How to get a septic permit in the City of Kawartha Lakes

"Do I get the permit, or do you?" is one of the first questions homeowners ask before a septic job. In the City of Kawartha Lakes your designer or installer can file it for you, but it helps to know what goes in the package and what the City checks. Everything below comes from the City's own permit page, its September 2026 permit guide and its 2026 fee schedule.

When you need a sewage system permit

The City requires a permit for new and replacement sewage systems, and for additions and repairs to an existing one. That includes replacing a single component, such as the tank or the bed. The one exception the City lists is a Class 1 system: a portable privy, an earth pit privy or a privy vault.

No digging starts until the permit is issued. The City's guide is plain about it: building a sewage system without a valid permit is against the law.

Who issues it

Inside the City of Kawartha Lakes, septic permits come from the Building and Septic Division of Development Services, at 180 Kent Street West in Lindsay. It covers private systems with a design flow of up to 10,000 litres a day, the range homes and cottages fall in. Forms are sent out by email from septicpermits@kawarthalakes.ca, and the division answers at 705-324-9411 ext. 1288.

The local health unit no longer handles septic. Its septic page says it no longer provides services for onsite sewage systems and sends residents to their municipality.

Who fills it out

You can leave the paperwork to your designer or installer, and the City allows that. When someone applies on your behalf, you and that person both sign an Owner Authorization Form. You stay responsible for meeting the Building Code and for booking the inspections listed on your permit card.

A designer or installer you hire has to hold a current BCIN registration with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, or the design can come from a licensed Professional Engineer.

What goes in the package

The City lists six mandatory forms for a residential sewage system permit:

• Applicable Law Checklist. Flags any other approval you need first (more on that below).
• Application for a Permit to Construct or Demolish, with Schedule 1 for the designer, usually your septic contractor, and Schedule 2 for the installer.
• Proposed Sewage System Design, three pages, usually completed by the designer.
• Topographical Diagram. Your whole lot, with every structure, the well or water supply and the proposed septic parts, measured to each other and to the property lines.
• Side View Diagram. A cross-section of the proposed system.
• Owner Authorization Form, when someone applies for you.

The Septic Inspector can also ask for floor plans and elevations, which the City says homeowners can often sketch themselves. If the septic work is tied to a building project, the building permit application has to be filed as well, or the septic package goes on hold. Packages go in by email or in person at a Building and Septic Division office, and the City invoices the fee once the package is received.

Approvals that come before the septic permit

The Applicable Law Checklist exists because some approvals have to be in hand before the City will issue the septic permit:

• Conservation authority approval for construction inside a regulated area. The City points to this conservation authority map to find which authority covers your property.
• Ministry of Transportation approval near a provincial highway.
• Hydro One sign-off for work inside a hydro easement.
• Zoning. The City cannot issue a septic permit for construction that breaks the zoning by-law. The Planning Division answers at ext. 1231.

City fees for 2026

From the City's 2026 Building and Septic Permit Fees:

These are the City's fees and sit apart from the cost of design and construction. Ask your designer which line your job falls under, and check the City's fee page before you budget, since the schedule is set each year.

How long it takes, and the inspections

Once the package is complete, the City says most residential sewage system permits are issued within 10 business days. After that, the area Septic Inspector comes out to inspect the work at the stages listed on your permit card. The plans can't change after the permit is issued without the inspector's written authorization, so settle the layout before you apply.

Building new on vacant land

On a vacant lot, the City won't issue a septic permit by itself. It comes after the building permit application for the house is submitted and substantially complete, and after any required lot grading and drainage plan is approved.

The City also notes that the Building Code requires vacant land to be developed with a Class 4 sewage system, which is a leaching bed system. A lot too small for a Class 4 system may not be eligible for development, so get a site assessment before you buy or design.

Adding a bedroom, a garage or a pool

Building projects on a septic property go through a Sewage System Review. The City requires one for:

• Adding or renovating a bedroom, plumbing fixtures or living space
• Additions, decks, porches, carports, garages and pools
• New accessory buildings
• A change of use, such as a home business

The review package is an application form, a lot diagram, floor plans where needed and the Owner Authorization Form. A Review Approval lets the building project go ahead when the septic system doesn't have to change. If the plans mean the system has to grow, that work goes through a sewage system permit instead.

If you don't know where your current system is or when it went in, the City's search of records service pulls building and septic files for the $50 fee listed above.

Outside the City of Kawartha Lakes

Neighbouring areas each run their own program:

• Trent Lakes: the Municipality has managed all sewage system applications since 2024, a job that used to sit with Peterborough Public Health.
• Haliburton County: Algonquin Highlands, Dysart et al, Highlands East and Minden Hills each issue septic permits through their own building departments.
• Northumberland County: the County's Plumbing and Septic Inspection Division issues permits for its member municipalities except Trent Hills, which handles its own.

Anywhere else, start with your township's building department.

Start with a site visit

The permit is the second step. The design comes first, and it starts with someone walking your lot. Thor Construction is a certified septic installer, and we install and replace conventional, raised and filter beds and tertiary systems in Kawartha Lakes and the townships around it. Call (705) 208-7121 or use the form on our septic installation and replacement page. An owner calls you back the same day, visits your property, and you get a free written quote after the visit. For what drives that quote, see what a septic bed replacement costs in Ontario.

Septic permit FAQ

Do I need a permit to replace my septic bed in Kawartha Lakes? Yes. The City requires a permit for replacement systems and for replacing any component of one.

Can my installer apply for the permit? Yes. The City allows a designer or installer to apply for you, with an Owner Authorization Form signed by both of you.

How long does a septic permit take in Kawartha Lakes? The City issues most residential sewage system permits within 10 business days of a complete package.

Sources

• City of Kawartha Lakes, Septic Permits: when a permit is required, Class 1 exemption, applying for the owner, 10 business days, inspections, vacant land, existing system reviews
• City of Kawartha Lakes, Residential Sewage System Permit guide (Sept 2026): mandatory forms, construction plans, building permit link, prior approvals, BCIN or Professional Engineer, review package, contact numbers
• City of Kawartha Lakes, Fees and Development Charges (2026 Building and Septic Permit Fees)
• Lakelands Public Health, Septic Systems: the health unit no longer provides septic services; Haliburton County and Northumberland County offices
• Municipality of Trent Lakes, Septic Systems: sewage system applications managed by the Municipality since 2024
• Ontario Building Code, Part 8 Sewage Systems, Article 8.1.2.1: Class 1 and Class 4 definitions