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Septic Pumping, Inspections and Repair in Bedford, NH
Outside a sewer district on Bedford's east side, homes here are on septic, and the town Health Department reviews every new design before it goes to the state. A failed system has to be rebuilt within 90 days of state approval. Call (978) 486-7980 or use the form. A person reads every request and replies with what happens next.
- Free for homeowners
- Town and state rules on this page
- The Pines to Sebbins Pond
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Septic in Bedford
What does your system need?
Pumping & Maintenance
Routine tank pumping, filter cleaning and the records your board of health or town may ask for.
Septic Inspections
Title 5 inspections before a Massachusetts sale, and system evaluations for New Hampshire buyers and owners.
Repair & Leach Field Replacement
Broken baffles, failed pumps, backups and leach fields that no longer take water, permitted the way your town requires.
New System Design & Installation
A licensed designer or engineer draws the plan, the town or state approves it, and a permitted installer builds it.
Not sure where to start?
(978) 486-7980Tell us what's happening with the system and whether you've heard from the town or the state, and we'll help you sort out the next step.
Permits
Septic permits and rules in Bedford
Bedford's septic page lists the Town Offices at 24 North Amherst Road for septic questions. The town's septic page says "All new sub-surface designs and waiver requests must be approved by the town prior to being submitted to the state for approval." Bedford's review covers local subdivision rules and its Health Ordinance rather than the state's design rules, and the town says it follows the NHDES subsurface rules "with only a few local modifications." A town permit is required for installation, and the town inspects the work (Bedford septic systems). Septic permits are required for both installation and repair under the building code (§92-8), and inspections are scheduled at 603-472-4567 (online permitting).
- Local approval
- Bedford Health Department, before NHDES
- State approval
- NHDES approval for construction, then approval for operation
- System installation
- $50 (2022 fee schedule)
- Septic tank only
- $25 (2022 fee schedule)
- Plan review before NHDES
- $35 (2022 fee schedule)
- Failed system
- Rebuilt and approved within 90 days of state construction approval
Posted fees. The town's fee schedule (posted as "FEE SCHEDULE 2022 UPDATE") lists a septic system installation at $50, a septic tank only at $25 and plan review prior to submission to DES at $35; electrical permits for pumps are separate (2022 fee schedule). The schedule doesn't print an effective date, so check the amounts with the office.
Where Bedford goes further than the state. The Health Ordinance (Chapter 208, adopted November 14, 2007) repeats that new designs need Health Department approval before state approval and requires a barrier of at least five ounces per square yard of nonwoven polyester filter fabric. Where there is no prior state approval, an in-kind replacement must have its tank sized to current requirements, and separate gray water and septic systems "must be combined into a single disposal system" at the time of an in-kind replacement. For a failed system, "A portable toilet shall not be used as a replacement," the new system must be built and approved for operation "within 90 days of said state approval for construction" or the Health Department may order the property vacated, and in the meantime the owner must pump the tank regularly. On new lots, a well's protective radius can't cross the property line (Health Ordinance). Designers and installers must hold their state permits, and the town may refuse permits for a year to repeat violators (§208).
State rules. NHDES issues the Approval for Construction and, after inspection, the Approval for Operation (NHDES septic systems); the state application fee is $450 per system (RSA 485-A:30). Plans come from an NHDES-permitted designer and paid installers need an NHDES installer permit (RSA 485-A:35; RSA 485-A:36). There's no general inspection at sale in New Hampshire, but for developed waterfront property with any part of the system within 250 feet of the reference line, the buyer generally hires a licensed evaluator before the transfer, and a failing system has to be replaced within 180 days (RSA 485-A:39). Excavation needs a Dig Safe ticket at least 72 hours ahead, excluding weekends and holidays (Dig Safe).
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 design, permit or install septic systems; the designer and installer handle the approvals.
Sewer or septic
Sewer or septic in Bedford
Bedford has no treatment plant of its own; its town profile lists sanitation as "private septic and municipal" (town profile). A February 4, 2026 staff memo to the Water and Sewer Advisory Committee says sewer is "concentrated primarily in the eastern portion of Town," with the Performance Zone the largest sewered area, and that Bedford's wastewater goes to Manchester for treatment. Everywhere else, homes are on septic.
