Sourced from Garfield County Public Health’s septic pages on both its current and legacy websites, and chapter 246-272A WAC — last checked August 2026. Where we could not source something, we say so.
Quick answer: A new septic system in Garfield County costs $558 in county fees — $224 for the site and soil evaluation and $334 for the permit. A repair or replacement is $167. The thing nobody tells you: Garfield does not do its own septic reviews. Applications are paid to the Garfield County Health District and then forwarded to the Environmental Health Administrator in Asotin County, who does the inspecting and approving.
Your application goes to another county
Garfield is Washington’s second-smallest county by population, and it handles environmental health the way small counties often do — by sharing staff. The county’s own septic page says so twice, once for new systems and once for repairs: the health district sends your application to the Environmental Health Administrator in Asotin County, who contacts you directly to arrange the site inspection.
For the final inspection, the county tells you to contact either the Garfield County Health District or Asotin County.
This is worth understanding before you start, for three practical reasons:
- You pay Garfield, but you are scheduled by Asotin. If nothing has happened for a while, the office holding your file may not be the office you paid.
- Timelines depend on another county’s workload, not just Garfield’s.
- The person evaluating your soil is the same official who runs Asotin County’s program — a county that, unlike Garfield, already requires a septic inspection before a property sale. The standards being applied are set by Garfield, but the experience is shaped by Asotin’s practice.
What it costs
| Step | Fee |
|---|---|
| Site and soil evaluation (step 1, new systems) | $224 |
| On-site application (step 2, new systems) | $334 |
| New system total | $558 |
| Repair or replacement (single application) | $167 |
That places Garfield near the bottom of the Washington range for a new build — more than Columbia’s $395 and Skamania’s $530, well under Klickitat’s $1,000, Walla Walla’s $1,100 and Kittitas’s $1,705. The repair figure is the striking one: at $167, fixing a failed system here is among the cheapest county interventions in the state.
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The three steps for a new system
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Site and soil evaluation | Print and complete the site/soil evaluation form, pay $224 at the Garfield County Health District. The district forwards it to Asotin County, who contact you to arrange an inspection of the soil and location. |
| 2. On-site application | Once the evaluation is approved, complete the on-site application and pay $334. Forwarded again to Asotin County. On approval the county issues a Construction Permit. |
| 3. Final inspection and as-built | After installation, arrange the final inspection through Garfield or Asotin. Submit an as-built. Once received, an Operational Permit is issued and the system is cleared for use. |
The construction permit unlocks your building permit. Garfield states it directly: the Construction Permit issued at step 2 “allows for the building permit to be released and construction to begin.” As in Klickitat, the septic approval is the gate on the whole build — not a later stage of it.
Take photographs before you bury it
This is the most practical instruction on the county’s page, and it appears in both the new-system and the repair sequence: take pictures of your site and system for the final inspection before it is buried.
Small counties with shared staff cannot always send an inspector at short notice, and a covered system that nobody photographed is a system that may have to be uncovered. Photographs are cheap. Re-excavating a finished drainfield is not.
Repairs and replacements
The repair route is shorter and cheaper. You submit a copy of the current system along with the repairs you intend to make, complete an on-site application, and pay $167 to the health district. It goes to the Environmental Health Specialist in Asotin County for approval, and a Construction Permit is issued so repairs can proceed.
Afterwards, an as-built is submitted, the specialist inspects, and on approval an Operational Permit is issued. The same photograph advice applies — document the finished work before covering it.
Licensed pumpers and installers
Garfield licenses both septic tank pumpers and installers, and publishes application forms for each. The county’s guidance on why it matters is straightforward: licensed pumpers handle the safe removal, transport and disposal of septage, and routine pumping prevents system failure, protects groundwater and reduces the risk of costly repairs. Licensed installers construct, repair or modify systems according to approved designs and site conditions.
The county strongly encourages owners to use licensed professionals, which is guidance rather than a prohibition — the forms exist so that people can become licensed, and the county does not publish a homeowner exemption either way.
If you are selling in Garfield County
We found no local rule requiring a septic inspection to sell a house in Garfield County, and no mention anywhere of the statewide change under WAC 246-272A-0270 that takes effect on February 1, 2027.
There is an interesting wrinkle here, though. The official who will most likely carry out Garfield’s transfer inspections from 2027 is the same Asotin County environmental health administrator who already handles Garfield’s septic reviews — and Asotin has required an inspection before property sale for some time. The expertise is already next door and already working on Garfield files.
Two websites, one phone number
Garfield County Public Health is mid-migration between websites, and this is worth flagging because it is where wrong information comes from. The legacy county page carries a banner routing you to the new site — but the detailed septic fees and the three-step process are published on the legacy page, not the new one. If you land on the new site first, you will not find the $224, $334 and $167 figures.
The good news is that the contact details agree. Both sites give (509) 843-3412 and an address at 121 South 10th Street, Pomeroy. Where you see a different number attributed to Garfield County Public Health, that is the one to check against these.
What we could not source
- Any county statement about the February 1, 2027 statewide transfer inspection. Nothing on either website.
- Test hole specifications. Number, depth, width and spacing are not published; the evaluation is arranged directly with the Asotin County administrator, who presumably specifies them.
- Minimum lot sizes or soil-type thresholds.
- Permit validity or renewal terms. No expiry period or renewal fee is published for either the Construction Permit or the Operational Permit.
- Whether a homeowner may install their own system. The county strongly encourages licensed installers but does not publish a rule either permitting or prohibiting owner installation. Ask before assuming.
- A published roster of licensed pumpers and installers. The application forms are published; the list of current holders is not.
- How many on-site systems are in the county. Not published anywhere we could find.
The practical bits
| Garfield County Public Health | 121 South 10th Street, Pomeroy, WA 99347 (P.O. Box 130) |
| Phone | (509) 843-3412 |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 12 PM and 1 PM to 4 PM |
| Who reviews your application | The Environmental Health Administrator in Asotin County |
| Forms published | Site evaluation application and checklist, on-site sewage design and permit application, installer application, septic tank pumper permit |
Sources
- Garfield County, Septic (New/Repairs/Replacements) — garfieldcountywa.gov
- Garfield County Public Health, Onsite Septic — garfieldcopublichealthwa.gov
- Garfield County Public Health, Contact — garfieldcopublichealthwa.gov
- WAC 246-272A; WAC 246-272A-0270, inspection at property transfer from February 1, 2027
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a septic permit cost in Garfield County, Washington?
A new system costs 558 dollars in county fees, made up of 224 dollars for the site and soil evaluation and 334 dollars for the on-site application. A repair or replacement is a single application costing 167 dollars.
Who reviews septic applications in Garfield County?
Not Garfield. You pay the Garfield County Health District, but the district forwards your application to the Environmental Health Administrator in Asotin County, who contacts you to arrange the soil and site inspection and who approves the application. For the final inspection the county tells you to contact either Garfield County Health District or Asotin County.
Do I need a septic permit before a building permit in Garfield County?
Yes. The Construction Permit issued after the on-site application is approved is what allows the building permit to be released and construction to begin. The order is site and soil evaluation, then on-site application, then Construction Permit, then building permit.
Does Garfield County require a septic inspection when selling a house?
We found no local rule requiring an inspection to sell, and no county mention of the statewide change taking effect February 1, 2027. Note that the Asotin County environmental health administrator who already handles Garfield septic reviews works in a county that has required an inspection before sale for some time.