MAKE YOUR LIFE EASY: GETTING PERMITS FOR YOUR GREYWATER SYSTEM

Keep one thing in mind with permits with your landscape: Keep it SIMPLE.  

SIMPLICITY IS FELICITY

First, we all remember the KISS principle from sales and marketing.  Keep It Simple, Silly (Or substitute your favorite “S word” 😉 

With the plumbing code, we want to designate our greywater system as “simple.”  This approach keeps the permitting to a minimum.  

AVOID COMPLEX DESIGNATION

The designation of “simple” vs “complex” matters.  Depending on your region, you will likewise save a lot of money and hassle by keeping your definition simple.  

For instance, it costs $600 for a simple permit in LA.  $300 goes to the City of Los Angeles and the other $300 goes to the County Health Department.  (Currently, where I live in Long Beach, a simple non-pressurized systems is $0, so it may vary.)

However, the same greywater system can be classified as “Complex” when over 250 gallons of pressurized distribution is being piped.  At this point, the permitting fees go up to $2,400 for the LA County Health Department and $300 for the City of Los Angeles! 

Fortunately for me, Long Beach is terrific because the fees are still $0. Permits for your Greywater system are important, so investigate.  I spent a little more time at the permit counter, but that’s life. 

Now do you want to bet which city is going to have the lowest water consumption?  Go Long Beach!!!

OTHER DISTINCTIONS OF THE GREYWATER SYSTEM 

Other complex systems collect water and push it out to your sprinkler systems.  By the way, those sprinkler systems are pressurized.  They want to ensure you’re not cross-connected to the public water system, which can be very dangerous.  These systems require a higher permit cost.

Our system is a simple system it uses gravity to push the water out to the Aquifer Pipe thus it has a lower permit price.  You can look at our site for ideas with pass through systems, which collect water and feed your land. 

Finally, keep in mind that collected water should not be held more than 24 hours. 

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