Is my Oakland Township home on sewer or a septic system?

Part of the township is on public sewer, which the Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner's office runs for the township. Many other homes use a septic system and a private well. That office can tell you whether a sewer line runs near your lot. If one passes within 200 feet, the county can call for a hookup instead of a new septic system.

Who issues septic permits in Oakland Township?

The Oakland County Health Division does, under the county's own sanitary code. A Health Division sanitarian watches the soil evaluation dig, and the permit follows an acceptable result. The township holds a new home's building permit until the septic permit is in hand. We dig the test holes and build the system to the owner's permit.

What does a new septic system cost in Oakland Township?

The price turns on what the soil evaluation finds, such as a cutdown through poor soil or an engineered design. The county sizes the tank by bedrooms, with 1,500 gallons for up to four. Lot access and yard restoration matter too. We look at the lot and put a free estimate in writing, and the county charges its own fees.

Do I need a permit for an inground pool in Oakland Township?

Yes. The township requires a building permit for any pool holding more than 2 feet of water, plus an electrical permit. Pools sit at least 10 feet from rear and side lot lines and from any building. Inground pools also need an as-built certificate from a land surveyor or civil engineer.

Does septic work in Oakland Township need a county permit?

Most septic work does. Oakland County's code requires a Health Division permit to build, alter, enlarge, move or repair a septic system. Minor repairs such as new access risers or a new pump are the exception. A permit stays valid for two years from the day it is issued.

Septic System Installation in Oakland Township, MI | Septic Repair, Sewer Lines and Excavation

Which Oakland Township Homes Use Septic Systems?

Public sewer reaches part of Oakland Township. The Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner's office runs the township's sewer system. Its flow joins the regional Clinton-Oakland Sewage Disposal System. County sewer planners counted about 11,000 people's worth of sewage flow from the township in 2022.

The township has about 20,600 residents, so many homes sit off the sewer lines and use septic systems. Seven township-owned water systems, run by the same county office, pump groundwater from wells. Many other homes have private wells.

Whether a sewer runs near you shapes the job. Oakland County's sanitary code counts a public sewer within 200 feet of the house as available. Where one is available, the Health Division can refuse a septic permit and call for a sewer connection. Then we dig the new sewer line from the house and restore the yard.

Septic Permits and Soil Rules for Oakland Township Lots

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

The permit starts with a soil evaluation. The owner arranges a backhoe to dig test holes while a Health Division sanitarian watches. We call MISS DIG 811 for locates, then bring the machine and dig those holes. The code accepts soil that is at least half sand and rejects clay loam, silt loam, peat and muck.

The county can refuse a permit where groundwater sits within 24 inches of the original grade. The bottom of a drain field must also stay at least 4 feet above the seasonal high water table. Where good sand lies under poor soil, the code calls for a cutdown. We dig through the poor layer down to the sand.

On slopes of 12 percent or more, the county may ask for an engineer's plan. The Health Division inspects the finished system before any of it is covered. The code then calls for backfill within five days, and frozen soil may not go back in.

Septic Setbacks Near Oakland Township Lakes and Wetlands

Paint Creek and the West Branch of Stony Creek carry mapped flood zones through the township. Township parks take in parts of Cranberry Lake, Green Lake, Tamarack Lake and the Twin Lakes. The township also posts its own wetlands map.

Each of those features moves where a septic system can go. Oakland County keeps tanks and drain fields at least 50 feet from surface water. The township's site plan guide sets structures, septic fields included, 100 feet back from lakes and streams that flow freely. A site subject to flooding can be refused a permit outright.

Wells set limits too. The county code wants 50 feet between a septic system and a private well. It wants 200 feet from a community well, like those behind the township's public water systems.

Digging near water takes one more permit. Oakland County's Water Resources Commissioner issues soil erosion permits, and one is needed for any earth change over one acre. Work over 225 square feet within 500 feet of a lake, stream, wetland or drain needs one too. We plan excavation and grading around that permit and the township's 25-foot wetland setback.

Septic Lots in a Growing Oakland Township

Oakland Township grew from about 13,000 people in 2000 to 20,067 in the 2020 Census. The Census estimates 20,631 residents in 2025. About 64 percent of homes here were built in 1990 or later, and the median home dates to 1996. Census permit data shows 43 new single-family homes permitted in 2023 and 56 in 2024.

About 28 percent of homes here were built before 1980. Michigan law itself notes that septic systems are subject to failure due to soil conditions or other reasons. When a system fails, the Health Division issues a permit for the repair or the replacement. We build the replacement to that permit and restore the yard.

A new pool, garage, deck or driveway on a septic lot brings a county review of the system. The code keeps pools, driveways, paved surfaces and buildings off the system, and pools 10 feet from it. The township's pool permit needs a site plan showing the septic field and the well. We design inground pools around those lines from the first drawing.

The Road Commission for Oakland County maintains every public road in the township. A new home on a county road needs a driveway permit from it. The township's site plan guide keeps a new driveway's grade between 1 and 10 percent. We pour concrete driveways and pave asphalt to fit those grades and clear the septic system.