Abandoning your old septic tank after Harwich sewer
- Free to homeowners
- Pumping, backups, Title 5 & repair
- Providers must hold the required town permit
Once your house is on sewer, the old tank or cesspool has to be pumped and filled or removed. Here's the process.
Sewage backing up or septic alarm sounding? Stop using water and stay out of any sewage. For a sewage backup, call instead of using the form: (508) 593-9460.
Harwich Septic Help is a free referral service. We are not a septic company and do not pump, inspect, or repair systems. When you call or send a request, we work on matching you with an independent local septic provider, who must hold the required town permit and may pay us a referral fee. Prices, licensing, scheduling and work are between you and that provider. Call-recording notice: Calls to our number may be recorded to route your request and for quality. A recorded greeting tells every caller this before the call is connected.
Connecting to sewer means retiring the old system
This page covers the last step of a Harwich sewer connection: taking your old septic tank or cesspool out of service. For phases, deadlines, permits, grinder pumps and cost, see the Harwich sewer connection guide.
- Town FAQ: once the house is connected, the existing Title 5 system "must be pumped to remove all solids and then crushed and filled in with clean fill or removed" (Town of Harwich Phase 2 FAQ).
- Board of Health regulation: the old tank or cesspool must be abandoned in a manner approved by the Board, and abandonment requires a Disposal Works Construction Permit (Sewer Connection Regulation).
- Who you hire: the FAQ says owners hire a contractor from the town's approved list to prepare a plan, install the connection and decommission the septic. Only a Licensed Utility Installer may build the building sewer (licensed utility installer list); pumping is done by a licensed hauler (Harwich licensed hauler list).
Need the tank pumped for abandonment?
Tell us your street and sewer phase. We are a free referral service, not a septic company; we work on matching you with an independent provider, who must hold the required town permit.
Call (508) 593-9460The state abandonment steps (310 CMR 15.354)
- Apply first. Within 14 days before you stop using the system, apply to the Board of Health to abandon it, citing the reason; if you connected to sewer, include a copy of the sewer connection permit.
- Pump it. After written approval, a licensed septage hauler pumps the tank of its entire contents.
- Remove or fill. The tank is dug up and removed, or its bottom is opened or ruptured so it can't hold water and it is completely filled with clean sand or other material the Board approves in writing.
After a sewer connection, any further use of the old system for any purpose is prohibited unless the Board finds it complies or can be brought into compliance. Reusing a tank as part of a sewer system needs written approval from the sewer authority.
Source: 310 CMR 15.354: Abandonment of Systems (LII text). Harwich procedures come from the Board of Health and Health Department (508-430-7509).
A note on the town's 2017 FAQ
The town FAQ was written for Phase 2 in 2017. Some of its numbers are out of date: it says owners would have one year to connect and gives Chatham connection costs of $5,000–$7,000, while the town's current Sewer Use Regulations allow 2 years after the Order to Connect and more recent reporting puts connections at about $10,000–$20,000 (details and sources in the sewer guide). Its description of decommissioning (pump, then crush and fill, or remove) matches the state rule above.
Selling before your street is sewered? See the sewer-area Title 5 waiver.
How Harwich Septic Help works
- Tell us what is going on. Use the short form: your town, the problem, and how urgent it is. It takes about a minute.
- We work on matching your request with one independent provider who serves your town and must hold that town's permit. In Harwich, septage haulers need a Board of Health permit and Title 5 inspectors must be on the town's approved list, so ask the provider to confirm they are on the current list.
- The provider contacts you directly, quotes the job and does the work. Price, scheduling and the work are between you and the provider. The referral is free to you; the provider may pay us a fee.
We are not a septic company, inspector or installer, we do not have an office you can visit, and we do not publish reviews or prices we cannot verify.
Request a call back from a local septic provider
Tell us your town and what is going on. We work on matching your request with an independent septic provider serving your area, who must hold the required town permit and contacts you directly. There is no charge to you for the referral.
Harwich Septic Help is a free referral service. We are not a septic company and do not pump, inspect, or repair systems. When you call or send a request, we work on matching you with an independent local septic provider, who must hold the required town permit and may pay us a referral fee. Prices, licensing, scheduling and work are between you and that provider.
Call-recording notice: Calls to our number may be recorded to route your request and for quality. A recorded greeting tells every caller this before the call is connected.
For a sewage backup, call instead of using the form: (508) 593-9460.
Thank you, your request was sent.
We are working on matching you with an independent septic provider serving your town, who must hold the required town permit. We have not yet confirmed a provider, so we cannot promise when or whether one will call.
Emergency (sewage backup or a septic alarm)? Don't wait for us. Call a licensed septic hauler now, from the Town of Harwich licensed septic hauler list. Stop using water and stay out of any sewage.
Harwich Septic Help is a free referral service, not a septic company.
Frequently asked questions
What happens to my septic tank when I connect to Harwich sewer?
It must be abandoned. The Town's Phase 2 FAQ says the existing system must be pumped to remove all solids and then crushed and filled with clean fill, or removed. Harwich's Sewer Connection Regulation says abandonment must be done in a manner approved by the Board of Health and requires a Disposal Works Construction Permit.
Who does the abandonment?
The Town's FAQ says the owner hires a contractor from the town's approved list, who prepares a plan, installs the sewer connection and decommissions the septic system. Under Title 5 the tank must be pumped of its entire contents by a licensed septage hauler.
Can I keep using the old tank for something else?
Not without approval. Under 310 CMR 15.354, a system whose use stops after a sewer connection is considered abandoned and any further use for any purpose is prohibited unless the Board of Health determines after inspection that it complies or can be brought into compliance.
How long will I be without plumbing?
The Town's 2017 FAQ says the switchover typically takes less than a day, because the new pipe can be installed first. Your contractor can tell you about your property.
Sources
Facts on this page come from these official and public sources. Rules change; confirm with your local Board of Health.
- Town of Harwich: 'What does it mean when my residential property is connected to the sewer system?' Phase 2 Implementation FAQ (2017)
- Harwich Board of Health: Sewer Connection Regulation (adopted Sept. 24, 2021)
- 310 CMR 15.354: Abandonment of Systems (LII text)
- Town of Harwich Health Department: Licensed Utility Installers
- Town of Harwich Health Department: Licensed Septic Haulers (updated 01.30.2026)
- Harwich Sewer Use Regulations, Article III: Building Sewers and Connections