Septic Pumping, Inspections and Repair in Billerica, MA

Permits

Septic permits and rules in Billerica

Board of Health, Chapter 5. The Billerica Board of Health, through its Director of Public Health, governs septic under Rules and Regulations Chapter 5. Amendments to Sections 1, 2 and 5 were adopted June 2, 2025 after a public hearing the same day (Chapter 5). Perc tests are done in the presence of a Board representative at any time of year when weather allows, deep holes are witnessed by an authorized Board representative, and where an upgrade site has several perc results the slowest rate is used. We found no posted septic permit fees.

Licensed locally. A Disposal Works Installer's License is needed before any construction, upgrade or expansion, and Title 5 System Inspectors need a Billerica license as well as MassDEP approval. Both must pass a local written or oral test on Title 5 and town rules with a score of 80%, offered in March and November by appointment, and renew each January 1. The town posts a Title 5 System Inspector application. Septage haulers must be licensed and file monthly pumping reports with the Board, and Title 5 reports are due within 30 days of the inspection.

Septic tanks

200% of design flow, 1,500 gallons minimum, two compartments, outlet filter

Garbage grinder

1,500-gallon tank and leach area at 150% of design flow

Construction season

No disposal works construction December 1 through March 15

Floodplain

Leaching facility at least 100 feet from the floodplain boundary

Groundwater

Basement floor or slab at least 2 feet above seasonal high groundwater

Design flow

440 gpd per dwelling unit; 330 gpd only with a recorded three-bedroom deed restriction

Additions

Bedrooms or other living space can require an upgrade

More of Chapter 5. No disposal works construction is permitted from December 1 through March 15 of the following year unless the Director finds a threat to health, safety or the environment (§ 5.3.014). It's a standing seasonal rule, so replacement work in that window waits unless the Director makes that finding. Reserve areas must be prepared for system replacement during initial construction. Adding a bedroom, living room, den, family room or other living or substantial storage space requires an upgrade as the Director determines; additions up to 200 square feet, vehicle-only garages, porches, decks and screen houses are exempt (§ 5.2.012). Upgrades that stay out of the floodplain may not need a variance from the 100-foot setback.

State rules. A sale needs a Title 5 inspection within two years before closing, or three years with annual pumping records (MassDEP buying or selling guide). Local boards may adopt rules stricter than Title 5 after a public hearing (M.G.L. c.111 § 31), which is what Chapter 5 is.

Last verified November 2026. Fees, restrictions and deadlines on this page are due for re-checking by May 2027. New England Septic Pros is a referral service. We don't pump, inspect or build systems; the contractor files the permits.

Water

Water Billerica protects

A river supply and borrowed wellheads. Billerica draws its drinking water from the Concord River and is the only town along the river that does. Zone II wellhead protection areas for neighboring towns' supplies extend into Billerica, and its only high-yield aquifer is a small section on the Shawsheen River near the Bedford line (2024 Open Space and Recreation Plan).

Soils that fight septic. The same plan rates about 55% of the town unsuitable for development that relies on on-site sewage disposal and says seasonally high water tables make siting septic systems difficult. Essex-Scituate soils, with a water table within two feet of the surface and hardpan at 1.5 to 2 feet, are called unsuitable for on-site systems, while Windsor-Hinckley soils absorb effluent quickly but can become sites of groundwater pollution.

Floodplain and wetlands. Billerica has 51 repetitive-loss flood structures, the most of any non-coastal Massachusetts community, and Chapter 5 keeps leaching facilities 100 feet from the floodplain boundary. The Wetlands Protection By-Law sets a 100-foot buffer and a 200-foot riverfront area (Wetlands Protection By-Law). Under the wetland regulations approved June 25, 2008, an applicant stakes the septic tank and leaching field locations before the site visit, septic work separate from a building is a Category 1 filing at $40 per activity, and an undisturbed strip of 25 feet (lots developed by June 27, 2003) or 50 feet (undeveloped lots) applies (Wetland Protection Regulations).