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Water Quality Division: Engineering Review: Notice of Transfer for On-Site Wastewater Treatment Facilities

Arizona's statewide inspection program for on-site wastewater (septic) treatment facilities began on a limited basis in January 2002. On July 1, 2006, Arizona Administrative Code (A.A.C.) R18-9-A316, extended the inspection requirement to all on-site systems whenever ownership of the property changes. Typically, such an inspection is triggered by the resale of a home by an owner or with the assistance of a real estate professional. The inspection requirement applies to any property served by:

  • A conventional septic tank system, or
  • An alternative on-site system used instead of a conventional system.

Under this inspection program:

  • The seller of a property served by a conventional septic tank system or alternative system shall retain a qualified inspector to perform the transfer of ownership inspection within six months before the date of property transfer.
  • The inspector shall have training from a course recognized by ADEQ. ADEQ currently recognizes the inspector training provided by the National Association of Wastewater Transporters (NAWT) . NAWT maintains a searchable database of persons who hold a current training certificate.
  • In addition to the training recognized by ADEQ, the inspector shall have a specific State of Arizona occupational license or service vehicle license. ADEQ maintains the list of licensed service vehicles, organized by license number and county. Acceptable licenses are listed in A.A.C. R18-9-A316 (B)(3). In order to determine if an inspectors license is current it may be necessary to contact one of the following departments that maintain occupational lists for Arizona-registered engineers, sanitarians, contractors and wastewater treatment plant operators:
    • Arizona Board of Technical Registration
    • Arizona Department of Health Services
    • Arizona Registrar of Contractors
    • Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
  • The inspector shall prepare a Report of Inspection (ROI) form, and provide it to the seller of the property.

  • The seller shall provide to the buyer the completed ROI form and any documents in the seller's possession relating to the permitting, operation, and maintenance of the on-site system.
  • The buyer, within 15 calendar days after the date of the property transfer, shall complete and submit a Notice of Transfer (NOT) form with fee to ADEQ.

Submittal of the seven-page ROI is not acceptable in place of the two page NOT form. A ROI is not to be filed with ADEQ as it is for communication on the status of the on-site wastewater system between the transferor/seller and transferee/buyer.

Brochures

Forms

File a Notice of Transfer (NOT)

Filing NOT Forms Online

ADEQ provides an easy online method for filing a NOT for any property in Arizona, except Pima County. A $50 transfer fee is required for online NOT submittals. The transfer fee is for each property parcel, regardless of the number of treatment facilities on the parcel. Fee payments for online NOT submittals can be made by check, money or credit card.

Filing NOT Forms by Mail

If you are unable to file the NOT online (see Filing NOT Forms Online), you may submit an NOT by mail, the form and payment must be filed with the proper agency based on the year of construction of the treatment facility. For transfers in Pima and Navajo County, see the appropriate sections below.

NOTs submitted by mail for a property with a treatment facility constructed before January 01, 2001 are to be sent to ADEQ. Make payment payable to ADEQ and mail with the completed NOT form to:

Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
NOT Program - Fifth Floor
1110 West Washington Street
Phoenix, Arizona 85007

Submittals for properties with a treatment facility constructed on or after January 1, 2001 are to be sent to the county in which the property is located. Please refer to the specific instructions for mailing NOTs to Pima and Navajo counties below. Make payment payable to the county department listed in the NOT application and mail with the completed NOT form to the listed agency.

File a Pima County NOT

ADEQ does not process NOTs for properties located in Pima County. Please contact Pima County Development Services for information regarding NOT submittals and fees at:

Pima County Development Services
Septic Counter - Pima County Notice of Transfer
201 North Stone Avenue
Tucson, Arizona 85701
(520) 740-6498

File a Navajo County NOT by Mail

Please submit all NOTs for properties located in Navajo County to ADEQ. Make payment payable to ADEQ and mail with the completed NOT form to:

Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
NOT Program - Fifth Floor
1110 West Washington Street
Phoenix, Arizona 85007

All payments received by ADEQ that are made payable to Navajo County will be returned to the persons submitting the payment, along with the NOT application. Such transfers remain incomplete until properly filed with payment to ADEQ.