What is the Seneca County Watershed Protection Law?
In 2021, the Seneca County Board of Supervisors passed Local Law #7, the Seneca County Watershed Protection Law. The law aims to work towards these goals through a program of routine inspections (on a cycle) for properties that border the major water bodies in the county.

The major goals of the law are:
• To protect the waterbodies, watersheds, and drinking water sources in the county from residential wastewater containing harmful bacteria, viruses and excess nutrients.

• To help prevent people from unknowingly purchasing properties with a septic system that is failing or that is likely to fail.

• To bring Seneca County in-line with other municipalities in the region and across NYS that have enacted septic system inspection laws or regulations in recent years.

• To standardize a set of minimum requirements for septic inspections within the county so that buyers and sellers alike know what to expect.

What does this mean for you?
• If there is a transfer or change of property ownership a Property Transfer Inspection and Septic Tank pump out is required.

• If you own property which is within 250 feet of Seneca Lake, Cayuga Lake, Seneca Cayuga Canal, Erie Canal or the Clyde River a routine inspection is required every 5 years (view/download the 5-Year Inspection Schedule).

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