These are some of the most common questions that our clients have when they are looking to start a new project.
What areas of South Jersey do you serve?
Our engineering and surveying service area includes Atlantic County, Cumberland County, and Salem County. A large volume of our work comes from towns like Vineland, Pittsgrove, Elmer, Hamilton Township, Galloway, the many townships surrounding Bridgeton such as Upper Deerfield, and areas like Mays Landing, Woodstown, Buena Vista Twp, and Hammonton.
What is involved with getting a septic system designed?
The first step is for our geologist Eric Johnson to visit your property and perform a site and soil evaluation. This involves bringing a backhoe onto your property and digging 10-12 feet below the surface to examine the site conditions, and entering the house to inspect the current plumbing if applicable. The next step is topographic surveying. Our in-house surveyor Charles Dewees, Jr. will visit your property and measure the elevations of the land to provide our team with the data they need for the design. Once this is complete, the data goes to Bill Montana, our drafting expert, for plan preparation. Once the plans are complete, they are reviewed and signed by our engineer Brian Myers, and packaged for submission to the requisite health department.
What is my septic system going to cost?
There are many factors involved in calculating the cost of a septic system. This question will be answered once our design is complete and approved by your local health department in the form of a quote provided by the septic installer of your choice. One of the benefits of choosing Johnson Design Associates for your engineering needs is that you can take our complete design to any septic installer in South Jersey. Our systems are designed to provide the best value and longest life for the lowest cost possible for our clients.
What services are included with my septic design?
Our septic design cost varies depending on the location and includes preliminary research, site and soil evaluation with backhoe, topographic (elevation) surveying, plan drafting, and engineer review and approval. We also take care of any revisions requested by the approving health department. Our septic design cost does not include additional services such as wetlands or Pinelands permits, construction inspections, as-built plans, or outbound surveying. These services can be provided for an additional cost. There is also typically a government-imposed permit fee for your application, which varies between local health departments throughout South Jersey.
What permit fees are required for my septic system?
Here are some example permit fees for a standard septic system for an existing home imposed by various health departments throughout the area:
Atlantic County: $100
Cape May County: $100
Cumberland County: $250 ($450 for ATU)
Salem County: $260
City of Vineland: $500 ($700 for New Construction)
Government imposed fees are subject to change and may vary depending on the nature of the project. These figures are approximate and should be used for planning purposes only.
What are construction inspections?
Your local health department may require the engineer to come out and inspect the contractor’s work during the installation of your new septic system. These costs vary depending on the locality and type of system designed, and thus are not included with your septic design quote. Typically, the septic installer pays these fees on the homeowner’s behalf, but not always. The homeowner should ask their septic installer if they include engineering fees in their price during the bidding process. You can view our current construction inspection fees here.