I'm buying/building a home in an area that doesn't have public sewers. Are on-lot sewage systems okay?

Purchasing a property that has or will have an on-lot sewage system requires due diligence from the prospective purchaser to determine what type of on-lot system is on the property or can be installed on the property. For existing systems, you need to have the system inspected to determine its condition, and you need to know whether you will be allowed to repair or rebuild the system in the event of a system failure. The type of system that is permitted to be constructed on a property (i.e. inground, sand mound or single residence sewage treatment plant) significantly impacts the installation costs as well as the ongoing operation and maintenance costs.