TitleFive.Net - Bay State Residential

Massachusetts home and you don't have city sewer service then you need a Title Five

( Title V ) Certification for your septic system.

This certification comes from a Title Five inspector after a septic inspection deems that the system doesn't meet failure criteria as outlined in Title Five CMR 310 15.000

    The purpose of Title five, Title V, or Title 5, CMR 15.000, of the Massachusetts Environmental Code is to provide for the protection of public health, safety, welfare, and the environment by requiring the proper siting, construction upgrade, and maintenance of on-site sewage disposal systems and appropriate means for the transport and disposal of septage.

  Please send Questions to info@titlefive.com

Approved Title V inspectors are charged with the responsibility of inspecting systems in accordance with 310 CMR 15.302, 15.303, and reporting their findings to the approving authority.

    The only grounds for failing a system or conditionally passing a system are if any of the criteria listed on the inspection form and specified in 310 CMR 15.303 are met. 

Please Click Here to view Massachusetts Title 5 code 310 CMR 15.000 for yourself.

Title Five Inspections must be carried out by a certified system inspector.

A complete list of these inspectors can be found (with a magnifying glass) here.

The process of choosing a qualified inspector seems like an easy task but beware...

Most Title Five inspectors are system installers!

Can they be unbiased?

Let's Hope So! 

The average cost of a new septic system in MA is $15,000 while the average cost of an inspection for certification is $500. It seems that the best chance for an honest evaluation would come from a Title V inspector who isn't an installer. Understanding this could save you thousands of dollars by not replacing a system that is functioning properly in accordance with CMR 310 15.000