Subdivision 3. Nuisances and Inspections
Codified through Bill No. CB-018-2026, adopted May 12, 2026, effective July 24, 2026. Source: Municode, Supplement 2026 Update 2. Editorial notes and legislative history omitted.
Subdivision 3. Nuisances and Inspections
Prince George's County, Md., Code § 22-131 (2026)
Sec. 22-131. Sewage Disposal Nuisance; condemnation; useLinkCopy Citation
(a)
Any method of sewage disposal, by which the sewage is accessible to humans, flies, animals, surface drainage, or is endangering a water supply or which is detrimental to health in any way, shall constitute a sewage disposal nuisance. The Health Officer shall condemn all sewage disposal nuisances, and any sewage disposal method condemned shall not be reapproved unless the nuisance is abated.
(b)
No person shall occupy for dwelling or business purpose any dwelling, apartment house, store, or other building where the sewage disposal system has been condemned or the method of sewage disposal is detrimental to health.
Prince George's County, Md., Code § 22-132 (2026)
Sec. 22-132. Nuisance Abatement; notices; contentsLinkCopy Citation
(a)
The Health Officer shall have the power to make inspections of all methods of sewage disposal. If a sewage disposal nuisance is found to exist, the Health Officer shall notify the owner or occupant of the property to reconstruct or replace the existing system under permit as prescribed in this Subtitle or to connect to public sewer if it is available. No owner or occupant shall maintain a sewage disposal nuisance after the time limit specified by the Health Officer.
(b)
If a sewage disposal nuisance is found to exist, the Health Officer may, in addition to notices served in other ways, post a notice on or about any building affected by or contributing to the nuisance.
Prince George's County, Md., Code § 22-133 (2026)
Sec. 22-133. Inspections of Transferred PropertyLinkCopy Citation
Upon receipt of a written request from the current owner, contract purchaser, or an authorized agent and an inspection fee as designated by the Health Officer, the Health Officer may investigate both the sewage disposal and water supply systems serving the property and shall make comments appropriate to both systems. The written request shall include complete property description by street address or complete legal description by subdivision, lot, block, or tax map, grid, and parcel numbers.
Prince George's County, Md., Code § 22-134 (2026)
Sec. 22-134. Certification of Agricultural Well UseLinkCopy Citation
Upon receipt of a written request from the current owner and an inspection fee as designated by the Health Officer, the Health Officer may investigate the use of an existing water supply system to be maintained for agricultural use. The written request shall include a complete property description by street address and the telephone number of the property owner. The inspection fee does not include any costs for water sample analysis.
Prince George's County, Md., Code §§ 22-135–22-149 (2026)
Sec. 22-135 through 22-149. ReservedLinkCopy Citation
Prince George's County, Md., Code § 22-150 (2026)
Sec. 22-150. Appendix ALinkCopy Citation
(a)
Calculation of minimum absorption trench length.
(1)
Design Flow (gallons per day).
(A)
Residential flow must be designed in accordance to Table 5 (Section 22-156).
(B)
Nonresidential design sewage flow shall be equal to twice the daily average sewage flow.
(2)
Loading Rate (gallons per day per square foot).
(A)
The loading rate is determined by Figure 3 (Section 22-160) using the State equivalent percolation rate.
(3)
Available Absorptive Area (square feet per linear feet).
(A)
Deep trenches. The available absorptive areas shall be equal to the height of the absorptive layer found on the percolation test report.
(B)
Shallow trenches. The available absorptive area shall equal the bottom area per linear foot of drainfield.
(C)
Dry wells. The available absorptive area shall be equal to the height of the absorptive layer found on the percolation test report multiplied by the circumference.
(4)
Required Absorptive Area.
Design Flow (gpd)
(5)
Minimum Length of Trench
= Required Absorptive Area (ft 2 ) = feet of Trench
Available Absorptive Area (ft 2 ) / ft
Prince George's County, Md., Code § 22-151 (2026)
Sec. 22-151. Appendix BLinkCopy Citation
| TABLES | |
| Table 1 - | Buffer requirements for various months of the year. |
| Table 2 - | Minimum water level drop in thirty (30) minutes as a function of diameter of test hole (shallow tests). |
| Table 3 - | Minimum water level drop in thirty (30) minutes as a function of diameter of test hole (deep tests). |
| Table 4 - | Minimum distance requirement. |
| Table 5 - | Septic tank capacity and design flow. |
| Table 6 - | Shallow trench spacing. |
| FIGURES | |
| Figure 1 - | Dry Well Configuration. |
| Figure 2 - | Privy Configuration. |
| Figure 3 - | Loading Rate Graph. |
Prince George's County, Md., Code § 22-152 (2026)
Sec. 22-152. Table 1LinkCopy Citation
Buffer requirements for various months of the year.
