# Septic System Installation in Aurora, ON | OCM Excavation
Most of Aurora is on town sewer, but a real slice of the town isn’t — the rural fringe east of town, the older estate lots out toward Whitchurch-Stouffville, and a handful of larger properties along the conservation boundary. If you live on one of these Aurora properties, your wastewater goes into a private septic system, and replacing it correctly is a $20,000 to $40,000 decision. OCM Excavation installs and replaces septic systems across rural Aurora. Call 416-317-3090.
## What a Septic System Actually Includes
The three components homeowners pay for are the tank, the distribution box, and the weeping bed. The tank is typically 1,000 to 1,500 gallons, either concrete or fiberglass, sized to your home’s design sewage flow (the Ontario Building Code calculates this from bedroom count, not occupant count). The d-box receives effluent from the tank and splits it evenly into the perforated pipes of the weeping bed. The bed itself — the leaching field — is where the soil finishes the treatment.
On East Aurora estate lots, which generally run a half-acre to a full acre, a conventional Class 4 system fits comfortably. On tighter rural fringe lots, especially where setbacks from wells and property lines eat into usable area, we often have to look at a Class 5 or Class 6 advanced treatment unit. Those run $35,000 to $50,000 installed.
## Ontario Building Code Part 8 and Permits
Part 8 of the Ontario Building Code governs every on-site sewage system in Ontario, including in Aurora. The permit is issued by the principal authority responsible for Part 8 in the Town of Aurora. OCM handles the permit application, coordinates with a licensed designer, books inspections, and only backfills after the inspector clears the open trench.
Before any of that paperwork can be filed, you need a percolation test. A designer digs test pits on the proposed bed location, measures soil drainage, and locates the seasonal high water table. Sandy soil in parts of north and east Aurora percs quickly and supports a more compact bed. Clay soil needs a much larger bed footprint, sometimes spread across the lot.
## Replacement Triggers in Aurora
We get called for new and replacement Aurora septic systems for a handful of reasons. The most common is a failed inspection during a real estate sale — the buyer’s inspector flags effluent surfacing, an aging tank, or a perc retest result that says the bed is done. Second is age: most weeping beds installed in the late 1990s are at the back end of their 25 to 30 year service life and starting to fail in the early 2020s. Third is a fresh build on a previously vacant rural Aurora lot.
The fastest way to kill a healthy septic system is to send the wrong things down the drain. Kitchen grease cools and congeals in the tank inlet. So-called “flushable” wipes do not break down and end up clogging the distribution box. Both shorten bed life dramatically.
## Equipment and Timeline
We use a Yanmar SV40 mini excavator and a GEHL skidsteer for residential septic work in Aurora. Both are sized to dig tank pits and weeping bed trenches without chewing up the rest of your yard. Insurance is in force under a Definity commercial policy, which covers the excavation work directly.
A typical Aurora install runs four to seven working days, weather and soil cooperating. Sequence: utility locates, topsoil stripped and stockpiled, tank pit excavated, tank set on bedding, effluent line run, weeping bed built with clean stone and perforated pipe, d-box installed, inspector signs off, backfill, restore. Topsoil and grass seed go back at the end so you can see where the bed is but the lawn comes back inside a season.
## High-Ticket Job, Flexible Payment
We won’t sugarcoat this — a new septic in Aurora is $18,000 minimum and can push past $40,000 on advanced treatment systems. Very few homeowners want to write that cheque in one shot. For jobs over $5,000 we connect customers with our financing partner so the cost can spread over a manageable monthly payment.
## Why Aurora Homeowners Choose OCM
We treat septic work as engineering, not landscaping. The bed gets sized to the actual perc result, not a guess. The tank gets bedded properly so it doesn’t shift in frost cycles. Backfill happens after the inspector signs off, never before. Call 416-317-3090 or use our [free quote form](/contact-us-free-quote-gta/) to get an Aurora site visit on the calendar.
## FAQ
### How do I know if my Aurora property is on septic or sewer?
If you receive a separate water and sewer bill from the Town of Aurora, you’re on municipal service. If you have a well and no sewer charge, you’re on septic. You’ll usually have a visible tank lid in the yard and a defined area of grass that grows differently than the rest — that’s the weeping bed.
### How much does a new septic system cost in Aurora?
Most conventional Class 4 systems for a 3 to 4 bedroom Aurora home land between $20,000 and $35,000 installed, including permits and disposal of the old tank. Class 5 or 6 advanced treatment units for constrained lots run $35,000 to $50,000.
### Can I keep my old tank and just replace the bed?
Sometimes, if the tank is concrete, structurally sound, and within current code. We pump it, inspect it, and check baffles. If anything is borderline we recommend replacing the tank at the same time — opening the yard twice costs more than doing it once.
### How long until I can use the system?
You can use the system as soon as the inspector signs off and the tank is full of water (we add water at installation to seat the tank). Lawn restoration takes longer — expect a full growing season for grass to fully re-establish on top of the bed.
## Related Service Areas
We also install septic systems in [King City](/septic-system-installation-king-city), [Newmarket](/septic-system-installation-newmarket), and [Innisfil](/septic-system-installation-innisfil). See the full list on our [service areas page](/service-areas/). Aurora customers regularly book us for [excavation contracting](/excavation-contractor-aurora/) and [French drain installation](/drainage-french-drain-aurora/) too.
## Talk to OCM About Your Aurora Septic Project
Call **416-317-3090** or [request a free quote](/contact-us-free-quote-gta/). We’ll walk the property, look at your tank, talk through whether you need a perc retest, and put a real number in writing.
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