I recently set up a composting toilet in my backyard cabin, and man, figuring out the local rules was a bit of a headache. Basically, I had to:
1. Check the county health dept website (not super clear, tbh).
2. Call them directly—turns out they had extra forms not online.
3. Submit a simple site plan sketch.
4. Wait for approval, took about 2 weeks.
Wondering if there's an easier or quicker way others have handled this kinda thing?
Yeah, dealing with local health departments can definitely be a bit of a maze. Had a similar experience a couple years back when I helped a friend set up their composting toilet for an off-grid tiny home. Website info was vague at best, and when we called, turns out the person who handled composting systems only worked part-time—so we had to play phone tag for days. Eventually, we ended up just going down there in person, which surprisingly sped things up. They were way more helpful face-to-face and even gave us some tips on sketching out the site plan.
Honestly, I think sometimes these departments aren't fully caught up with alternative setups like composting toilets yet. It's almost like they're figuring it out as they go along too. Might be worth checking if your county has an environmental sustainability office or something similar—they sometimes have clearer guidelines or at least better contacts.
Interesting point about sustainability offices, but do you think they're really better informed than the health department? In my experience, they sometimes just redirect you back to the same folks... might depend heavily on your local setup though.
That's a fair observation—I've definitely seen sustainability offices vary quite a bit in terms of actual expertise. When I helped a friend set up their compost toilet last summer, we started with the sustainability office thinking they'd have the most updated info. They were friendly enough, but like you said, they ended up sending us back to the health department anyway. Eventually, it turned into a bit of a loop until we finally got someone from zoning involved who clarified everything step-by-step.
One thing that helped us was asking directly about specific local code sections—once we had those references, it was easier to navigate between departments without getting bounced around too much. Maybe that's something worth trying if you haven't already?
Curious though, has anyone here had luck going straight through zoning or building permits first instead of health or sustainability? Seems like each town handles these things differently...
