.

A teardown starts with the city's residential demolition permit, which asks for a construction schedule and a soil erosion permit. On a septic lot without sewer in reach, the rebuild also needs a county septic permit. Oakland County's permit for a new system covers a lot that has been demolished or extensively remodeled.

We handle the demolition and debris haul-off, then the excavation for the new foundation and the new system. On a sewered lot, a camera inspection tells whether the old sewer lateral can serve the new house. Oakland County's guide puts that connection on the owner and the main under the road on the utility.