Bolthole Index county-legal census · checked 2026-08-08
Septic permitting in Iowa is handled at the county level — county health departments approve systems in 97 of 99 counties.Every entry below names the approving authority for that county, cited to the authority’s own page.
Septic rules change and some cities run their own programs — treat this as a verified starting point, not legal advice. All states → Iowa water rights & wells → Full Iowa profile →
99 counties · county health departments · permit status scouted for 9
Adair County Environmental Health (operated under contract by Guthrie County Environmental Health Department)
Adair County, IA - Environmental Health ↗Adams County Environmental Health
Adams County IA - Environmental Health, Septic Systems ↗Allamakee County Environmental Health
Allamakee County Environmental Health ↗Appanoose County Environmental Health / County Board of Health (ADLM Counties, under Iowa DNR)
Appanoose County, IA - New Construction (Sewer Permit) ↗Audubon County Sanitarian / Board of Health
Iowa DNR - Private Sewage Disposal and Septage ↗Benton County Department of Environmental Health (local board of health)
Benton County Environmental Health - Septic Systems ↗Black Hawk County Public Health (Septic Program)
Black Hawk County Public Health - Septic Program ↗Boone County Health and Sanitation (Environmental Health)
Boone County Health and Sanitation Ordinance ↗Bremer County Building, Zoning & Sanitation Department (Environmental Health)
Bremer County Ordinances & Codes (Septic Ordinance) ↗Buchanan County Environmental Health Services
Buchanan County Environmental Health - Private Sewage Disposal Systems ↗Buena Vista County Environmental Health / Board of Health
Buena Vista County Environmental Health ↗Butler County Environmental Health / Butler County Board of Health
Butler County Environmental Health ↗Calhoun County Board of Health / Environmental Health (Sanitarian), under Iowa DNR
Calhoun County, IA - Environmental Health ↗Carroll & Crawford County Environmental Health Department
Carroll County, IA Septic Permits (Environmental Health) ↗Cass County Environmental Health Office (Board of Health)
Cass County Environmental Health Office ↗Cedar County Environmental Health (Board of Health)
Cedar County IA Environmental Health Septic ↗Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health (CG Public Health)
CG Public Health - License and Permit Applications ↗Cherokee County Environmental Health (under Iowa DNR)
Cherokee County Septic Policy & Procedures ↗Chickasaw County Environmental Health Program (under Iowa DNR / Iowa Code ch. 567)
Chickasaw County Environmental Health - Waste Water Systems ↗Clarke County Environmental Health / Sanitation Office (Clarke-Decatur-Ringgold Tri-County)
Clarke, Decatur, and Ringgold County Environmental Health - Septic Packet ↗Clay County Environmental Health Department
Clay County Environmental Health Department ↗Clayton County Board of Health / Public Health Sanitarian (Health & Zoning)
Clayton County Health & Zoning ↗Clinton County Environmental Services (Sanitarian's Office / Board of Health)
Clinton County Health - Wastewater Treatment ↗Carroll & Crawford County Environmental Health Department (Crawford County Board of Health)
Iowa DNR Private Sewage Disposal and Septage ↗Dallas County Environmental Health Department (Dallas County Board of Health, under Iowa DNR)
Dallas County IA - Private Septic Information ↗ADLM Environmental Public Health (Appanoose-Davis-Lucas-Monroe)
ADLM Environmental Public Health ↗Decatur County Environmental Health (Public Health)
Decatur County IA - Environmental Health / Septic Systems ↗Delaware County Water and Sanitation Department
Delaware County (IA) Water and Sanitation ↗Des Moines County Public Health - Environmental Health
Des Moines County Public Health - Environmental Health ↗Dickinson County Zoning & Environmental Health
Dickinson County - Zoning & Environmental Health Applications ↗Dubuque County Health Department
Dubuque County Building Permit ↗Emmet County Public Health / Environmental Health
Emmet County Iowa - Environmental Health ↗Fayette County Environmental Health (county board of health, under Iowa DNR ch. 567-69)
Fayette County IA - Environmental Health ↗Floyd County Environmental Health (County Sanitarian / Board of Health)
Floyd County IA - Environmental Health ↗Franklin County Environmental Health Department / Franklin County Board of Health
Franklin County Environmental Health, Sanitation & Zoning ↗Fremont County Board of Health / Environmental Health (under Iowa DNR)
Fremont County IA - Environmental Health ↗Greene County Environmental Health / Board of Health
Greene County IA Environmental Health ↗Grundy County Sanitarian / Board of Health
Grundy County Zoning Department / County Sanitarian ↗Guthrie County Environmental Health / Board of Health
Guthrie County - Environmental Health Septic Systems ↗Hamilton County Public Health (Sanitarian / Board of Health)
Hamilton County, Iowa — Services Directory ↗Hancock County Environmental Health Office
Hancock County, IA - Environmental Health, Septic System ↗Hardin County Environmental Health / County Sanitarian
Hardin County Environmental Health - Septic Systems ↗Harrison County Environmental Health Department
Harrison County Environmental Health, Planning & Zoning ↗Henry County Environmental Health
Henry County, IA - Environmental Health ↗Howard County Environmental Health (local board of health, under Iowa DNR)
Howard County, IA Environmental Health ↗Humboldt County Environmental Health / Sanitarian (Board of Health, under Iowa DNR standards)
Humboldt County IA - Environmental Health Specialist (Sanitarian) ↗Ida County Environmental Health Sanitarian (Board of Health, under Iowa DNR)
Ida County, IA Departments ↗Iowa County Environmental Health Department
