Ponding over the lines
Soggy or standing ground over the drainfield in dry weather, when the rest of the yard is fine, points at the field rather than the tank.
Septic pumping call line & the Pee Dee homeowner's bulletin
A drainfield problem is not a pumping problem — it's a soil and permitting problem. South Carolina requires a permit from the S.C. Department of Environmental Services (SCDES) before any drainfield repair or replacement begins, with an evaluation of the site's landscape, topography and soil built into the process. This bulletin walks through how that process works and what makes Florence County's ground a little different; the number above connects you with an independent local septic professional to look at yours.
Call (843) 919-4664 for a free quoteSoggy or standing ground over the drainfield in dry weather, when the rest of the yard is fine, points at the field rather than the tank.
A sewage smell that's strongest out over the lines — not at the tank lid or indoors — usually means treated water isn't soaking away as it should.
If pumping the tank only buys a few days before drains slow again, the tank was never the bottleneck — the field downstream of it is.
Pumping needs no permit. Any repair, replacement, or new drainfield installation requires a permit from SCDES before the work begins.
Florence County will not issue a building permit for related construction until SCDES has approved the septic system on that lot.
The SCDES septic permit application carries a $150 fee, filed through the state's e-permitting system.
Submit the application through SCDES e-permitting, along with a deed or plat for the property, a signed owner permission letter, and the $150 application fee.
Clear vegetation from the work area, stake the footprint of the proposed system, and place the site cards SCDES requires to find and evaluate the lot.
SCDES evaluates the landscape, topography, and soil. Above South Carolina's fall line, this requires a dug backhoe pit; Florence County sits below the fall line on the coastal plain, so evaluations here typically proceed without one.
State rules require the approved system to be installed by a licensed installer.
SCDES closes out the permit with a final inspection of the completed work.
Signs that point to the drainfield rather than the tank include ponding or soggy ground over the lines even in dry weather, sewage odor concentrated over the field, and slow drains that return quickly after a pump-out. A tank-only problem usually clears once the tank is pumped and its baffles are checked.
Yes. Any repair, replacement, or new installation requires a permit from the S.C. Department of Environmental Services (SCDES) before work begins — pumping is the only septic task that doesn't need one.
An application submitted through SCDES's e-permitting system, along with a deed or plat for the property and a signed owner permission letter, plus a $150 application fee.
Site preparation — clearing vegetation, staking the footprint, and placing site cards — followed by a site evaluation of the landscape, topography, and soil. Installation by a licensed installer and a final inspection close out the process.
Only if it sits above South Carolina's fall line. Florence County lies below the fall line on the coastal plain, so evaluations here typically don't require one.
Yes, for work that involves a building permit — Florence County will not issue one until SCDES has approved the septic system.
State rules require installation by a licensed installer, regardless of who is doing the work.
Call for a quote. Timing depends on SCDES's evaluation schedule and the assigned installer, and this page won't guess at it.
Call for a quote. Costs depend on system size, the soil evaluation results, and site conditions the independent contractor sees firsthand.
SCDES. South Carolina reorganized DHEC's environmental programs into the Department of Environmental Services on July 1, 2024; older references to DHEC septic permits describe the same program under its new name.
Drainfield work is a septic-only concern — a home on one of Florence County's seven public sewer systems has no drainfield to repair. This line reaches the rest of the county and the surrounding Pee Dee, where the field in the yard is the only treatment the wastewater ever gets.