| MONTHS | BUFFER REQUIREMENTS |
| December 1 - January 31 | 5' |
| February 1 - May 15 | 4' |
| May 15 - June 15 | 5' |
| June 16 - October 16 | 8' |
| October 17 - November 30 | 6' |
Prince George's County, Md., Code § 22-153 (2026)
Sec. 22-153. Table 2LinkCopy Citation
Shallow Percolation Tests - Minimum drop as a function of hole diameter.*
| DIAMETER INCHES | CORRECTION FACTOR | DROP IN 30 MINUTES | MINUTES PER INCH DROP |
| 4 | 2.33 | 2.33" | 13 |
| 6 | 1.67 | 1.67" | 18 |
| 8 | 1.33 | 1.33" | 23 |
| 10 | 1.13 | 1.13" | 27 |
| 12 | 1.00 | 1.00" | 30 |
| *Equivalent to State standard test of linear inches in 30 minutes. |
Prince George's County, Md., Code § 22-154 (2026)
Sec. 22-154. Table 3LinkCopy Citation
(a)
Deep percolation tests - minimum drop as a function of hole diameter with four feet of water in the hole.*
| DIAMETER INCHES | DROP IN 30 MINUTES | MINUTES PER INCH DROP |
| 8 | 8.0 | 3.6 |
| 10 | 6.0 | 5.0 |
| 12 | 5.0 | 6.0 |
| 14 | 4.5 | 6.6 |
| 16 | 4.0 | 7.5 |
| 18 | 3.5 | 8.5 |
| 20 | 3.0 | 10.0 |
| 22 | 3.0 | 10.0 |
| 24 | 2.5 | 12.0 |
| *Equivalent to State standard test. .2077 gallons/square foot in 30 minutes. |
(b)
For test holes with more than four feet of water, the minimum drop shall be determined by the following formula:
| Minimum Drop = 16H / D |
| H = Height of water column (feet) |
| D = Diameter of hole (inches) |
Prince George's County, Md., Code § 22-155 (2026)
Sec. 22-155. Table 4LinkCopy Citation
Minimum Distance Requirements.
| COMPONENT OF SYSTEM | SHALLOW WELL | DEEP WELL | PRESSURE WATER LINE | STREAM | DWELLING | PROPERTY LINE |
| Building Sewer | 50 | 50 | 7 | - | - | - |
| Septic Tank | 100 | 50 | 10 | - | 15** | 10** |
| Disposal Field | 100 | 50 | 10 | 25* | 20** | 10** |
| Dry Well | 100 | 50 | 10 | 50* | 20** | 10** |
| *Field or pit must not be in a floodplain. **These minimum distances may be reduced by the Health Officer. |
Prince George's County, Md., Code § 22-156 (2026)
Sec. 22-156. Table 5LinkCopy Citation
(a)
Septic Tank Capacity and Design Flow.
RESIDENTIAL SINGLE-COMPARTMENT TANK
| GROSS SQUARE FOOTAGE | SEPTIC TANK CAPACITY | DESIGN FLOW | MINIMUM DRAINFIELD LENGTH |
| 0 - 1,750 sq. ft | 1,000 gals. | 720 gal/day | 70 |
| 1,751 - 2,250 sq. ft | 1,500 gals. | 900 gal/day | 100 |
| 2,251 - 3,000 sq. ft | 1,750 gals. | 1,000 gal/day | 120 |
| > 3,000 sq. ft | 2,000 gals. | 1,000 gal/day | 130 |
RESIDENTIAL DOUBLE-COMPARTMENT TANK
| GROSS SQUARE FOOTAGE | SEPTIC TANK CAPACITY | DESIGN FLOW | MINIMUM DRAINFIELD LENGTH |
| 0 - 1,750 sq. ft | 1,000 gals. | 720 gal/day | 70 |
| 1,751 - 2,250 sq. ft | 1,250 gals. | 900 gal/day | 100 |
| 2,251 - 3,000 sq. ft | 1,500 gals. | 1,000 gal/day | 120 |
| > 3,000 sq. ft | 1,800 gals. | 1,000 gal/day | 130 |
(b)
Commercial Septic Tank Capacity.
(1)
Tank Capacity will be based on a forty-eight (48) hour retention capacity as calculated from the average sewage flow.
(2)
Two-compartment septic tanks shall be required for commercial establishments having a design flow in excess of 1,000 gallons/day.
Prince George's County, Md., Code § 22-157 (2026)
Sec. 22-157. Table 6LinkCopy Citation
Shallow trench spacing.
| WIDTH (FEET) | DEPTH (FEET) | SPACING (FEET) |
| 1 | 2-3.0 | 3 |
| 1 | 3.5 | 4 |
| 1 | 4.0 | 5 |
| 1 | 4.5 | 6 |
| 2 | 2-4.5 | 6 |
| 3 | 2-4.5 | 9 |
Prince George's County, Md., Code § 22-158 (2026)
Sec. 22-158. Dry Well Construction SpecificationsLinkCopy Citation
Figure 1.
Prince George's County, Md., Code § 22-159 (2026)
Sec. 22-159. General Specifications for the Design and Construction of a PrivyLinkCopy Citation
(a)
A privy pit may be constructed by boarding a square or rectangular pit to prevent earth caving or by providing a watertight structure in the pit.
