Does the septic need an inspection before it is covered near Sussex?

Yes, the installed system must be available for inspection and approval by a provincial inspector before it is covered. That is a hard stop, not a courtesy call.

What the province requires

Under the On-site Sewage Disposal System Regulation, the licensed installer applies to the province for design and location approval before any work starts, and a provincial inspector assesses and approves that application first. Once the system is in the ground, it stays uncovered until a provincial inspector has seen it and approved it. Within ten days after covering, the licensed installer must give you the installation plan and operating instructions. These approvals sit with Technical Inspection Services under Justice and Public Safety, not with the local building department.

The licensed installer handles the application and the inspection request. An excavation contractor can dig the tank hole and the field trenches when the licensed installer arranges it, but the installer is the licence holder. You cannot install your own system, and an excavation contractor cannot install one either.

Near Sussex, we found no excavation-specific municipal rule beyond what the province sets for septic. For anything the Town of Sussex adds on top of the provincial process, check directly with the town.

A few things worth confirming before work starts:

• Ask the licensed installer to show you the provincial approval of the design and location before the machine arrives.
• Ask the excavation contractor to show the Info-Excavation locate ticket and the NB Power locate confirmation. NB Power's request goes in at least five business days ahead and is separate from Info-Excavation's three-working-day request.
• If the dig site is within 30 metres of a watercourse or wetland, a Watercourse and Wetland Alteration permit from the province is required before any ground is disturbed. Measure from the top of the bank in the field, not from a map.
• Under the Construction Remedies Act, you must retain 10% of the contract price as a holdback for 60 days after substantial performance.

Worth keeping in one folder: the provincial design and location approval, the inspection sign-off from the provincial inspector, the installation plan and operating instructions the installer gives you, both locate tickets, any WAWA permit, and the written quote and final invoice, because those documents are what you reach for if a question about the system comes up years from now.