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Perc Tests and Soil Evaluations in Arkansas
157 licensed evaluators, 157 based in Arkansas.
Called here: Percolation Test or Seasonal Water Table Determination (Designated Representative)
Contact the county health unit and ask for the Onsite Environmental Specialist, then hire the right Designated Representative from ADH's database. The DR performs the applicable percolation or soil work and prepares the design, but the Authorized Agent retains final approval. For a non-exempt project, apply for the Permit for Construction and pay the plan-review fee before construction, alteration, repair, or extension begins. Give the Authorized Agent at least 24 hours' notice before work; emergency repairs may start if a permit is obtained within ten working days. The construction permit lasts one year and may need revalidation if work has not begun. Site or soil changes can invalidate it sooner. After construction, the system must be inspected and approved, and ADH must issue a separate Permit for Operation before use.
Arkansas's statutory exemption applies only to a single residence on a tract of 10 acres or more when the field line or sewage disposal line is no closer than 200 feet to every property line. It exempts the permit, not the state's system standards, and does not make unsuitable or undersized work acceptable. ADH recommends obtaining a letter from the local Health Unit confirming the exemption before relying on it. There is no general minimum lot size for a permit, so a smaller lot may qualify when its soil, bedroom count, and setbacks work. A larger tract does not receive the exemption unless the single-residence and 200-foot conditions are both satisfied.
Arkansas's reliable public numbers are state plan-review fees, not a DR's private charge. For an individual permit, the statewide schedule is $30 at 1,500 square feet or less, $45 above 1,500 through 2,000, $90 above 2,000 through 3,000, $120 above 3,000 through 4,000, and $150 above 4,000 square feet. Subdivision review has a separate schedule and is not the ordinary home fee. No named Arkansas DR provider checked published current pricing, so generic online ranges are not repeated. Request itemized quotes from two or three DRs in the state database and ask whether testing, design, return visits, inspection work, and filing help are included.
Arkansas publishes no verified statewide end-to-end turnaround. Ask the DR about field scheduling and report delivery, and ask the county-assigned Onsite Environmental Specialist about review and inspection timing. A percolation test requires water in the holes for at least four hours, preferably overnight, before measurement, but that is not a promise of one-day evaluation and permitting. There is no fixed calendar-season construction ban, but absorption trenches cannot be excavated when soil is wet enough to smear or compact easily. During wet-season periods or after significant rainfall, beginning without the Authorized Agent's authorization may void the permit. If significant smearing occurs, stop work and contact the local Authorized Agent for guidance.
Arkansas uses an ADH-certified Designated Representative, or DR, to perform percolation tests, prepare designs, and conduct inspections, subject to the Authorized Agent's final approval. A DR starts with a named professional qualification or the rule's similarly qualified path. The Soil Qualified DR sub-tier has passed the soils portion of ADH's testing procedure and is the only DR who may design a standard system from seasonal water table data. A regular DR may perform percolation testing and work within the authority ADH grants. ADH says the exam is offered four times yearly; registration costs the DR $100 annually, with annual approved training and continued competency required. Use ADH's Onsite Wastewater Licensees database and confirm Soil Qualified status if seasonal water table data will support the design.