Environnement
Septic tank emptying

Septic tank emptying frequency

All septic tanks must be emptied, at a minimum, at the following intervals:

Once every two (2) years for a septic tank serving a permanently occupied or used building.
Once every four (4) years for a septic tank serving a building occupied or used seasonally, i.e. 180 days or less.
All holding tanks must be emptied in such a way as to prevent the overflow of wastewater deposited in them.

Proof of emptying

The owner of a building connected to a septic tank must send, by any means, a copy of the invoice certifying that the septic tank has been emptied in compliance with this by-law. Proof of emptying must be received before December 1 of the year in which it was performed.

The owner of a building connected to a holding tank must forward, by any means, a copy of each invoice certifying that the tank has been emptied in compliance with this by-law. Only invoices issued by qualified companies with access to a disposal site authorized by the Ministère du Développement durable, de l'Environnement et des Parcs will be accepted as proof of emptying.

Declaration of building occupancy type

All buildings are considered to be permanently occupied unless a written declaration is submitted to the municipal employee responsible for enforcing the by-law, indicating that the building is occupied on a seasonal basis (180 days or less per year). The declaration must be submitted on the appropriate form entitled “Declaration or notice of change in type of occupancy of a building”, which is appended to this by-law.

The owner of a building is required to notify the municipality of any change in type of occupancy (permanent or seasonal). The notice must be submitted on the appropriate form entitled “Declaration or notice of change in type of occupancy of a building” appended to the present by-law.

Penalties

It's important to have your septic tank emptied within the deadlines mentioned above. Failure to do so could result in a fine ranging from $1,000 to $100,000 for an individual, or from $3,000 to $600,000 for a company.

Inspection visits

The designated person is authorized to visit and inspect, between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., any building, including the interior of a house, garage, barn or other building, to verify compliance with this by-law. The owner, tenant, occupant or person in charge of the property must welcome the designated person and answer all questions relating to the present by-law.

Septic tank emptying by the municipality

The designated person is authorized to organize and carry out the emptying of all septic tanks for which no proof has been received by the deadline set out in article 8. To this end, the designated person is authorized to enter the property between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., along with the labour and equipment required to empty a septic tank, from May 1 to November 30 of each year.

Reimbursement of costs borne by the municipality

Any owner for whom the Municipality has performed septic tank emptying in accordance with article 11 of the present by-law must reimburse the Municipality for all costs incurred. The amounts due include all costs related to the work described in article 11.2.2. These amounts are separate from any penalties that the owner may be charged in accordance with article 4 of this by-law. As stipulated in article 96 of the Règlement sur les compétences municipales, sums due to the municipality, following intervention to maintain a private sewage disposal system, are assimilated to a property tax and, as such, may be collected accordingly.

Fines

Any violation of a provision of the present by-law exposes the owner of a system for the discharge, collection or disposal of wastewater, grey water or toilet effluent to :

For a first offence, a minimum fine of two hundred dollars ($200.00) and a maximum fine of one thousand dollars ($1,000.00).
For a second offence, a minimum fine of four hundred dollars ($400.00) and a maximum fine of two thousand dollars ($2,000.00).
Where an offence lasts more than one day, each additional day represents a separate offence, and the owner is liable to a fine for each day the offence lasts.