Septic inspection programs: Severn, Oro-Medonte, Ramara, Orillia

Every municipality around Orillia runs a septic re-inspection program on a five-year cycle, but they inspect very different sets of properties. The City of Orillia inspects every private septic system. Oro-Medonte and Ramara concentrate on properties within 100 metres of Lake Simcoe, its tributaries and municipal wells. Severn, as of June 17, 2026, inspects only its mandatory source-water protection areas, having suspended its discretionary waterfront program for five years. Gravenhurst runs its own re-inspection program through its building department. None of these replaces your own pre-purchase inspection.

Here is what each program covers, what it costs and how to use it when you are buying.

Why do townships inspect septic systems at all?

In 2011 the Ontario Building Code was amended to set up mandatory on-site sewage system maintenance inspection programs, to help protect drinking water and support the Clean Water Act and the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan. That is how Oro-Medonte's own program material explains it. In practice:

• Mandatory programs cover properties in vulnerable areas, such as near municipal wells, drinking-water intakes, and (around Lake Simcoe) the lake and its tributaries.
• Discretionary programs are ones a municipality chooses to run beyond that, often on recreational lakes.

Inspectors have legal authority to come onto the property. Severn's program page cites the Building Code Act provision allowing an inspector to "enter upon land at any reasonable time" for maintenance inspections. You do not need to be home.

How do the municipal programs compare?

Checked against each municipality's website on November 9, 2026.

Municipality	Who is inspected	How often	Cost to owner	What the owner must do
Orillia	Every property on a private septic system; sewer-connected properties exempt	Every 5 years	Not listed on the program page	Nothing unless deficiencies are found; systems under two years old and advanced treatment units with service records may be exempt
Oro-Medonte	About 2,024 properties: systems within 100 m of the Lake Simcoe shoreline or a tributary, within 100 m of a municipal well head, and (since 2016) within 100 m of rivers, streams, lakes or ponds	5-year cycle with no end date	A 2021 township flyer listed $29 a year on the tax account; confirm the current fee	Submit a septic tank inspection report, or a maintenance agreement or service report for treatment units, each cycle
Ramara	Properties within 100 m of the Lake Simcoe shoreline and watershed, and 100 m from a municipal well or surface water intake zone	5-year cycle	$150 program fee, collected as $30 a year on the tax bill (By-law 2023.34)	Submit a pump-out certificate from a certified hauler within the inspection year, or a maintenance report for a tertiary unit
Severn	Mandatory areas only: the Wellhead Protection Area and Intake Protection Zone. Next scheduled group is about 169 properties in 2030	Every 5 years	$370 cost-recovery fee, per the April 2026 notice	Nothing unless deficiencies are found
Gravenhurst	Existing private sewage systems, through the Development Services – Building department; details not posted online	Not published	Not published	Contact the Building Department

Severn: what changed in 2026

This is the change buyers most often miss. Severn's program used to cover a long list of waterfronts on a discretionary basis. At its June 17, 2026 meeting, council passed Motion C2026-185 suspending the rest of the discretionary septic re-inspection program for five years, effective immediately. The discretionary areas were the Severn River, Gloucester Pool, Little Lake, MacLean Lake, Matchedash Bay, Lake Couchiching, Lake St. George, Green River, Black River, Sparrow Lake and Tea Lake.

Two things follow from that:

• Owners inspected under the discretionary program earlier in 2026 will not be charged for it, and pump-out or service reports already submitted go on the property file.
• A Sparrow Lake or Severn River cottage you buy in 2026 or 2027 may have a recent township inspection on file, or may not. Either way, there is no scheduled municipal check coming, so your own inspection matters more.

Mandatory inspections in Severn's source-water protection areas continue every five years. If deficiencies are found, the owner gets a report listing required work and a deadline. If the deadline is missed, the township may grant an extension or issue an order under the Ontario Building Code.

Oro-Medonte: the owner does the paperwork

Oro-Medonte's program puts the onus on the owner. Township inspectors with Building Code (BCIN) qualifications do visual inspections of the tank, treatment unit and bed, and leave a status card. The owner must also submit documents each cycle: a septic tank inspection report for conventional tanks, a maintenance agreement for treatment units such as Ecoflo, Waterloo Biofilter and Eljen, or a service report for Norweco and Aquarobic units. Holding tanks are acceptable if pumped and maintained, with a visual tank report.