(b)
The pit shall provide a minimum capacity of 50-cubic feet. The pit should be lined with boards and a privy building shall be placed over the pit. The floor of this building shall be of wood or concrete with the privy seat of wood. A vent located adjacent to the seat shall extend from the pit to a point above the roof of the building. The seat shall be provided with a cover which shall be self-closing.
(c)
All openings in the building shall be screened to prevent the entrance of flies. Earth shall be mounded on all sides of the building to prevent the entrance of rats to the pit.
Prince George's County, Md., Code § 22-160 (2026)
Sec. 22-160. Loading RateLinkCopy Citation
Prince George's County, Md., Code § 22-161 (2026)
Sec. 22-161. Appendix CLinkCopy Citation
(a)
State Standard Test.
(1)
Area for absorption.
Bottom = 1 ft 2
4 sides at 1/2 ft 2
TOTAL = 1 + 4 (.5) = 3 ft 2
(2)
Absorptive Rate in gallons / ft 2 / 30 minutes.
| .62333 gallons | = | .2077 gallons |
| 3 ft 2 / 30 mins. | ft 2 / 30 mins. |
(b)
Conversion to State equivalent.
(1)
Theory. State standard passing percolation test is .2077 gallons/ft/30 minutes. Any diameter hole can be used for a test hole provided that the equivalent State percolation test rate is achieved in terms of gallons per square foot in 30 minutes, that being .2077 gallons for every square foot of absorptive area (i.e., a hole with ten (10) square feet of wetted area would have to absorb 2.077 gallons of water). This volume can be converted into an inch drop as a function of test hole diameter.
(A)
Shallow Test Conversion: (Test hole with six (6) inches of water)
(i)
Volume as a function of test hole diameter.
Formula H × Pi R 2 × 7.48 H = Height = 6 inches = .5 feet R = Radius = D/2 Pi = 3.14159 7.48 converts cubic feet to gallons
Volume = (.5) (Pi) (D/2) 2 (7.48)
D in inches = (.5) (Pi) (D/12) 2 (1/4) (7.48)
Volume absorbed = Pi (X/12) (D/12) 2 (1/4) (7.48) X = inches dropped
(ii)
Available Absorptive Area (Based on six (6) inches of water).
Includes sidewall and bottom
Area = Pi D H + Pi (D/2)2
H = Height = 6 inches = .5 feet D = Diameter (inches)
Converting D into feet = D/12
Area = Pi(D/12)(.5) + Pi (D/12) 2 (1/4)
(iii)
Volume/Area as a function of diameter and inch drop.
Pi (X/12) (D/12) 2 (1/4) (7.48) Pi (D/12) (.5) + Pi (D/12)2(1/4)
Simplifying:
(X/12) (D/12) (1/4) (7.48) (.5 + D/48)
(iv)
Set equal to .2077 and solve for X.
.2077 = .0129861 (D) (X) (.5 + D/48)
Varying D from 4 to 12 inches gives minimum inch drop in 30 minutes being equal to State standard test in terms of gallons per square feet in 30 minutes. This was reported in Table 2.
(v)
To convert to equivalent State test rate, multiply the rate in minutes per inch by the correction factor found in Table 2.
(B)
Deep Test Conversion: (Bottom area not included, with four (4) feet of water)
(i)
Volume formula: V = Pi (H) (D/12) 2 (1/4) (7.48)
Volume absorbed = Pi (D/12) 2 (1/4) (7.48) (X/12)
Pi = 3.14159 D = Diameter (inches) X = Equivalent drop inches = H in general formula
(ii)
Area formula: Pi (D/12)
Pi = 3.14159 D = Diameter (inches) H = Height = 4 feet
Simplifying: Pi (D/12) (4) = Area
(iii)
Volume (gallons) / Area (ft 2 )
| Pi (X/12)(D/12)(D/12)(1/4)(7.48) | = | (X/12)(D/12)(7.48)(1/4) = |
| Pi (D/12)4) | 4 | |
| .0129861 (D)(X) | = | .0032465 (D)(X) |
| 4 |
(iv)
Set this formula equal to the minimum State standard rate.
.0032465 (D) (X) = .2077 gals/ ft 2 /30 minutes
Varying D and solving for X gives minimum rates found in Table 3.
(v)
To convert to State equivalent rate, 30 minutes/inch is divided by the ratio of percolation rate gallons/ft/minute to the State maximum rate of .2077 gallons/ ft 2 /30 minutes by the following formula:
Where D = Diameter (inches) X = Drop recorded (inches) T = Time to measure drop (minutes)
Simplifying equation.
| 30 minutes/inch .469 (D)(X) | = | ____ minutes/inch |
| T |
| 64 = (D) (X) | = | ____ minutes/inch |
| T |
i.e., 8 inch diameter hole drops 8 inches in 15 minutes. Find equivalent State standard rate.
| 64 | ||
| = Equivalent rate = | (D) (X) | = 15 minutes/inch |
| T |