TAHD
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  • Home
  • COVID-19
    • At-Home Test Kits
    • COVID-19 Booster Information
    • COVID-19 Testing
    • Weekly Updates for COVID-19 Positivity Rates Within the Torrington Area Health District (TAHD) Jurisdiction
    • Self-Isolation and ​Self-Quarantine
  • Programs & Services
    • Environmental Health >
      • Healthy Homes
      • Lead Information
      • Asbestos >
        • Overview
        • Asbestos Abatement
        • Vermiculite Concerns
      • Beauty Salon and Barber Shop Licensing
      • Bed Bug Information
      • Building Conversions, Additions and Accessory Structures
      • Day Care Centers
      • General Septic System Information >
        • Steps to Constructing a Building with No Public Sewers or Public Water
        • On-site Subsurface Sewage Disposal Systems
        • Repair and Replacement
      • Lake and Pond Swimming Areas
      • Noise Regulations
      • Private Water Wells
      • Public Swimming Pools
      • Radon Awareness
      • Soil Testing
      • Tattoo Salons
      • Water Testing Laboratories
    • Community Health >
      • Suicide Prevention
      • Opioid Epidemic
      • Bats & Rabies
      • Bed Bugs
      • Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program
      • Communicable and Chronic Disease Program
      • Emergency Preparedness
      • Fit Together NWCT
      • Immunization >
        • Immunization Program
        • Connecticut Vaccine Program (CVP)
        • Connecticut Immunization Information System (CT WiZ)
      • Community Health Needs Assessment
      • Lyme Disease & Ticks >
        • About Lyme Disease
        • Tick Removal & Testing
      • TAHD Medical Reserve Corp
      • Travel Health
    • Food Protection Inspection Program >
      • Overview of Food Protection Section
      • Guidelines for Food Service at Temporary Events
      • Itinerant Vendor / Mobile Vendor Food Service Requirements
      • FDA Food Code Information >
        • Testing Organizations
      • Qualified Food Operator
      • Foodborne Illness Investigation
      • Preoperational Guidelines & Application for Food Service Establishments
      • Keeping Food Safe During Extended Power Outage
      • Procedures to Safely Reopen After Storm
      • Food Service Establishment Inspections
    • Local Regulations
  • Forms & Applications
    • General Forms & Applications
    • Food Service Forms & Applications
    • Fee Schedule
  • Contact
  • About Us
    • Overview
    • Board Members >
      • Board of Health Meeting Minutes
    • TAHD Staff
    • Satellite Office Locations
    • District Municipalities
    • Needs Assessment >
      • Litchfield County Community Health
      • Executive Summary
      • Litchfield County Transformation Grant
    • Public Health Introduction Video
    • Employment Opportunities
  • News & Events
    • Newsletter
    • Weather Related Closures

Steps to Constructing a Building with No Public Sewers or Public Water

To construct a building where there are no public sewers or public water requires permits from the Torrington Area Health District to install a septic system and to drill a well. The TAHD is an independent agency that represents all its constituent towns for purposes of septic systems and well approvals. In addition to TAHD approval, other approvals must be obtained from local officials. The final step with any building is the issuance of the Certificate of Occupancy (CO) that is obtained from the local building official. The following steps are the typical sequence before the CO is issued.

  1. The lot owner hires a professional engineer to do soil testing and submit a site plan to the TAHD that shows all the details of how the lot will be developed.
  2. If inland-wetland soils exist on the lot, it may be necessary for the engineer to use a soil scientist to outline the wetland soils.
  3. The engineer submits two sets of his design and a set of the house plans to the TAHD with a check for the appropriate amount for review and approval.
  4. Once approved, the TAHD issues a sewage disposal permit to the lot owner.
  5. The lot owner brings his house plans with his site plan to other people that have jurisdictions such as the zoning enforcement official, building official, inland-wetland commission, state highway, and utility companies.
  6. All necessary permits and approvals are obtained and construction begins.
  7. The lot owner must hire a state licensed septic system installer to construct his system. The installer takes out a permit to construct from the TAHD.
  8. The septic system is constructed and the TAHD inspects and approves it before it is covered.
  9. The TAHD signs off on the well permit and the well is drilled.
  10. The lot owner is responsible to test the well water and submit the results to the TAHD.
  11. The TAHD issues a Permit to Discharge for the septic system and approves the water supply if all requirements are satisfied.
  12. All other inspections and approvals are obtained in a timely manner.


The local building official issues a Certificate of Occupancy and the building can be legally used.

EPA has a link offering advice on the proper care of your septic system.

Please see our satellite locations for contact information.   

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Torrington Area Health District
350 Main Street, Suite A
Torrington, CT 06790-5000
(860) 489-0436  Fax  (860) 496-8243 
Hours
​-Monday, Tuesday, Thursday- 8:00am to 4:00pm.
-Wednesday-
8:00am to 6:00pm.
​-Friday-
8:00am to 1:00pm.
 
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TAHD provides local public health services for the towns of Bantam, Bethlehem, Canaan, Cornwall, Goshen, Harwinton, Kent, Litchfield, Middlebury, Morris, Norfolk, North Canaan, Plymouth, Salisbury, Thomaston, Torrington, Warren, Watertown & Winsted.
© 2023 Torrington Area Health District. All Rights Reserved.
The Torrington Area Health District is an equal opportunity provider, and employer.  If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html , or at any USDA office, or call (866) 632-9992 to request the form.  You may also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form.  Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, by fax (202) 690-7442 or email at program.intake@USDA.gov.