Cottages, Camps and Special Situations
Seasonal and non-residential properties have their own rules, and several common assumptions about them are wrong.
20 questions in this section
- Is a cottage sized differently than a house?
- Can I put a holding tank at my cottage because it is only seasonal?
- Can I connect a travel trailer to my system?
- Is RV waste different from household waste?
- What flow is used for a bed and breakfast?
- What about a small campground or cabin cluster?
- I want to run a home business. Does that change my septic requirements?
- What if my system will serve a restaurant or food service?
- What if my flow exceeds 5,460 litres per day?
- Do I need a system for a hunting camp with no running water?
- Can I use a composting toilet?
- What about an outhouse at a rural property?
- Can I install a system on an island or a very remote lot?
- What if my lot is on solid bedrock?
- What if my lot is clay?
- What if my lot is pure gravel?
- My property floods. Can I still install a system?
- Can I install a system for a garage or workshop?
- I have two buildings on one property. Do they share a system?
- Where do I start if I am not sure what I need?
Is a cottage sized differently than a house?
No. Individual cottages are sized as per residential flows - a two-bedroom cottage is designed for 1,022 L/day the same as a two-bedroom house, regardless of how few weeks a year you use it.
Can I put a holding tank at my cottage because it is only seasonal?
No. Seasonal use of cottages, travel trailers and other dwellings is expressly not considered temporary use, and holding tanks are only approved in four narrow circumstances.
Can I connect a travel trailer to my system?
A trailer at a property with existing wastewater services is treated as a building for the purpose of what counts as an existing building lot. Any new connection or additional flow needs to be part of an approved design.
Is RV waste different from household waste?
Yes. The Guidelines note that RV waste may contain formaldehyde that could cause systems to fail, and flag it for special consideration in RV park design.
What flow is used for a bed and breakfast?
320 litres per room per day. If there is a bar or restaurant, food service flows are added on top.
What about a small campground or cabin cluster?
Cabin resorts and cabin clusters are 450 L/day per bedroom. Comfort stations are 50 L per person with showers and 30 L without. RV spaces are 200 L unserviced or 450 L with water and sewer.
I want to run a home business. Does that change my septic requirements?
It can. Commercial flows are calculated differently - for example 75 L per employee for an office, or 650 L per station for a salon. If the use changes materially, talk to Technical Inspection Services.
What if my system will serve a restaurant or food service?
Food service flows are substantial - 125 L per seat for a restaurant not open 24 hours, plus 75 L per staff member - and a grease chamber is generally required. Facilities like this often need engineered systems.
What if my flow exceeds 5,460 litres per day?
You are past the conventional threshold. The system must be non-conventional and designed by a Professional Engineer licensed in New Brunswick.
Do I need a system for a hunting camp with no running water?
A pit privy may be an option. An earthen pit privy is only considered when the lot has no greywater discharge at all - no well and no electricity. Otherwise a vault privy with a watertight tank is required.
Can I use a composting toilet?
Composting toilets address blackwater only. You still have greywater from sinks, showers and laundry, and that requires an approved disposal method. Discuss any composting toilet plan with Technical Inspection Services before relying on it.
What about an outhouse at a rural property?
An outhouse is a pit privy and is regulated. It needs the same separation distances as a septic tank, a self-closing door, insect screens, and a pit no deeper than 1.2 metres below grade with 1.2 metres of clearance to limiting factors.
Can I install a system on an island or a very remote lot?
The same rules apply, and access difficulty adds substantially to cost. Get a licensed installer to assess feasibility, including how materials and equipment will reach the site, before you commit.
What if my lot is on solid bedrock?
You will likely need a raised mound built with imported sand to create the required 1.2 metres of separation below the pipe, or an engineered system. Some sites cannot be made to work at all.
What if my lot is clay?
Clay is Category D - not permeable enough to select a standard system. A raised mound or an engineered design is required.
What if my lot is pure gravel?
Also Category D, at the other extreme. Very coarse sand and gravel drain so fast that effluent is not adequately treated before reaching groundwater, so imported sand and a mound are required to slow it down.
My property floods. Can I still install a system?
Flood plain status is one of the things a buyer is advised to check before purchasing. A field that is periodically inundated cannot treat wastewater and the system may be damaged. Get professional advice specific to the site.
Can I install a system for a garage or workshop?
Only for domestic-type wastewater. Industrial or manufacturing wastes, oil/water separator effluent, paints and solvents must not go to a domestic system. A shop with a floor drain needs careful design - a floor drain counts as 190 L of flow.
I have two buildings on one property. Do they share a system?
The application asks specifically whether there are other buildings on the property with, or requiring, on-site sewage services. Total flow must be accounted for. Do not assume you can tie a second building into an existing system.
Where do I start if I am not sure what I need?
Call Technical Inspection Services at 1-844-249-6533 or email On-site.SewageDisposal@gnb.ca, and contact a licensed installer for a site assessment. Both conversations are worth having before you spend money.
Have a question about your own property? General answers only go so far — your soil, slope, water table and setbacks are specific to your lot. Call (506) 233-6272 or send us the details.
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