Do I get paperwork after the septic is covered in New Brunswick?

Yes. Under the On-site Sewage Disposal System Regulation, the licensed installer must give you the installation plan and operating instructions within 10 days after the system is covered.

That handover is not optional and it is not the installer's courtesy. The Regulation places the obligation on the licensee. Keep them with your property records.

What happens before the covering matters just as much

Before any soil goes back over the installed system, a provincial inspector must have the opportunity to assess and approve it. The province's on-site sewage program sits under Justice and Public Safety's Technical Inspection Services. The province's on-site sewage program requires the system to be available for a provincial inspector's approval before it is covered.

The excavation side of the job fits into this sequence. A contractor can dig the test pits, the tank hole and the absorption field when the licensed installer arranges it, but the installer holds the licence and carries the approval process. An excavation contractor does not install the system, and a homeowner cannot install their own.

A few other things worth knowing before the machine arrives:

• The licensed installer applies for design and location approval first, paying a $150 application fee, and work cannot start until a provincial inspector has assessed and approved that application.
• Info-Excavation requires three working days notice before digging; submit that request, and separately request NB Power's underground locate service at least five business days ahead. NB Power's locate is valid for 60 days from the date on the locate form and covers only NB Power-owned lines. Private lines, old drains and buried tanks the owner or a past owner put in are yours to find and mark before the machine moves.
• If the dig is within 30 metres of a watercourse or wetland, measured horizontally from the top of the bank, a Watercourse and Wetland Alteration permit from the province is required before any ground is disturbed. The application fee is $25 for a single alteration.
• Ask the contractor for a WorkSafeNB clearance certificate before work starts. Under the Construction Remedies Act, you must retain 10% of the contract price as a holdback for 60 days after the certificate of substantial performance is signed or the declaration is made.

Before you sign a quote for the excavation portion, ask the contractor exactly how rock will be priced if the machine hits it, because that line is where a final bill can part ways with the estimate.

Local excavation contractors listed in the New Brunswick Construction Network directory can receive your project details through the request form on this page.