Search for the cost of a new septic system and you'll get national averages from sites that have never seen your lot. Two houses on the same street can need very different systems because the soil, the slope and the county requirements aren't the same.
Valley Drilling Co has been a family-owned, C-42 licensed septic contractor since 1950, serving five Southern California counties. Here's what actually moves the price of a new system, a repair or a pump-out.
Why Don't We Post Prices?
Because any number we posted would be wrong for most people reading it. The cost depends on things we can't see from a phone call, like how fast your soil drains and what your county will ask for before it signs off.
What we can do is look at the property and give you a free estimate based on what's really there.
How Do PERC Results and Soil Change the Cost?
A percolation test, or PERC test, measures how fast your soil absorbs water. It's usually the first thing the county wants to see for a new system.
Soil that drains well can handle a smaller, simpler disposal area. Slow soil, tight clay or shallow rock means more leach line, deeper seepage pits, or a different kind of system altogether. High groundwater can rule out some options entirely. Our PERC and soil testing page explains how the test works.
Which Type of System Does Your Lot Need?
The system type is one of the biggest cost factors, and it's mostly decided by the soil and the size of the lot, not by preference.
- Conventional tank and leach lines. A septic tank feeding shallow trenches. It needs enough usable ground with soil that drains.
- Seepage pits. Deep, drilled pits that take up less surface area. They're common in parts of Southern California where the lot is small or the better soil sits deeper. See our seepage pit page.
- Advanced treatment units (ATUs). Aerobic systems that treat wastewater further before it goes into the ground. Counties may call for one where the soil or lot won't support a conventional system. ATUs have more parts and need ongoing service.
How Do Tank Size and Bedroom Count Factor In?
Counties generally size septic systems by the number of bedrooms, not by how many people live in the house today. A bigger home needs a bigger tank and more disposal area, and both add to the job.
Adding an ADU or bedrooms can push an existing system past its size. See septic for ADUs.
What Do Permits, County Fees and Plans Add?
New systems and most replacements need a county permit and inspections. Each county sets its own fees, and they change.
Some jobs also need stamped plans. When the county requires them, an outside licensed engineer prepares and stamps the plans, and we coordinate the design and permits with them so the system is built to pass inspection.
How Do Access, Slope and Rock Affect the Price?
Excavation is a big part of any install. A flat, open yard with room for equipment is the simplest case. Costs go up when:
- The work area is behind a house, wall or gate that a machine can't get through
- The lot is steep and needs extra care to set the tank and run lines
- We hit rock or hard ground that slows digging
- Driveways, patios or landscaping have to be cut and put back
- Excess soil has to be hauled off the property
Distance plays a smaller role. Remote and mountain properties take more travel time for crews and equipment.
What If You're Replacing an Old System?
Replacing a failed system adds steps a brand-new lot doesn't have. The old tank has to be found, pumped and abandoned the way the county requires, which usually means crushing and filling it in place or removing it. Old leach lines or pits may need to be dealt with too.
Sometimes part of the old system can be kept, like a sound tank with a failed leach field. Our septic repair and leach line repair pages cover how that decision gets made.
What Affects the Cost of Septic Pumping?
A few things change the price of a pump-out:
- Tank size. A larger tank holds more to pump and dispose of.
- Buried lids. If the lids are under soil or hardscape, we have to locate and uncover them first.
- How overdue it is. A tank that hasn't been pumped in many years has thick, packed sludge that takes longer to remove.
- Disposal. Everything pumped goes to an approved disposal site, and that's part of every pump-out.
See our septic tank pumping page for how often to pump and what happens on a visit.
How Do You Get a Real Number?
Call (909) 795-6164 and tell us what's going on. It helps to have a few things ready:
- The number of bedrooms, and any plans for an ADU or addition
- Any PERC report, old permit or as-built drawing you have
- Where you think the tank is, if there is one
Don't have all of that? That's fine. We'll set up a free estimate.
Septic Cost Questions
Why won't you give me a price over the phone for a new system?
Because the biggest cost factors, like how your soil drains and what the county requires, can't be judged from a phone call. We'd rather give you a free estimate based on your actual property than a number that changes later.
Are seepage pits cheaper than leach lines?
There's no blanket answer. It depends on your soil, how much usable ground you have and what your county allows. On some lots only one of them will work.
Do I need an engineer for a new septic system?
Only when the county requires it, which depends on the soil results, the system type and local rules. When stamped plans are needed, an outside licensed engineer prepares them and we coordinate the permits and installation.
Is a repair always cheaper than a full replacement?
Usually, when the problem is limited to one part of the system, like a baffle, a line or the leach field. If the tank and disposal area have both failed, or the county requires an upgrade, replacement may be the only option.
Want a real number for your property?
Call (909) 795-6164. We answer 7 days a week, 8 AM to 8 PM, and after-hours emergency calls are answered too.
Get a Free Estimate →Family-owned since 1950 · C-42 licensed · Bonded & insured
More answers on our Septic FAQ, or read about our company.