Septic tank and drainfield repair in the lagoon area

Inside the Indian River Lagoon program area, three rules matter for a repair:

• Ordinary repairs: FDEP's February 2026 permitting table lists no ENR requirement for repair or modification permits in the Central IRL, Banana River and Mosquito Lagoon areas. The 2030 date applies instead.
• Work permitted as a new system: since January 1, 2024, a new system in the area must be ENR, and no new septic is allowed where sewer is available. FDEP says a new system construction permit is required "in other limited situations" too, so ask how your job will be permitted.
• The 2030 deadline: by July 1, 2030, homes on 10 acres or less with septic in the area must connect to sewer if available or upgrade to ENR (s. 373.469(3)(d)2., F.S.).

Brevard also has a 2018 county ordinance requiring advanced systems (65% or more nitrogen removal) on the barrier islands, Merritt Island and the mainland within 197 feet of the lagoon. Ask the Florida Department of Health in your county what your permit requires.

Since July 1, 2026, HB 1417 requires the permitting agency to notify you about the 2030 rule whenever you apply to repair, modify or replace a conventional system on a covered property. A repair is the natural moment to upgrade, and the permit office will remind you of the 2030 rule.

Florida's repair rule (62-6.015, F.A.C.) says repairs to a failing system may be made only with the health department's prior knowledge and written approval. The county health department office handles septic permits and inspections for FDEP. In Brevard, a repair permit is $435, or $320 if you submit your own site evaluation, and tank abandonment is $70.

From July 17, 2025, a federal court order in Bear Warriors United v. FDEP stopped new septic permits in the North Indian River Lagoon area, and FDEP's February 2026 table listed ENR as required for repairs there on any size lot. On October 8, 2026 the 11th Circuit vacated that judgment and sent the case back to the district court. For now, a North IRL repair follows the same state rules as the rest of the area, but the case is not over. Before a repair in Titusville, Mims, Port St. John, Cocoa or north Merritt Island, check the North IRL court order page.

Prices for each path are on drainfield replacement cost and septic replacement cost. In Brevard, the septic upgrade grant pays $6,000 to $20,000 toward an ENR upgrade, approved before work starts; it does not pay for a like-for-like repair. Other help is on all grants, financing and the costs hub.

• Sewage backing up into tubs, showers or floor drains
• Wet, spongy ground or standing water over the drainfield or tank
• An alarm sounding on an aerobic or pump system
• Sewage odor in the house or yard that does not go away
• Toilets and drains gurgling or emptying slowly all over the house

Limit water use until the system is checked. Do not open or climb into a septic tank yourself; leave that to the professionals.

FDEP says a homeowner can do septic work only on his or her own owner-occupied, single-family home, and permits and inspections still apply. For everyone else, and for most owners in practice, the work goes to a registered septic tank contractor. FDEP links to the state's registered contractor list so you can check a company before you hire it. If the repair turns into a full replacement, the steps are on septic replacement, and the ENR choices are on ENR system types.

Ask a licensed septic company that serves your area to diagnose the problem. The request goes to one company, free and with no obligation.