Septic system installation in Yarmouth, Maine.
Yarmouth is split between sewer and septic. The comprehensive plan describes a municipal sewer system and Yarmouth Water District service covering the downtown and other parts of town, with limited availability in more rural areas. Under Chapter 304, a building on a street with public sewer, or within 200 feet of it where access can be obtained, generally must connect. Everywhere else, including much of the rural north end and island lots, wastewater goes to a subsurface system that the owner is responsible for maintaining and pumping.
The Royal River sewer shed
A newer wrinkle affects part of the sewered area. The Royal River pump station carries about two-thirds of the town's sewage flow, and after an overflow in January 2024 and a 2025 finding that the station was at capacity, the Town Council adopted a temporary moratorium on new sewer-connected development in the Royal River sewer shed while a replacement is designed and built.
Chapter 304 now allows properties in that shed to be served by a subsurface system on an interim basis. The system must meet the Maine Subsurface Wastewater Disposal Rules, and the owner signs an Interim Septic System Agreement recorded at the Cumberland County Registry of Deeds. Once the new pump station is in service, the system must be abandoned and the building connected to sewer when it next malfunctions or needs permitted repair. An owner in the shed should confirm current status with the town before planning a system.
Slope, bedrock and the coast
The comprehensive plan notes that the Maine State Plumbing Code prohibits septic construction on slopes of 20 percent or more, which rules out parts of the ravines and river banks. It also cautions that shallow-to-bedrock soils give minimal filtration and that coastal septic systems may be threatened by sea level rise, a real concern in a town whose shellfish flats close when water quality drops.
Our role is the construction: we coordinate with the site evaluator whose design sets the system, excavate, set the tank, distribution and leach field, and leave the yard graded and seeded. Where a lot is in the shoreland zone, the septic area counts toward the cleared-area limit Chapter 701 sets for that portion of the property.
In the shoreland overlay, Chapter 701 also requires a valid plumbing permit or application, including a site evaluation approved by the Plumbing Inspector, whenever a new structure off public sewer needs a subsurface system.
Septic Installs · Excavation
How we handle septic systems
We install new and replacement septic systems for homes and camps across the Cumberland area. From site work and excavation through tank, distribution and leach field install, we coordinate with your site evaluator and leave the yard graded, seeded and clean.
See the full septic systems service page or everything we do in Yarmouth, Maine.
Septic Systems in nearby towns
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Septic Systems in Yarmouth? Let's talk.
Tell us about your property and we will walk it with you — free estimates, straight answers, stonework guaranteed to hold its lines.
Mon–Sat 7:00am – 5:00pm · Based in Cumberland, Maine