Sewerage, Subdivisions & Healthier Industries

• Step 1: Find an Authorized Person. An Authorized Person (AP) is the only person authorized to design, install, repair, maintain and/or inspect sewerage systems
• Step 2: Site Assessment. The Authorized Person gathers information about the property and building(s) which can include digging test holes and inspecting an existing system.
• Step 3: The Authorized Person submits a Record of Sewerage System to Interior Health and pays the filing fee. New submissions can be done using the online registry or complete the Record of Sewerage System (RSS) Form.
• Step 4: The Authorized Person constructs or repairs the sewerage system.
• Step 5: The Authorized Person submits a Letter of Certification to Interior Health through the on-line registry or completes and submits a Sewerage System Letter of Certification. The Authorized Person provides the owner with a copy of all documentation including an as constructed drawing and a maintenance plan.
• Step 6: The Authorized Person submits a completed Sewerage System Maintenance Schedule form, only if LOC is submitted through EA@interiorhealth.ca or front counter.

To retrieve a record:

• Step 1: Complete the Sewerage File Information Request Form
• Step 2: Submit the completed form to the centralized intake email inbox to initiate your search
• Step 3: EPH support staff will contact you to collect the non-refundable fee

Please note: We cannot guarantee a record will be located or that an accurate diagram of the system will be included in the record. If no information is available, either the original paperwork is very old, could not be filed due to incorrect information or the sewage system was constructed/repaired without proper authorization.

• Step 1: Create a Profile – email EA@interiorhealth.ca. Include your first and last name, Registration #, Company name, and email address. IH Public Health Accounts will send you an email with instructions on how to register and start using your account.
• Step 2: Access the online sewerage registry
• Step 3: Read the Training Guide – IH Sewerage Registry for Authorized Persons

Checklist for IH filing requirements

Payment for a Release of Covenant application is non-refundable.  Prior to making any payment, contact our Environmental Assessment team to review your proposal. 

• Apply for a Release of Section 219 Covenant
• Application for Release of Covenant
• Make payment after discussing your proposal with an Environmental Assessment team member. 

A holding tank is not considered a sustainable method for sewage management but can be considered as a temporary measure or in situations where other systems would result in a health hazard. To be in compliance with the BC Sewerage System Regulation an Environmental Health Officer must issue a permit.  Plans and specifications are to be prepared by an Authorized Person. 

Note: Payment for a holding tank permit is non-refundable. Prior to making payment, contact our Environmental Assessment team to review your proposal.

• Find an Authorized Person
• Find Sewerage Holding Tank Information
• Find Holding Tank Planning & Installation Guidelines
• Find Application to Construct a Holding Tank

• How to Find a Septic Tank – B.C. pamphlet
• Onsite Sewage Systems – B.C. webpage with links to regulations
• Maintenance and Operation of Onsite Sewerage Systems – HealthLinkBC
• Sewerage System Standard Practice Manual – B.C. webpage
• Applied Science and Technologists & Technicians of BC (ASTTBC) - Onsite Wastewater Registered Professionals website

In rural settings we are interested in ensuring newly created parcels have appropriate site conditions so that onsite sewerage does not contaminate water and will not cause a health hazard by coming to the surface of the ground, both in the present and in the distant future. At the time of subdivision each proposed lot is evaluated to determine whether there are at least two areas of land suitable for onsite sewerage. The information described in Subdivision Report Criteria for Authorized Persons is required for use to be able to provide meaningful comments to the Subdivision Approving Officer. 

Note: Site assessment and report must be completed by an Authorized Person.

• Fees and How to Pay Them
• Find an Authorized Person
• Subdivision Report Criteria for APs

Submit any document related to your subdivision to the approving agency (e.g. Ministry of Transportation or Municipality). The approving agency will forward the information to the Environmental Assessment team for review. In this way the approving agency can ensure they and all referral agencies have the same information.

How to submit payment

• In person or phone: Contact any regional Environmental Public Health & Licensing office to make arrangements (this PDF has a section for septic systems, covenant releases, subdivisions and other land use concerns).
• By Mail: 
  Attn: Environmental Assessment
  Kamloops Health Unit
  519 Columbia St. W
  Kamloops, BC
  V2C 2T8

Payment types accepted

• Cash
• Cheque (payable to Interior Health)
• Debit
• Visa
• Mastercard
• American Express