New York septic rules
New York septic tank size & cost
New York counts a garbage disposal as a whole extra bedroom. A typical new 3-bedroom system in New York runs about $10,700–$16,700 installed by our line-by-line estimate. Below: the state's actual size rule, the full table, and where every number comes from.
Rule: 10 NYCRR Appendix 75-A, Table 3 · Administered by New York State Department of Health · Read the official text · Checked 2026-11-08
New York's rule, in plain words
New York's Table 3 (Appendix 75-A) is a plain bedroom table — 1,000 gallons up to three bedrooms, then +250 per bedroom. Its disposal rule is the distinctive part: a garbage disposal doesn't multiply anything; the home is simply counted as having one more bedroom. A 4-bedroom home with a disposal is sized as a 5-bedroom home: 1,500 gallons.
The '+50% for a disposal' column that circulates on national charts is not New York's rule, and following it oversizes a 3-bedroom New York home by 500 gallons.
The New York size table
| Bedrooms | Minimum tank (gal) | With garbage disposal |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| 2 | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| 3 | 1,000 | 1,250 |
| 4 | 1,250 | 1,500 |
| 5 | 1,500 | 1,750 |
| 6 | 1,750 | 1,750 |
Garbage disposal: New York counts a garbage disposal as one extra bedroom — it does NOT multiply the tank by 50%, whatever other charts claim.
Count every room that could be used as a bedroom — New York permits are issued against the bedroom count on the application.
Check your New York home
State minimum — your county can require more. Estimate this system's cost →
What a New York system costs
Our estimator prices a conventional 3-bedroom system in New York (higher-cost area, 1,000-gal tank) at $10,700–$16,700 installed, assembled from a soil test, the permit, the tank at published prices, drainfield material, fittings and labor. Build your own estimate →
How New York compares (3-bedroom minimum)
Full ten-state chart: septic tank size chart.
Other states we've checked
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