The Ontario Building Code | General Requirements for Operation and Maintenance
8.9.1.2. General Requirements for Operation and Maintenance
(1) Every sewage system shall be operated and maintained so that,
(a) the sewage system or any part of it shall not emit, discharge or deposit sanitary sewage or effluentonto the surface of the ground,
(b) sanitary sewage or effluent shall not emit, discharge, seep, leak or otherwise escape from the sewage system or any part of it other than from a place or part of the sewage system where the system is designed or intended to discharge the sanitary sewage or effluent, and
(c) except as provided in Sentence (2), sanitary sewage or effluentshall not emit, discharge, seep, leak or otherwise escape from the sewage system or any part of it into a piped water supply, well water supply, a watercourse, ground wateror surface water.
(2) Clause (1)(c) does not apply to the use of a sewage system designed and operated such that properly treated effluent is discharged into soil.
8.9.2. Operation
In Plain Language
General requirements for operating and maintaining a private sewage system are set out in this article, covering the ongoing responsibilities that keep a system functioning properly over time.
This is a plain-language summary of the 2012/2017 Ontario Building Code text above, for general understanding only and not a substitute for the Code. Always confirm current requirements against the 2024 edition (O.Reg. 163/24) or a qualified professional before construction.