Septic Systems vs. City Sewer in Summit County, CO

The Barr TeamAbout Summit County, Info for Home Buyers Leave a Comment

In this video Henry Barr explains the differences between homes that have septic systems vs. city sewer in Summit County, Colorado…

This is Henry Barr with the Barr Team at REMAX Properties of the Summit and I have been asked to explain the difference between city sewer and septic systems here is Summit County. Basically in a city limit where you have city supplied sewer systems you normally cannot have a septic system. But in some areas where there is not city sewer where you’d expect there to be, like some areas in Frisco and Ptarmigan in Silverthorne, they have individual sewer systems/septic systems. An individual sewer system is exactly what it is, you have an individual waste water system. It basically does the same thing as a sewer, but it’s your own individual system. They cost any where from $25,000-$50,000 to install depending on what type of sewer system you need for your house. The nice part is that you don’t have to pay a monthly fee for it because it is your own system. I do recommend getting them pumped every 3-5 years to get some of the sludge out of the system. If properly installed they should function fine with a little bit of maintenance and a little bit of care. With a septic system you need to be careful what you put down your garbage disposal and what chemicals you put down because it is a breathing living system down in your sewer system. In areas where you don’t have city sewer you don’t really have an alternative and you need to have a septic system. Most people do just fine with individual sewer systems, particularly newer sewer systems. One thing to note is that our septic systems are going to be state of the art because Summit County is at the top of the water shed and our regulations for our sewer systems are going to be greatly increased over what they may be in some other areas. Summit County also has a regulation that any time you are buying and selling a house with a septic system you must have it inspected. There are certain exceptions, but the general rule is that with any house being sold with a septic system must have a county approved inspection done before the house can transfer to new owners. And with the regular city sewer system, you shouldn’t have any issues with it, it’s all taken care of in the municipal sewer plant. You pay a monthly fee for your sewer, which is usually a flat fee, it is not determined on usage like water is.  And that explains the simple differences between city sewer and septic systems here is Summit County.