Septic services covers the maintenance, pumping, repair, and inspection of on-site wastewater treatment systems. Including the septic tank, distribution box, drain field, pumps, alarms, and ATU components. For properties not connected to municipal sewer.
Plenty of Greater Orlando homes are on septic. Most of rural east Orange (Bithlo, Wedgefield, Christmas), large parts of east Seminole (Geneva, Chuluota), much of Lake County outside the incorporated cities, big chunks of Volusia, and almost everything along the rural edges of Polk and Osceola. Septic systems are simple in concept and unforgiving in practice. Skip the pumping for five years and the drain field goes. Plant a tree over the field and roots eat it. Pour grease down the kitchen sink and you'll be calling us in 18 months instead of three years.
Florida regulates septic through the Department of Health (FDOH) and local health departments. Pumping is recommended every three to five years for most residential systems, more often for high-occupancy properties or homes with garbage disposals. Sandy Florida soils generally drain well, but the same sandy soil makes drain field repairs tricky because the field has to be re-set at the correct elevation above the seasonal water table. Aerobic Treatment Units (ATUs) are required in some sensitive watersheds, and they have annual maintenance contracts that need to stay current to keep the permit active.
The single most important septic maintenance is regular pumping. Solids settle to the bottom of the tank, scum floats to the top, and the middle layer of liquid effluent flows out to the drain field. When the solids layer gets too thick, it pushes out and ruins the field. Which costs $5,000 to $15,000 to replace. Pumping every three to five years prevents that. We pump, inspect the tank, and write a report.
Drain field failure shows up as soggy ground over the field, sewage backing up in the house, or both. Causes are usually neglected pumping (solids reached the field), tree roots, or hydraulic overload from extreme rainfall events. Repair options range from soil aeration on a marginal field to full field replacement on a failed one. Some failed fields can be moved to a new spot on the same property if the soil tests right.
Pumped septic systems and ATUs have lift pumps and air pumps that fail every 5 to 10 years. The system alarm sounds when the high-water float trips, which means the pump has stopped working or the float has stuck. Diagnose, replace pump or floats, test, and reset the alarm. Same-visit work for most calls.
| Routine pumping | Drain field repair | Full system replacement | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trigger | Every 3–5 years | Backup or soggy field | Failed field plus old tank |
| Cost range | $295–$650 | $1,500–$8,500 | $8,000–$20,000+ |
| Time on site | 1–2 hours | 1–3 days | 3–7 days plus permitting |
| Permit needed | No | Sometimes | Yes, FDOH |
| Job | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Septic tank pumping (1,000–1,500 gal) | $295–$650 |
| Septic inspection & written report | $295–$495 |
| Lift pump or aerator replacement | $650–$1,400 |
| Drain field repair (soil aeration / partial) | $1,500–$4,500 |
| Full drain field replacement | $5,000–$15,000 |
| Complete system replacement | $10,000–$20,000+ |
Ballpark Orlando-area ranges. Your exact price depends on the job, and we give a firm, free quote before any work starts.
FAC 64E-6 (FDOH Onsite Sewage Treatment and Disposal Systems) and FBC-P 712 govern Florida septic. The Florida Department of Health (FDOH) is the permitting authority. Pumping records must be kept by the property owner; some counties require pumping every 3 to 5 years.
Tank pumping runs $300 to $550 in the Orlando metro for 2026, with $385 as the typical median for a 1,000-1,250 gallon tank. Inspection-only is $150 to $275. Drain field repair runs $4,000 to $11,000, and full system replacement is $7,500 to $18,000 depending on tank size and drain field type.
Standard pumping takes 60 to 90 minutes on-site. Drain field replacement is 2 to 4 days of work plus 3 to 5 business days for the FDOH permit. Full system replacement is 5 to 8 business days end-to-end including permit, work, and FDOH inspection.
We work with Infiltrator Quick4 Plus and Standard chambers, Aquaworx IPC (intermittent pressure control) panels, Bio-Microbics MicroFAST and FAST aerobic treatment units, and Tuf-Tite effluent filters and risers.
Non-sewered ZIPs needing septic service: 32820 (Bithlo), 32833 (Wedgefield), 32709 (Christmas), 32766 (Oviedo east), 32757 (Mount Dora rural), and most of Lake County. Rural Seminole County in 32773 and 32779 also runs on septic.
Septic problems get expensive fast when ignored. Call (407) 964-8940 for pumping, alarm response, or a system inspection. Most calls scheduled within a few days.
Septic work overlaps with drain cleaning on the house side and sewer line repair when the cause is in the line from house to tank. Common in Bithlo, Wedgefield, and rural Seminole and Volusia properties.
