What the City of Busselton's 21 days for a septic application starts from

What the City says

The City's waste water page, read on 6 October 2026, says properties in areas of the City without deep sewer are required to install onsite effluent systems. For a residential property using less than 540 litres a day, it says an application to construct or install an apparatus for the treatment of sewage must be made to the City for approval, and that the City must inspect the system before it can be used.

It then gives the one timing line on the page: assessment will be completed within 21 days of all relevant documentation being received and application fees being paid.

What the State's regulations add

The Health (Treatment of Sewage and Disposal of Effluent and Liquid Waste) Regulations 1974, in the version official as at 1 July 2026, set two fees in Schedule 1 of A$118.00 each, one for the application and one for the permit to use. They also require the person who builds the system to give the council a notice when it is complete, after which the council arranges an inspection and grants the owner a permit to use it.

What the 21 days does not cover

The City's page does not list what it counts as relevant documentation, so the 21 days cannot be read as a promise of a decision date. It is the City's assessment, not the permit to use, and it says nothing about how long the building work takes or when the council's inspection happens.

What to ask the provider

Ask who prepares the application and what documents the City will want, so the clock can start. Ask where the tank is proposed to sit against the 1.2 m line from building foundations and the lot boundary, and who gives the council its notice when the work is done. Whether sewer reaches the property is for the Water Corporation to say.

What could change

The City can change its page and the State its fees. This site records the day the pages were read, 6 October 2026. Read the City's current page before you rely on any line here.