Little chance of a hookup outside the district. Bedford's sewer code says "The presumption shall be that no properties outside of the established sewer district shall be connected," and a property granted a waiver for an alternative septic system must connect to sewer when that system needs repair or replacement (Chapter 212). Inside the district, the property owner is responsible for installing and maintaining the building sewer.
The 2026 sewer study. The February 2026 memo revisits the short list from the 2008 Sewer Master Plan: the Pines Area, described as "residential subsurface disposal on small lots, generally deep rapidly percolating sands"; the Sebbins Pond Area, with "residential wastewater disposal constraints and water quality issues"; and growth corridors north of Boynton Street, east of Route 114 and along Route 101. Staff recommended planning-level evaluation only, with the Town "not committing to construction," and the Committee recommended that the Town Council proceed with a Sewer Master Plan update, with coordination with Manchester on flow limits listed among the planning criteria (Water and Sewer Expansion staff memo). As of that memo, no fees or timeline were set. Homes in those areas should plan for septic for now.
Water
Water Bedford protects
Shoreland waters
Sebbins Pond, Baboosic Brook and the Merrimack River fall under the state's 250-foot protected shoreland zone.
Brook buffers
Ten named brooks carry a 50-foot no-disturbance buffer under the 2025 Stream Protection Ordinance.
Private wells
New and replacement wells need a town permit and lab testing for bacteria and nitrate.
Bedford's Stream Protection Ordinance, approved March 11, 2025, notes that the state's 250-foot shoreland zone applies to Sebbins Pond, Baboosic Brook and the Merrimack River, and sets a 50-foot non-disturbance buffer on Baboosic, Bog, Bowman, McQuade, McQuesten, Patten, Pointer Club, Pulpit, Riddle and Sebbins Brooks; utilities crossing a buffer need a Planning Board conditional use permit (Stream Protection Ordinance). Structures stay 50 feet from all wetlands in town (Bedford wetlands). Within the shoreland zone, state septic setbacks run 75 feet from rivers and 75 to 125 feet from ponds depending on soil, and construction within 250 feet may need an NHDES shoreland permit (RSA 483-B:9; protected shoreland).
The town requires permits and lab tests for bacteria and nitrate on all new and replacement wells (Wells and water quality). The two neighborhoods named in the February 2026 sewer memo point to the local trouble spots: small lots on "deep rapidly percolating sands" in the Pines, and wastewater limits with "water quality issues" around Sebbins Pond (staff memo).
Bedford's homes
Single-family homes, mostly on septic
Bedford's town profile counts 8,161 housing units, 6,973 of them single-family, from the 2016–2020 American Community Survey (town profile). With sewer confined to the east side, most of those single-family homes outside the district rely on their own systems, and the town's failure rules mean an owner facing a replacement is working against a 90-day clock once state approval comes through.
NHDES keeps septic approval records on OneStop, useful before buying or planning an addition, since adding bedrooms means showing the system meets state or town standards, whichever is stricter (RSA 485-A:38). NHDES suggests an inspection about every three years and pumping when needed, typically every three to five years (NHDES SepticSmart).
FAQ
Bedford septic questions
Does Bedford review septic designs before the state?
Yes. The town says all new subsurface designs and waiver requests must be approved by Bedford before they are submitted to NHDES. The town checks its subdivision rules and Health Ordinance; the state reviews the design against its own rules.
What happens if my septic system fails in Bedford?
The replacement has to be built and approved for operation within 90 days of the state approval for construction, or the Health Department may order the home vacated. A portable toilet can't stand in for the system, and the tank has to be pumped regularly in the meantime.
Can I connect to sewer instead of replacing my septic?
Usually not. Bedford's sewer code presumes no property outside the established sewer district will be connected, and the district is mainly in the eastern part of town. The February 2026 sewer study is planning-only, with no commitment to build.
What does Bedford charge for a septic permit?
The town's 2022 fee schedule lists $50 for a system installation, $25 for a septic tank only and $35 for plan review before submission to NHDES. The schedule has no effective date printed, so confirm with the town.
What does it cost me to use New England Septic Pros?
Nothing. Asking is free for homeowners; the contractor prices the job, and the price and contract are between you and them.
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