Septic financing and septic loans

Free money first, cheap money second, expensive money last. Most owners in the lagoon area will use two of these together.

1. A grant. Brevard pays $6,000 to $20,000 toward an ENR upgrade and Indian River County up to $15,000 toward a sewer connection. Every program is on our septic grants and financing hub, with a quiz that shows which ones fit you.
2. A 1% USDA repair loan, if you have a low income and live in a USDA rural area. See USDA Section 504 home repair.
3. A utility payment plan for a sewer connection: spread over two to ten years depending on where you live.
4. PACE financing repaid on your property tax bill, where your county or city allows it.
5. A home equity loan or line of credit from a bank or credit union.
6. Installer arranged financing or a personal loan. Fast and easy, but usually the highest rate.

If your home is connecting to sewer, ask the utility about a payment plan before you look for a loan. These plans often cost little or nothing in interest.

• Florida law: owners may prepay the sewer connection charges in equal monthly installments over up to two years from the notice that sewer is coming (s. 381.00655, F.S.). The same law gives owners 365 days to connect after the utility says sewer is available.
• Palm Bay: connection payment agreements of up to five years for owner-occupied homes (the deposit is not included).
• Indian River Shores: the town council reportedly approved a 10-year special assessment option for required connections, paid with your property taxes. Confirm the terms with the town.
• Port St. Lucie and Fort Pierce: Port St. Lucie finances its $8,258 conversion at 0% over 10 years, and the Fort Pierce Utilities Authority says financing is available for its $10,395 single-family connection.
• Everywhere else: see your county's page on our hub for the local terms: Indian River County, St. Lucie, Volusia.

A special assessment is a charge on your tax bill, not a loan in your name, but it stays with the house. If you sell, the buyer or the closing usually pays off what is left.

Since July 1, 2024, Florida's PACE law (s. 163.08, F.S., as changed by SB 770) lists these as qualifying improvements for a home:

• connecting a septic system to central sewer, and
• where no sewer is available, upgrading a septic system to an advanced system, which is what an ENR system is.

With PACE you repay through a yearly assessment on your property tax bill, often over many years. The good: approval leans on your home's equity and tax record more than your credit score. The catches:

• It only works where your county or city has authorized a PACE program. We have not confirmed which of the four lagoon counties allow residential PACE today. Ask your county, or ask the installer which PACE program they are approved with.
• The PACE lien is paid before your mortgage. Some mortgage lenders will not refinance or approve a buyer until it is paid off, so it can complicate a sale.
• SB 770 added consumer protections in 2024, including rules on how contractors may advertise PACE. Read every page of the financing estimate.

If you have equity in your home, a home equity loan (fixed amount, fixed rate) or a home equity line of credit (HELOC, a revolving line with a variable rate) is usually cheaper than installer financing. The trade-off is that your home secures the loan: the CFPB warns that if you cannot repay, you could lose your home. Expect appraisal and closing costs on some offers.

Local lenders whose own websites list these products include Space Coast Credit Union, Launch Federal Credit Union, MIDFLORIDA Credit Union, FAIRWINDS Credit Union (which also lists a home improvement loan up to $15,000) and Seacoast Bank. We are not paid by any of them; compare at least two offers.

A nonprofit community lender, the Solar and Energy Loan Fund (SELF), which started in St. Lucie County and now also serves Indian River and Brevard, has offered water quality loans for septic-to-sewer conversions. Ask them for the current rate.

Many septic and plumbing companies can offer financing on the spot through a lender they are enrolled with. Common names are Service Finance (owned by Truist), GreenSky, Hearth, Synchrony, Foundation Finance and Regions home improvement financing. You apply on the installer's tablet or a link, and the lender pays the installer. Note: Mosaic, once a big home improvement lender, went bankrupt in 2025 and is not making new loans.

• Ask what kind of promotion it is. "No interest if paid in full in 12 months" is deferred interest: if any balance is left at the end, all the interest back to day one is added. "0% APR for 12 months" is not deferred. The CFPB says to look for the word "if."
• Ask what the cash price is. Some promotional plans carry a dealer fee that can be built into the price.
• Never sign financing under pressure. The FTC warns about contractors who push a high-cost loan at the kitchen table. Take the papers home and compare.

An unsecured personal loan from your bank or credit union is another route: no lien on your house, a fixed rate, but usually a higher rate than home equity.

Use our cost minus grant calculator: type your quote, your grant and a loan rate and term, and it shows an example monthly payment. It is an example, not a loan offer.

Every option on this page starts with a written quote. We will connect you with a licensed installer who serves your county and can help with the grant paperwork and tell you which financing they accept. Get quotes and help applying, or check your address first to see if the 2030 rule applies to your home.