Septic System Installation in the Houston Area
Design, permitting, and installation of new on-site septic systems in 15 counties around Houston — handled end to end.
Licensed & Bonded
Texas OSF installer
Permitted & Inspected
County health-dept approved
New Installs Only
Built right the first time
Free Estimates
No-obligation, on-site
Updated October 19, 2026
Everything your new system needs
A septic system is more than a tank in the ground. It has to match your soil, be sized for your household, get permitted by the county, and be installed to code. We handle all of it as one accountable team — soil and perc testing, system design and sizing, OSSF permitting, excavation, tank and drainfield installation, and the final county inspection.
Site evaluation & perc test
We evaluate your soil and run the percolation test that determines how your system is designed.
System design & sizing
We size the tank and drainfield to your home and your soil's absorption rate, then engineer a layout for your lot.
Permitting & county approval
We prepare and submit your OSSF permit and coordinate approvals with your county health department.
Installation & inspection
We set the tank, install the drainfield, and see it through the final county inspection.
How a septic system is installed, start to finish
Every permitted install follows the same order. First the site evaluation: a licensed site evaluator or professional engineer drills two soil borings and logs the soil class, depth to any restrictive layer, and depth to groundwater (30 TAC §285.30). Those findings decide the system type. Next comes the design — design flow from the house, tank capacity from that flow, and dispersal area from the soil's loading rate. Then the OSSF permit application goes to your county, because no work can legally start before the permit is issued (§285.3). Only then do we excavate, set the tank, build the dispersal field, and call for the county's final inspection. If the system is aerobic, it also has to be placed under a maintenance contract before it is considered complete.
What decides your system type — and therefore your price
Homeowners usually assume the house picks the system. It doesn't; the dirt does. A conventional absorptive drainfield is only allowed in suitable soil with two feet of usable soil between the bottom of the excavation and a restrictive horizon or groundwater (§285.33(b)(1)). Miss that separation — because the clay starts too shallow or the water table sits too high — and the lot moves to an aerobic system with spray or drip dispersal. Slope matters too: surface (spray) application needs relatively flat, vegetated ground, which is why steeper or heavily wooded lots often end up on drip. This is the single biggest cost driver on a new install, and it is knowable before you spend anything.
Permits are issued by your county, not by the State
TCEQ writes Chapter 285, but the permit itself comes from your county's authorized agent — the health department, environmental health office, or development services, depending on where you are. That means the application packet, the fee, the review time, and the inspection schedule all differ from county to county, even for identical systems. We prepare and submit the packet for every county we serve and deal with the reviewer's comments directly, so the paperwork is not something you have to learn. Our county pages list each authority, its permit process, and the published fee where the county publishes one.
What is included, and what is not
Our installs are quoted as one flat price per system type, and that price covers the system and putting it in: the tank and dispersal components, the excavation, and the installation. Quoted separately: the soil evaluation (perc test), the engineered design, and the county permit that come before the dig, and the two-year maintenance contract Texas requires on aerobic systems. We can handle all of them for you; call us and we'll price them for your lot. Also outside the price is anything specific to your lot rather than to the system — unusual access or clearing work, long electrical runs to the tank for an aerobic unit, and any structure or driveway that has to be worked around. We say which of those apply before you sign, not after the dig.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to install a septic system?
The field work on a typical residential system runs a few days once the permit is in hand. The longer and less predictable part is the county review before that, which varies by county and by how busy the office is. Booking the site evaluation early is what actually shortens the calendar.
Do I need a permit to install a septic system in Texas?
Yes. Chapter 285 requires an authorization to construct before installation begins (§285.3), and it is issued by your county's authorized agent rather than by the State. Installing without it risks a stop-work order and a system the county will not approve.
Can I install a septic system myself?
In one case, yes. Texas lets the owner of a single-family home install or repair the septic system on their own property without an installer license, aerobic systems included (30 TAC §30.244). The exemption doesn't cover property built for sale or lease, anyone you pay to do part of the work must be a licensed installer, the site evaluation still has to come from a licensed site evaluator or engineer, and you need the county permit and inspections like anyone else. Check with your county before you start: some counties, such as Wharton, Brazoria, and Chambers, require a licensed installer anyway. If you'd rather hand it off, we hold the license and coordinate the inspection.
Do you install septic systems for manufactured and mobile homes?
Yes — new construction, manufactured homes, and mobile homes are the bulk of what we install. The sizing rules are the same regardless of how the home was built: design flow comes from bedrooms and living area, and the soil sets the dispersal field.
How do I know if my land can take a septic system before I buy it?
Run our free land pre-check first. It reads the USDA soil survey, the FEMA flood layer, and the national wetlands inventory for the address and tells you which system type the lot most likely needs. It is a preview, not a substitute for the on-site evaluation Chapter 285 requires, but it costs nothing and takes under a minute.
What is the average price to have a septic system installed?
We don't work from an average: our installed price is flat by system type. $8,000 for a conventional system, $11,950 for an aerobic system with spray, and $13,950 for an aerobic system with drip. Your soil decides which one the lot needs, not the size of the house. The soil evaluation, the engineered design, and the county permit are quoted separately, by phone.
What is the cheapest septic system to install?
A conventional gravity system, at $8,000 installed. It needs soil that can absorb the effluent, and much of the clay ground around Houston can't, so most lots here end up with an aerobic system at $11,950 or $13,950. The site evaluation decides which one your lot can take; our free land pre-check gives you a preview first.
Quick Flow Septic installs new septic systems across Harris County · Montgomery County · Fort Bend County · Waller County · Liberty County · Washington County · Grimes County · San Jacinto County · Walker County · Colorado County · Austin County · Wharton County · Brazoria County · Chambers County · Polk County.
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