How do I convert from septic to city sewer in Phoenix?

Before anything else, find out whether public sewer reaches your street. A septic system treats wastewater on your own lot through a buried tank and a drainfield, and it shows up as a $0.00 sewer charge (or no charge at all) on your utility bill. The U.S. EPA describes a septic system as one that treats wastewater "close to the source," while a sewer carries it through municipal pipes to a treatment plant. If there is no sewer main near you, conversion is not possible yet, and you keep maintaining the septic system.

Call the City of Phoenix Water Services Department and ask two things. Is there a public sewer main fronting my property, and is there capacity to take another connection? The City can tell you where the nearest main runs, how deep it sits, and roughly how far it is from your house. That distance and depth drive most of the cost, so this first call shapes the whole project.

It also helps to locate your existing septic components before you call. Look for a round access riser, often a black or green disc, roughly 10 feet from the building, and for any mound that marks the drainfield. Knowing where the tank sits tells the contractor where the house plumbing exits, which is the starting point for the new sewer line. If you cannot find the tank, county permit records can show its location and original size.

If sewer is available, you may also be required to connect. When a public sewer is reachable, Phoenix and Maricopa County generally require a property to connect and the septic to be abandoned, though the exact trigger and timeframe should be confirmed with the City. For the rules behind that mandate, see do-i-have-to-connect-to-city-sewer-phoenix.

People move off septic for a mix of practical reasons, and it helps to know yours before you spend the money. The most common driver is reliability. A failing septic system can back sewage into the house, give off odors near the tank or drainfield, or make bright green spongy grass appear over a saturated field. A sewer connection removes that whole on-site treatment risk.

The second driver is maintenance. EPA guidance is to inspect a septic tank at least every three years and pump it roughly every three to five years. A sewer connection ends the pumping schedule and the worry about what goes down the drain. The third is resale and property value. Many buyers and lenders prefer a sewer hookup, and a confirmed connection simplifies a sale. A fourth driver is a mandatory-connection rule, covered above, where the City requires the switch once sewer is available.

There is one more angle if you are selling soon. If your home is still on septic at the time of sale, Arizona requires a transfer-of-ownership step covered in the next section. Converting before you list can take that requirement off the table.

Once sewer is confirmed and you decide to proceed, the work follows a clear sequence. Roles split between the City, your contractor, and the county.

1. 1Apply to the City for the connection. Phoenix Water Services reviews your request and identifies the connection point. Under Phoenix City Code Chapter 28, the City controls the public sewer and how building connections are made to it.
2. 2The City taps the main. The City typically installs the sewer tap and sets the wye at the public main. This is the junction your new line will meet. Confirm with the City whether they perform this work or assign it, because it affects who pulls which permit.
3. 3Pull the plumbing and excavation permits. Your licensed contractor pulls a plumbing permit for the new building sewer. If any digging happens in the public street, alley, or right-of-way, a separate excavation permit from the Street Transportation Department is required under Phoenix City Code Chapter 31, along with traffic control, and you cannot backfill the trench before inspection.
4. 4Call Arizona 811 before digging. State law requires you to notify Arizona 811 at least two full working days before excavation so buried utilities get marked. The service is free and required by law. See the cross-reference work below for the legal basis.
5. 5Run the new building sewer line. The contractor excavates a trench from the house to the wye at the proper slope, lays the new pipe, and ties it in. The line must pass inspection before the trench is closed.
6. 6Pay the sewer connection fee. Phoenix charges a connection or development fee tied to the property. For the current amount and how it is calculated, see sewer-connection-fee-phoenix.
7. 7Abandon the septic tank. Covered in detail below, this is a required county step, not optional cleanup.

The City handles the public side at the main. A licensed contractor handles the private side from your house to the tap. Sewer and pipe-laying work in the right-of-way falls under the Arizona ROC A-12 classification (Sewers, Drains and Pipe Laying), which is the license that covers connecting building drains to sewer collector lines and the related excavation. HQ Plumbing & Air holds Arizona ROC #355170.

You cannot just leave an empty septic tank in the ground. Maricopa County and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality treat tank abandonment as a regulated step with its own sign-off. The reason is safety. An empty buried tank can collapse and form a sinkhole, and any leftover sludge is a contamination risk.

The standard abandonment has three parts. First, pump out the tank completely so no liquid or sludge remains, and dispose of the contents at an approved site. Second, either remove the tank entirely or crush and fill it in place with clean soil or another approved fill so it cannot cave in. Third, get the required county sign-off confirming the work was done correctly. The exact filing, fee, and inspection details are set by Maricopa County Environmental Services, so confirm the current process with them before you start.

This step is often the one homeowners skip or underbudget, and it is the one that can stall a project. The county wants proof the tank was emptied and made safe, so keep the pumping receipt and any photos of the crushed or removed tank. Coordinate the abandonment to happen after the new sewer line is live, since the house still needs somewhere for wastewater to go until the switch is complete.

There is a separate Arizona rule worth knowing if a sale is involved. Under A.A.C. R18-9-A316, when a property with an on-site wastewater system changes ownership, the seller must have it inspected within six months before the transfer, and the buyer must file a Notice of Transfer with the county within 15 calendar days after. Maricopa County applies the same six-month window and 15-day notice and expects the tank pumped before transfer. If you convert to sewer and properly abandon the tank first, you avoid that inspection-and-notice cycle. If you are buying a home that still has septic, see septic-inspection-when-buying-home-arizona.

There is no flat price for a septic-to-sewer conversion, because the cost depends on your specific lot. Ask any contractor to quote against these drivers rather than a single number, and get the City's connection fee in writing separately.

• Distance to the main. The farther the public sewer sits from your house, the more trench and pipe you pay for. A main directly in front of the property costs far less than one across a wide lot.
• Trench depth. A deeper main means a deeper trench and more excavation and shoring, which raises both labor and time.
• Landscaping and hardscape. A line that crosses a driveway, a patio, mature trees, or a finished yard adds demolition and restoration cost. A clear, open path is cheapest.
• Permits and fees. The plumbing permit, any right-of-way excavation permit, and the City sewer connection fee are all separate line items.
• Tank abandonment. Pumping and either crushing-and-filling or removing the old tank, plus the county sign-off, is its own cost.

Because the City connection fee and current permit amounts change over time, treat any figure you hear as an estimate and verify the exact numbers with the City of Phoenix and Maricopa County before you commit. A licensed plumber who pulls these permits regularly can walk your lot, confirm the connection point, and give you a quote built on your real distance, depth, and yard conditions rather than a guess.