Every three to five years for most residential systems. Houses with garbage disposals, high water use, or older systems trend toward the three-year end. Smaller households on newer systems can sometimes go five to seven years. We measure the sludge layer at the visit and tell you when to expect the next one.
Slow drains throughout the house. Every fixture moving slowly. And a faint smell near the tank or drain field. Once it progresses, you'll see soggy spots over the field, gurgling drains, or sewage backups in the lowest fixture. The earlier you call, the cheaper the fix.
No, even though the package says yes. They don't break down in a septic tank the way toilet paper does, and they pile up in the tank or get pushed out to the drain field. They're the single most common cause of avoidable septic problems we see.
One to two hours for a typical residential tank. We locate the lid (or open the existing access riser), pump the tank, inspect the baffles, check the level after pumping, and replace the lid. You stay home or leave; we work either way.
It can. A drain field that's already marginal can get pushed past capacity by sustained heavy rain. The fix is usually to let it dry out and reduce indoor water use until the field recovers. Repeated rain failures point to a field at end of life that needs repair or replacement.
An ATU (Aerobic Treatment Unit) actively aerates the effluent to break down solids faster, which lets it produce cleaner discharge for sensitive sites. Small lots, near water bodies, or in jurisdictions that require ATU on new construction. ATUs need annual maintenance contracts to keep the permit active.
Yes. We do inspections for buyers and sellers, and the written report is accepted by most lenders. The inspection covers tank condition, baffle and access, sludge layer measurement, drain field function test, and any pumps or alarms. Turnaround is usually under a week.
Three telltales: soggy or sunken ground over the field, sewage backups in the house with the tank recently pumped, or unusually green and lush grass over the field (the field is fertilizing the soil because effluent isn't draining properly). Any of those is a call.
Yes. Roots grow toward the moisture in the drain field and the laterals coming out of the tank, and they can crush or clog both. Don't plant trees within 30 feet of the field or the tank, and if you have existing trees nearby, factor root intrusion into the maintenance schedule.
Our team is available around the clock to better assist you. Call now for fast, friendly help.
We work across eight regions of Greater Orlando. Reasons the service matters change by neighborhood, county, and home era.
Inner-ring Orlando is entirely on municipal sewer. No septic service needed for downtown, Thornton Park, College Park, or any of the inner-ring neighborhoods.
Downtown Orlando, Thornton Park, College Park, Audubon Park, Baldwin Park, Delaney Park, Parramore, and Fairview Shores
Most southeast Orlando is on municipal sewer. Older Conway and Belle Isle lakefront properties occasionally have legacy septic on larger lots, but the majority of the area is sewered.
Lake Nona, Waterford Lakes, Avalon Park, Alafaya, Azalea Park, Rio Pinar, Union Park, Conway, Belle Isle, Pine Castle, Sky Lake, Hunters Creek, Meadow Woods, Williamsburg, and Lake Buena Vista
Doctor Phillips and Windermere's estate-sized lakefront properties sometimes have legacy septic systems. Most of west Orange is on municipal sewer.
Pine Hills, MetroWest, Doctor Phillips, Windermere, and Goldenrod
Rural east Orange. Bithlo, Christmas, Wedgefield (partial). Is the largest septic-system territory in the metro. Outer Apopka and parts of Zellwood and Clarcona also have septic. We do the bulk of our septic work in this region.
Apopka, Maitland, Winter Park, Ocoee, Winter Garden, Oakland, Gotha, Zellwood, Clarcona, Bithlo, Wedgefield, and Christmas
Geneva and rural east Seminole are septic territory. Multi-acre lots and rural roads mean larger septic systems and drain fields, with classic well-and-septic service mix.
Sanford, Lake Mary, Heathrow, Longwood, Altamonte Springs, Casselberry, Fern Park, Forest City, Wekiwa Springs, Winter Springs, Oviedo, Geneva, and Lake Monroe (community)
Osteen, Enterprise (older homes), and rural Volusia outside the cities are largely on septic. Deltona is mixed: older sections sewered, newer subdivisions mostly sewered, some pockets on septic.
DeBary, Deltona, Orange City, Enterprise, Osteen, DeLand, and Cassadaga
Sorrento, Montverde, and large portions of rural Lake County run on septic. Mount Dora, Eustis, and Tavares historic cores are on sewer; the surrounding rural areas are not.
Eustis, Tavares, Mount Dora, Sorrento, Montverde, and Clermont
Intercession City, outer Davenport, and rural Polk areas run on septic. Most Osceola incorporated areas are sewered, but the rural unincorporated land between them is septic territory.
Kissimmee, Saint Cloud, Buenaventura Lakes, Poinciana, Intercession City, Davenport, Four Corners, Reunion, and Celebration
A few of the communities we serve. View all →