The current cycles: 1,882 systems near Lake Simcoe and its tributaries (2021 to 2025, deadline December 31, 2025), and 128 systems within 100 metres of a municipal well head (2022 to 2026, deadline December 31, 2026). Seasonal use does not exempt a property. Properties that miss deadlines "will be subject to issuance of applicable orders and further legal action."

When you buy in an affected area of Oro-Medonte, ask the seller for the documents they submitted for the last cycle.

Ramara: pump-out certificate required

Ramara's program is described as mandatory and covers properties within 100 metres of the Lake Simcoe shoreline and watershed and near municipal wells or intake zones. Inspections happen in spring, summer and fall. The township leaves a notice at the door, and the owner must have a certified hauler complete a pump-out certificate and submit it within the inspection year. You can check whether a property is in an inspection area on Ramara's online GIS map, using the "On-Site Sewage Reinspection Phase and Year" layer. Questions go to septic@ramara.ca or the Building Division in Brechin.

Orillia: the rural edges

Most of Orillia is on city sewers, but properties on the rural edges still use septic systems, and the city inspects every one of them every five years. Inspectors look for standing water near the bed, sewage odours, cracked tanks, soil erosion and outdated components such as steel tanks. If repairs are not done, the city may issue an Order to Comply. The city also notes that when you sell, "lenders and buyers may request a septic compliance letter."

What should a pre-purchase septic inspection include?

A municipal inspection is a periodic visual check for the township's purposes. A pre-purchase inspection is for you. Hire a qualified septic contractor and ask what their inspection covers. A useful one generally includes:

• Locating and uncovering the tank and confirming its size, material and condition (concrete, plastic or an older steel tank).
• Pumping the tank so the inside, baffles and any effluent filter can be seen.
• Checking the leaching bed for wet spots, surfacing effluent, odours, settling and trees or structures on top.
• Comparing the system to the house. Septic systems are sized for daily design flow, which depends on bedrooms and fixtures. A three-bedroom system serving a cottage expanded to five bedrooms is a red flag.
• Matching it to the permit file. Is there a permit? Does the installed system match what was approved?

If the inspection turns up a problem, you have a few ways to handle it while your condition is still open:

• ask for a price reduction based on a written repair or replacement quote
• ask the seller to complete the repair before closing, with a township permit and final inspection where one is required
• ask your lawyer about a holdback from the sale proceeds if the work cannot be done before closing, for example in winter
• walk away under the condition if the system is undersized or failing and the numbers no longer work

Whichever route you take, get the contractor's findings and quote in writing so the negotiation is about facts, not guesses.

How does the Ontario Building Code apply to septic systems?

On-site sewage systems with a design capacity of 10,000 litres a day or less, which covers houses and cottages, are regulated under Part 8 of the Ontario Building Code and permitted by the municipality. Building or replacing a septic system, or a major repair, needs a building permit from the township. Oro-Medonte's building page, for example, lists "repair or installation of an on-site sewage system" as work requiring a permit. The Province's SepticSmart material explains how a Class 4 system (septic tank plus leaching bed) works, and questions about the Code itself go to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

What does it cost to replace a septic system?

It depends on soil, site, system type and access, and we have not found a published, reliable cost range for this area, so we will not guess. Get written quotes from local licensed installers if an inspection points to replacement. On top of construction you will pay the municipal permit fee, and in some cases a designer or engineer.

How do you get the septic records for a property?

Start with the building department of the municipality. Records may include the original permit, the approved design, final inspection, and any re-inspection reports or orders.

• Oro-Medonte: compliance letters (building, septic or zoning) cost $150 each, requested in writing to the Building Division with the legal description, address, roll number and owner names. Emailed requests are not accepted. A separate file search for permit drawings and septic plans may cost up to $100, with no guarantee the township has the records. Phone 705-487-2171.
• Severn: customer care, 705-325-2315 ext. 241, customercare@severn.ca.
• Ramara: Building Division, 2297 Highway 12, Brechin, 705-484-5374.
• Orillia: City of Orillia, 50 Andrew Street South, 705-325-1311.
• Gravenhurst: Development Services – Building.

Older cottages often have little or nothing on file. That is not unusual, but it shifts more weight to your own inspection. Some records may need a Freedom of Information request.

How Jordan can help

On a rural or waterfront purchase I'll make sure the septic questions get asked early: which municipal program the property falls under, what is on file at the township and when the system was last pumped and inspected. I'll help you build time for a proper septic inspection into your offer and connect you with local contractors. Call 705-345-0797 or contact me.