A cesspool is a lined pit that receives sewage straight from the house with no septic tank. A septic system has a tank first. California prohibits new cesspools, so an older home with one deserves a close look.
Los Angeles County Public Health says a cesspool is a lined pit that receives and stores sewage directly from the house, without a septic tank. It says installation of new cesspools is prohibited in California.
A septic system sends wastewater to a tank first. Solids settle to the bottom, and oil and grease float to the top. The liquid then moves to a drain field or seepage pit, where it filters through soil. The county's LAMP also defines a cesspool as an excavation that retains solids while liquid seeps into the soil, and says cesspools differ from seepage pits because they have no septic tank.
The reliable way is records and a professional. EPA says to look at the as-built drawing from the local health department, check the yard for inspection caps or lids, work with a septic service provider, and ask the seller or agent. Los Angeles County refers owners to its Custodian of Records to search for public records on a property or septic system.
An older home may have no records. An inspector who opens the system can tell whether a tank is present.
The county says its policy is to phase out cesspools. In the Eaton Fire burn area, the county is allowing existing cesspools to continue during rebuilding only if a percolation test shows they function and wastewater flow does not increase. Rebuilding with more bedrooms or bathrooms, including an accessory dwelling unit, requires upgrading to a septic system or connecting to public sewer if it is within 200 linear feet.
Those temporary conditions apply to the Eaton Fire area, not to the Antelope Valley. The same page says the county's longer-term direction is to phase cesspools out. If you find a cesspool on a home you are buying, ask Public Health what a repair or addition would need before you close.
The county says its Environmental Health Onsite Wastewater Treatment Program reviews systems in unincorporated areas and in contracted cities. Its list of cities with a Memorandum of Understanding includes Lancaster and Palmdale. Quartz Hill, Acton, Agua Dulce and Littlerock are on the county's unincorporated areas list.
Call a licensed septic inspector if you are not sure whether a home has a tank, a cesspool or a seepage pit.
By definition it does not. A system with a septic tank is a septic system, not a cesspool.
No. Los Angeles County says new cesspool installation is prohibited in California.
In the Eaton Fire area, it asks for a percolation report by a qualified professional, a site plan and a floor plan matching previously permitted bedrooms and bathrooms. Elsewhere, ask the program.
The county's application package lists an Antelope Valley Environmental Health office in Lancaster, along with its headquarters in Baldwin Park.
Antelope Valley Septic is a free referral service, not a contractor. Request a free quote from a local septic contractor.