Adams County, CO
Septic (OWTS) Permits in Adams County, Colorado
Since January 2023, Adams County has run its own septic (onsite wastewater treatment system) permitting through the Adams County Health Department rather than the former Tri-County Health Department. Here's the actual process: what forms you need, how to submit them, and what a transfer of title requires.
This page covers what's specific to Adams County. For the general explanation, see the national guide.
The county's own Health Department now runs OWTS permitting -- here's the process
The Adams County Health Department (ACHD) took over septic permitting from Tri-County Health Department when it opened in January 2023, and it now handles every new installation, repair, and expansion application directly through its Environmental Health / Water Quality Program. An application generally needs a completed Use Permit Application form and the applicable fee, plus supporting paperwork: the Application for Permit to Install, Repair, or Expand an OWTS, a Site Evaluation and Design Document Checklist (recommended before you apply), and a Percolation Test Summary and Data Form when a perc test applies to the site.
Applications can be emailed to the Environmental Health office (EHWaterProgram@adamscountyco.gov), submitted through the county's online permit system, mailed, or dropped off in person. In-person hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to noon and 1:00 to 5:00 p.m., excluding holidays. Fees follow the department's own fee schedule, which the Board of Health revises and approves by resolution roughly annually -- the schedule current as of this review was tied to a 2026 update -- so confirm the current fee amount directly with ACHD rather than budgeting from an older figure.
Selling or buying land with an existing septic system: the transfer-of-title requirement
A use/transfer-of-title permit is generally required when a property with an existing septic system changes hands. That means an inspection by an inspector certified through the National Association of Wastewater Technicians (NAWT) or the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF), and in most cases a pump-out of the tank as part of the inspection. The completed application and inspection forms go to the same Environmental Health office (EHWaterProgram@adamscountyco.gov, the online portal, or in person), and the fee can be paid online, by phone, or in person.
Because ACHD is a genuinely new department, don't rely on an older document or a listing agent's checklist that still names Tri-County Health Department as the contact for a transfer-of-title septic inspection -- confirm you're using ACHD's current forms and fee schedule, since both the responsible department and its paperwork changed in 2023 and have continued to be revised since (the county's OWTS use-permit FAQ in circulation as of this review carries a December 2025 revision date).
What triggers a permit, and what a percolation test involves
A septic permit is required for a new OWTS installation, for a repair beyond routine maintenance, and for an expansion of an existing system's design capacity -- it is a health-department permit specific to the septic system, separate from any county building permit for the structure itself. Where a percolation test is required to establish site suitability, the Percolation Test Summary and Data Form is the document ACHD expects alongside your application; the recommended Site Evaluation and Design Document Checklist is worth completing early, since it flags what a design engineer or system installer will need documented before ACHD can act on the application.
Given how recently this department was created and how often its forms have been revised since, treat any percolation-test or septic-design guidance you find online as a starting point rather than a substitute for pulling the current forms directly from the Adams County Health Department's own site before you apply.
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- Septic Systems — Adams County Health Department (accessed 2026-09)
- Permits to Install, Repair, or Expand an OWTS — Adams County Health Department (accessed 2026-09)
- ACHD S-393 OWTS Use Permit FAQ (Revised 12/2025) — Adams County Health Department (accessed 2026-09)
- OWTS Use Permit Application (2026) — Adams County Health Department (accessed 2026-09)
- Service Fees — Adams County Health Department (accessed 2026-09)
Last reviewed 2026-09