Septic permit rules and requirements in Nebraska
In Nebraska, the state issues the septic permit itself. A system must sit 100 feet from a well. Nebraska Administrative Code, Title 124, Chapter 3 — Permits · checked 2026-09-12
The state
Issues the permit
checked 2026-09-12
Who issues a septic permit in Nebraska
The state issues the permit itself.
The Department must permit a septic system before an owner builds or repairs it. The rule gives no county or district this power.
Nebraska Administrative Code, Title 124, Chapter 3 — Permits · checked 2026-09-12
The office's phone number is 402-471-4285.
This is the phone number for the Onsite Wastewater Program on its own page.
Nebraska Department of Water, Energy and Environment — Onsite Wastewater Program · checked 2026-09-23
The office publishes its own page on this: Nebraska Department of Water, Energy and Environment — Onsite Wastewater Program.
This is the canonical address the DWEE site gives for the program page.
Nebraska Department of Water, Energy and Environment — Onsite Wastewater Program · checked 2026-09-23
What state law requires
Does Nebraska require a septic permit?
A system needs a permit to build, change or repair it.
A general permit can cover many systems that are alike. A small repair, such as a lid seal, needs no permit.
Nebraska Administrative Code, Title 124, Chapter 3 — Permits · checked 2026-09-23
Does Nebraska require a percolation test?
The state requires a percolation test before it approves a system's design.
A certified worker tests the soil where the drainfield will go.
Nebraska Administrative Code, Title 124, Chapter 2 — Application of Regulations; General Provisions · checked 2026-09-23
How far the drainfield must sit from a well in Nebraska.
100 feet.
Applies to a drainfield, not a tank.
A tank may sit closer to the well.
Nebraska Administrative Code, Title 124, Chapter 2 — Application of Regulations; General Provisions · checked 2026-09-23
How far a system must sit from the property line in Nebraska.
5 feet.
Applies to a tank or a drainfield.
A lagoon needs a wider setback under the same table.
Nebraska Administrative Code, Title 124, Chapter 2 — Application of Regulations; General Provisions · checked 2026-09-23
Must the installer be licensed in Nebraska?
The state must certify a person who installs, repairs or inspects a system.
The state also certifies pumpers and soil testers.
Nebraska Administrative Code, Title 124, Chapter 9 — Certification Requirements · checked 2026-09-23
Whether Nebraska counts what it permits
Yes. Nebraska publishes septic permit counts by county.
The department runs a live database of registered septic systems. You can search it by county or download the full list.
Nebraska Department of Water, Energy and Environment — Registered Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems · checked 2026-09-12
Nebraska counties on this site
We have not published a Nebraska county page yet. A county earns a page when we hold facts unique to it. Until then this page is the answer for every county in the state.
Telling us your county is how we decide which one to build next.
Sources
State records only. Each figure above has a government source and a checked-on date. County figures live on the county pages.
Verify before you act. Septic rules are set locally and they change. Check anything here with the state office before you spend money on it.