Septic System Replacement Fund

Homeowners: Reach out to your local county government office about the program. County offices will have a local program contact who can answer questions and determine if you are eligible for grant funding.

The Septic System Replacement Fund Program focuses on improving water quality by providing funds to counties to help homeowners replace cesspools and septic systems that are adversely impacting designated waterbodies. Participating counties coordinate with DEC to determine which waterbodies in their jurisdiction meet program criteria and will be designated as eligible to participate in the program. The list of participating counties and their designated waterbodies was updated in April 2024.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation and the Department of Health determined priority geographic areas in which property owners are eligible to participate based on the following factors:

• Presence of a sole-source aquifer used for drinking water.
• Known water quality impairment linked to failing septic systems and the ability for septic system upgrades to mitigate water quality impairments.
• Waterbody Inventory/Priority Waterbodies List (WI/PWL) segments that are listed as impaired or stressed for nutrients from septic systems.
• WI/PWL segments that have a public water supply intake located within the WI/PWL segment.
• Waterbodies that are Class A, AA, A-S, AA-S according to the WI/PWL segment.
• Forest Preserve waterbodies.

DEC and DOH will re-evaluate priority waterbodies in future rounds of funding.

The following counties are participating in the Septic System Replacement Fund. Funding is only available for the counties and priority waterbodies as determined by DEC. 

Please reach out to your local program contact if you have questions about whether your property is eligible for grant funding.

Participating counties are responsible for reviewing and evaluating the applications and determine financial assistance awards based on the program criteria. The following considerations are made: property’s location in relation to a waterbody, impacts to groundwater used as drinking water, and the condition of the property owner’s current septic system. After evaluating the applications and making the funding decisions, participating counties notify the property owners of their grant awards by sending them award letters.

Eligible Projects

• Replacement of a cesspool with a septic system; or
• Installation, replacement or upgrade of a septic system or septic system components;
• Installation of enhanced treatment technologies, including an advanced nitrogen removal system.

Eligible Costs

• Design and installation costs
• Costs of the system
• System components
• Enhanced treatment technologies
• Design costs (limited only to work needed to complete approved design)

Ineligible Costs

• Routine maintenance such as pump out of a septic tank
• Expenses that are not appropriately documented
• Government permit fee
• Interest and late fees
• Fines and penalties
• Sales tax payment
• Non-essential site beautification or interior plumbing changes
• Administrative work conducted by the engineer
• Construction observation by the engineer if the engineer, or an entity owned, controlled by or employing the engineer, is also conducting the repair or replacement
• Connection to public/community sewer system

I would like to apply for the program.

The program is administered by participating counties and each county has a Local Program Contact who can help determine eligibility and next steps for the program. Please refer to the Participating Counties section and find your county’s Local Program Contact and reach out to them.

My county is not listed on the eligible county list, am I eligible?

If your county is not listed in the Participating Counties section then your county is not eligible for the program. However, you may want to reach out to your local County Health or Planning Department to see what other programs the county may have to assist you.

I do not see my waterbody listed as one of the Eligible Waterbodies, can it be added to the program?

The list of eligible waterbodies is final. The legislation creating the program focused on improving water quality in those waterbodies that have documented impairments from septic system pollution. To meet the legislative intent of the program, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation developed screening criteria that focused on documented water quality impairments and potential for septic replacement to improve water quality.

I live in one of the five NYC Boroughs, is my property eligible for the program?

New York City is continuing to build out the sewer systems in their jurisdiction, therefore none of the five Boroughs (Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, or Staten Island) are eligible for the State Septic Replacement Program. Sewering is the best solution to improve water quality. People with properties on septic systems or are considering installation of septic systems are encouraged to reach out to New York City Department Environmental Protection to see what options are available. Below is the NYCDEP link for more information.

NYCDEP SEWER CERTIFICATION AND CONNECTION PERMITS (EXternal Link)

Counties which have identified priority areas will have received the following forms or letters for their use. However, they are also available here for their convenience. Clicking these links will take you off the EFC website. 

• Notification Letter to Property Owners
• Septic System Replacement Program Application Form
• Grant Award Letter
• Grant Denial Letter
• County Request for Disbursement (PDF)

Some counties have secured additional funds to work in conjunction with the State Septic System Replacement Fund Program.

The Suffolk County Septic Improvement Program provides up to $10,000 base grant. There is also up to an additional $10,000 that can be awarded to a grantee that installs a pressurized shallow drain field leaching system ($5,000) and/or toward the unit installation for low to moderate incomes eligible applicants ($5,000). Suffolk County also has low interest loans of up to $10,000 through the Community Development Corporation of Long Island. Additionally, Southampton, East Hampton and Shelter Island provide Community Preservation Funds.

Nassau County Septic Environmental Program to Improve Cleanliness provides grant funding of up to $20,000 to repair and replace failing septic systems with nitrogen-reducing system. Nassau County uses $10,000 of federal funds from the American Recovery Plan Act in conjunction with $10,000 from State Septic System Replacement Grant funds. 

The Catskill Watershed Corporation (CWC) Septic Repair and Replacement Program covers the NYC West of Hudson Watershed (Parts of Delaware, Schoharie, Greene, Sullivan, and Ulster Counties). The program reimburses full-time residents 100% and non-primary residents 60% for repairing or replacing ailing systems. If a quote exceeds $30,000, the cost and scope of work must be approved by the CWC Board of Directors. Systems must be older than 20 years to be eligible for funding in this program.

The USDA Single Family Housing Direct Home Loans Program and Single Family Housing Repair Loans and Grants are Federal programs administered by the United States Department of Agriculture that can assist low to very low income homeowners repair and improve their housing situation to obtain decent and sanitary conditions.

If your county has secured additional funds and would like to showcase your funding program, please reach out to [email protected] so you can be added to the list.

Please note if you are an applicant in a county listed above, you are not guaranteed the funding outlined above. To learn more about your eligibility, reach out to your local program contact for details. Refer to the Participating Counties section for local program contact information.