Can I install a septic system myself?

Most areas require licensed designers or installers and inspections. Check with the Horry County health department before planning any work yourself.

What is a mound system?

A mound system raises the drain field above the natural soil using sand and fill. It is used where the soil is too shallow, too wet or too slow draining for a conventional field.

Do I need a soil test for a new septic system?

Yes, in nearly all cases. The soil evaluation decides what type of system and how large a field your lot can support.

Who approves septic installations in Myrtle Beach?

Septic permits are usually handled at the county or state level. Contact the Horry County health department to confirm the requirements for your property.

New Septic Systems for Myrtle Beach Properties

A new septic system is a long-term investment. Getting it right means a proper site evaluation, a design that fits your property and a permit approved before any digging starts.

Septic companies that work across Horry County can guide you through each step and handle much of the paperwork.

The steps of a new septic installation

Expect five stages: site and soil evaluation, system design, permit approval, construction, and inspection before the trenches are covered. Weather and permit review times affect the schedule more than the digging itself, which often takes only a few days once everything is approved.

Conventional and alternative systems

A conventional system is the simplest and usually the least expensive to maintain. Alternative systems add pumps, controls or treatment steps so they can work in difficult soil. Around Myrtle Beach, the soil on your specific lot is what decides which category you fall into.

What the permit process involves

Most permit processes include a site and soil evaluation, a system design, plan approval and final inspection. Fees and timelines vary. Starting the process early, especially for new construction, keeps the project on schedule.

What affects installation cost

The biggest factors are system type, soil conditions, lot access, tank size and local permit requirements. Conventional systems in good soil generally cost the least. Mounds, aerobic units and other engineered systems cost more to build and maintain. Removing an old system and restoring landscaping add to replacement projects.

After installation

Ask your installer for records, maintenance instructions and warranty details. Mark the tank and field location so they are not damaged by future projects. Some systems require a service contract, so confirm what applies to yours.

Choosing an installation company

Look for experience with the soils and systems common around Myrtle Beach and Surfside Beach, Conway, North Myrtle Beach, clear written quotes and a plan for permits and inspections. A good installer explains tradeoffs between system types rather than pushing one option.

How long the whole project takes

The digging and installation often take days, but the full project in Myrtle Beach can take several weeks once testing, design and permit review are included. Ask your installer for a realistic timeline for your county and what could change it, such as wet weather or a busy review office.

What to avoid on a new system near Myrtle Beach

Avoid choosing an installer on price alone, starting before the permit is approved, or placing the field in a low spot that stays wet. Think about future plans for the yard, since a pool, addition or outbuilding cannot go over the field later.

Planning a new system near Myrtle Beach

A new septic system near Myrtle Beach starts with a site visit and a soil evaluation. Those results decide the system type, the tank size and where the drain field can go. Horry County reviews the design before work begins and inspects it before it is covered. Planning early keeps the project from holding up a closing or a build.

What Myrtle Beach's soil means for a new system

The USDA soil survey rates most mapped soils near Myrtle Beach as very limited for septic absorption fields. New systems here often need a mound, pressure distribution or another engineered design, which your soil test will confirm. With about 57 inches of precipitation a year, designers here account for high water tables and runoff when sizing and placing a system.

Local conditions in Myrtle Beach that affect septic installation

Among the mapped soils within about two miles of central Myrtle Beach, the USDA soil survey rates 97% as very limited for septic absorption fields, 3% as somewhat limited and 0% as not limited. The most common drainage class is poorly drained. Soils like these often call for careful system design, such as a larger drain field, a mound or another engineered system, and a site evaluation before any new installation or replacement.

Myrtle Beach averages about 57 inches of precipitation a year, and August is usually the wettest month. January is the coldest month at about 53°F on average, so freezing is rarely the main concern here. Heavy rain and saturated ground are the bigger factors for drain fields.

Sources: USDA NRCS Soil Survey (SSURGO), Soil Data Access; NASA POWER long-term climatology. Soil ratings describe mapped soil types near the city center and do not replace a site evaluation of your property.

What the soil around Myrtle Beach means for septic installation

By drainage class, the USDA soil survey maps the land around Myrtle Beach as 35% poorly drained, 22% moderately well drained, 17% very poorly drained, 11% excessively drained, 10% somewhat poorly drained, 5% well drained. With 62% of the soil poorly drained, a new or replacement field here is often larger or raised, and a soil test comes before any design.

Source: USDA NRCS Soil Survey (SSURGO), Soil Data Access

Septic companies near Myrtle Beach

These are the septic companies in our directory closest to Myrtle Beach, with straight-line distance. Call any of them directly, or send one request and we will pass it to the best match.

Gary's Pumping Service, Conway, SC, 10.4 mi
Hardwick's Backhoe & Septic, Loris, SC, 22.6 mi
Pvi Enterprises, Tabor City, NC, 26.5 mi
Powell Septic Tanks LLC, Loris, SC, 28.0 mi
Robinson Septic Tank Cleaning, Ash, NC, 32.2 mi
A County Wide Septic Service, Supply, NC, 34.9 mi

Septic Installation in nearby towns

We also cover septic installation in these towns near Myrtle Beach:

Surfside Beach, 8.7 mi
Conway, 12.9 mi
North Myrtle Beach, 13.2 mi

About Myrtle Beach, SC

Myrtle Beach is in Horry County, South Carolina. About 39,697 people live there, across 23.4 square miles of land (about 1,696 per square mile).

Septic Installation questions in Myrtle Beach

Can I install a septic system myself?: Most areas require licensed designers or installers and inspections. Check with the Horry County health department before planning any work yourself.
What is a mound system?: A mound system raises the drain field above the natural soil using sand and fill. It is used where the soil is too shallow, too wet or too slow draining for a conventional field.
Do I need a soil test for a new septic system?: Yes, in nearly all cases. The soil evaluation decides what type of system and how large a field your lot can support.
Who approves septic installations in Myrtle Beach?: Septic permits are usually handled at the county or state level. Contact the Horry County health department to confirm the requirements for your property.