Iowa County Environmental Health - Septic Systems ↗Jackson County Environmental Health Department
Jackson County Environmental Health - Onsite Wastewater Treatment ↗Jasper County Community Development (Environmental Health), under Iowa DNR
Jasper County, IA - Septic Systems ↗Jefferson County Environmental Health (County Board of Health)
Jefferson County Iowa - Questions ↗Johnson County Public Health Department
Johnson County Public Health - Wastewater, Septic & Time of Transfer ↗Jones County Environmental Health Office (Board of Health)
Jones County Environmental Health - Septic Systems ↗Keokuk County Public Health (Sanitarian)
Keokuk County Public Health ↗Kossuth County Board of Health
Iowa DNR - Private Sewage Disposal and Septage ↗Lee County Health Department (Environmental Health)
Iowa DNR - Private Sewage Disposal and Septage ↗Linn County Public Health Department
Linn County - Building Your New Home in Rural Linn County ↗Louisa County Public Health - Environmental Health (under Iowa DNR)
Louisa County Public Health - Waste Water (Septic) ↗Lucas County Public Health / Environmental Health (county board of health, under Iowa DNR)
Lucas County Iowa - Environmental Health ↗Lyon County Environmental Health (Health Services of Lyon County)
Lyon County Environmental Health ↗Madison County Environmental Health (county board of health, under Iowa DNR private sewage rules)
Madison County IA - Environmental Health ↗Mahaska County Environmental Services (County Sanitarian) / Board of Health
Mahaska County Environmental Services ↗Marion County Department of Environmental Health
Marion County - Building Permits ↗Marshall County Environmental Health (county Board of Health, under Iowa DNR private sewage rules)
Marshall County IA - Environmental Health ↗Mills County Environmental Health / County Board of Health
Mills County - Building Permit Application ↗Mitchell County Environmental Health / Board of Health (County Sanitarian)
Mitchell County Environmental Health ↗Monona County Environmental Health/Zoning (local board of health)
Monona County IA Wells & Septic Systems ↗ADLM Counties Environmental Public Health Department
Monroe County, Iowa - ADLM Environmental Health ↗Montgomery County Public Health (County Sanitarian)
Montgomery County, IA - Public Health ↗Muscatine County Environmental Office (County Development)
Muscatine County IA - Septic System ↗O'Brien County Environmental Health
O'Brien County Environmental Health ↗Osceola County Environment Health Specialist
Osceola County, Iowa - Environment Health Specialist ↗Page County Environmental Health Office (county board of health, under Iowa DNR)
Page County - Environmental Health ↗Palo Alto County Environmental Health Department
Palo Alto County Environmental Health ↗Plymouth County Sanitarian / Board of Health
Plymouth County Sanitarian / Environmental Health ↗Pocahontas County Environmental Health Department / Board of Health
Pocahontas County Environmental Health ↗Polk County Environmental Health Services (under Iowa DNR)
Polk County Environmental Health Services ↗Pottawattamie County Public Health, Environmental Health
Pottawattamie County Public Health, Septic Systems ↗Poweshiek County Sanitarian / Board of Health
Poweshiek County Sanitarian & Zoning ↗Ringgold County Environmental Health (Ringgold County Board of Health)
Ringgold County Public Health - Septic Permits ↗Sac County Environmental Health / Board of Health (County Sanitarian), under Iowa DNR private sewage rules
Sac County Health Services - Environmental Health & Zoning ↗Scott County Health Department (Private Sewage Disposal System Program)
Scott County Health Department - Wells & Septic ↗Shelby County Environmental Health Office
Shelby County Environmental Health - Programs ↗Sioux County (Ordinance No. 12 - On-Site Wastewater Treatment Systems)
Sioux County Code of Ordinances Index ↗Story County Environmental Health Department
Story County - Wastewater/Septic Information ↗Tama County Sanitarian / Environmental Health Department
Tama County Sanitarian Department - Septic System ↗Taylor County Sanitation Department (Sanitarian)
Taylor County Sanitation ↗Union County Environmental Health / Board of Health
Union County Environmental Health ↗Van Buren County Sanitarian (Public Health)
Van Buren County, Iowa - Sanitarian ↗Wapello County Planning & Zoning (septic permits via GeoPermits), under Iowa DNR
Wapello County Planning and Zoning - Permits ↗Warren County Environmental Health (Warren County Board of Health)
Warren County - Septic Systems (Environmental Health) ↗Washington County Environmental Health Department
Washington County Private Onsite Septic Systems ↗Wayne County Environmental Health Office / County Sanitarian
Wayne County Public Health - Environmental Health ↗Webster County Health Department (Board of Health)
Webster County - Guide to Country Living ↗Winnebago County Environmental Health
Winnebago County (IA) - Zoning Department ↗Winneshiek County Sanitarian (County Board of Health)
Winneshiek County Planning & Zoning - Guidelines to Building ↗Siouxland District Health Department — Environmental Health
Siouxland District Health Department — Private Septic Systems ↗Worth County Sanitarian
Worth County - Planning and Zoning Department ↗Wright County Public Health - Environmental Services (Waste Water System permits, under Iowa DNR)
Wright County IA - Planning & Zoning ↗Every county here has a full profile — its index score, water, land prices, and the rest of its building rules. See the Iowa state page for all counties ranked, or the national septic guide.
General guidance, not legal advice. Off-grid, building, and land-use rules are often set at the county level and change often. Verify with your county and state before acting. Data reviewed 2026-06-26.
