Septic Regulations Update

The County of Marin is updating the County’s Local Agency Management Program (LAMP) for the management and regulation of onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTS), typically referred to as septic systems. The goal of this initiative is to adopt a LAMP to improve satisfaction with the County’s OWTS Program and strive to create a LAMP that: 

• Protects public health and water quality
• Accommodates Marin’s unique geography and ensures protection of water bodies and historic development patterns
• Promotes transparency, program effectiveness, reduced costs, and shortened processing times
• Engages stakeholders throughout the Initiative to be responsive and build lasting trust

Why this is important

The County wants to create a program that is customized to meet the unique conditions in Marin in place of the default “one size fits all” approach in State law. If the County does not complete a LAMP in a timely fashion, the Program will default to the inflexible program outlined in the State OWTS Policy.

The update also gives the County the opportunity to respond to longstanding community concerns about confusing rules, inconsistency in application, cost, and complexity in the County’s current septic policies and processes.

The LAMP must be approved by the Regional Water Quality Control Board acting on behalf of the State Water Board in addition to the Marin Board of Supervisors.

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On Tuesday, November 10, Chris Choo, Assistant Director of Community Development Agency, presented a progress update of the septic regulations to the Board of Supervisors.

• View a recording of the presentation including questions and comments from the Board of Supervisors, and responses from CDA Staff
• Review comments submitted before the presentation
• View a summary of Board of Supervisor’s comments
• View past community meetings including the November 10 Board of Supervisors meeting, past submitted comments, and the July 2026 community meeting recording 

If you have any questions or comments on the Septic Regulations update, please use this form.

The County has been working on updating the LAMP since 2014. The combination of staffing changes at both the Regional Water Board and the County, as well as changes in State law and priorities, has significantly prolonged the process for LAMP approval.

The County has now hired technical, project management, and community engagement consultants to assist County staff in having an adopted LAMP targeted to the end of 2026.

In the interim, the County has been managing and permitting OWTS while working in good faith with the Regional Board.  The expectation is that the LAMP will soon be updated to meet all OWTS Policy requirements and Regional Board’s expectations. At this time the Marin County OWTS program is considered to be a Tier 2 local agency through the Regional Board’s review process of our current program, operating under the regulations and county code most recently amended in 2011.