Septic Replacement
When a septic system fails, we install the new tank or drain field the county's repair permit calls for. Call or text (336) 516-7170 for a free quote.
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Past the edge of Hillsborough's town sewer, a new house needs its own septic system. Orange County Environmental Health issues two septic permits before the county will issue a building permit. Most of the land around town is slate belt soil, with a red clay subsoil that takes in water slowly. The soil evaluation decides what kind of system your lot can take, and where it goes.
JRC Construction is based in Burlington, and Hillsborough is part of our service area. We handle septic system installation in Hillsborough and rural Orange County, for new houses and in place of failed systems. We also take on the land clearing and grading around a new system. Call or text (336) 516-7170 for a free quote.
Tell us about the septic system, lot, driveway, teardown or home project and where it is. We look at the job and put your free quote in writing.
Hillsborough runs its own water and sewer utility, and it serves most of the town. Orange County's water and sewer boundary agreement maps where public sewer can go. Outside the mapped service areas, the agreement says public sewer is not anticipated. Much of the countryside around town sits outside them.
North of town, even Orange County's Cedar Grove Community Center runs on a septic system. About 40 percent of the county's people drink well water, the county health department says. If a system fails out in the county, sewer lines come only when no fix on the lot is approvable. So plan to replace a failed system on your own land.
Hillsborough itself grew fast in the 2010s: 6,087 people in the 2010 Census, 9,660 in 2020. About four in ten of its homes date from 2010 or later, by Census survey figures. New houses need footings dug to the plan. Past the sewer lines, they also need a septic system that passes the county's final inspection.
The USDA soil survey maps Georgeville soil on about half the land around town. Herndon and Tarrus soils cover much of the rest. All three weathered from old volcanic rock of the Carolina Slate Belt. Georgeville's subsoil is red clay.
The survey rates about three quarters of that land somewhat limited for septic drain fields, mainly for slow water movement. About a fifth rates very limited, including the creek bottoms along the Eno that flood. Tarrus soil can reach soft, weathered rock 40 to 60 inches down.
The old perc test was replaced in the mid 1970s by a full soil and site evaluation. Orange County staff read texture and structure from auger borings or pits. The soil's color shows how well it has drained over the long term. If the county asks for pits, digging them is a short excavation job.
Hillsborough is the county seat, so the office that permits septic systems is right in town. Orange County Environmental Health works under the county's own wastewater rules, adopted January 1, 2024 and revised that November. It issues an Improvement Permit for a site with acceptable soil. Some recently subdivided lots already have one, so ask the county before you buy.
The Construction Authorization comes next, and it must be issued before the building permit. For it, the county wants an application with a floor plan and a site plan. Systems are sized by bedrooms, and the county counts any room that could work as a bedroom. A typical four-bedroom system and repair area usually take a quarter to a third of an acre of suitable soil.
Inside the town limits, or the ring of land the town zones beyond them, Hillsborough's zoning permit comes first. Then Orange County issues the building permit. The installation itself is a one-day job, and the county inspects it before it is covered. After that inspection, the county issues the Operation Permit.
From Burlington, I-40 and I-85 run east together for most of the trip. They split just west of town near Occoneechee Mountain, and I-85 brings you to South Churton Street. The drive is about 22 road miles, or half an hour without traffic. US 70 links town with Efland, and NC 57 heads north toward Schley and Caldwell.
Above town, the state classes the Eno River and both of its forks, Lake Orange included, as water supply waters. Orange County lays watershed rules over land that drains to them. Those rules can set lot sizes and limit hard surfaces like roofs and driveways. The county's permit form counts a gravel driveway as hard surface too.
Orange County says many drain fields fail because tree roots grow into the trenches. We plan the land clearing around the house pad and the drain field with that in mind. Projects that disturb more than 10,000 square feet should check with Orange County Erosion Control first. Disturbing a stream buffer means applying for the county's Buffer Authorization Certificate.
Communities and areas we serve around Hillsborough: Downtown Hillsborough, Churton Street, West Hillsborough, Fairview, Occoneechee Mountain, the Eno River, St. Mary's Road, Efland, Cedar Grove, Schley, Caldwell, Lake Orange.
Hillsborough ZIP codes served: 27278.
Hillsborough is part of our service area. We look at the job first, then put a free quote in writing.
(336) 516-7170 When a septic system fails, we install the new tank or drain field the county's repair permit calls for. Call or text (336) 516-7170 for a free quote.
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Excavation for new house sites and the trenches for septic lines, within about 55 miles of Burlington. We look at the job and put a free quote in writing.
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We clear wooded lots and acreage for a new house or a pasture. The stumps come out with the trees, and the brush is hauled off.
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Yard grading for drainage and site grading before a build. We shape the ground so rain runs away from the house.
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New gravel driveways and extensions for homes and land around Burlington. We also regrade worn driveways and top them with fresh crush and run.
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We dig footings to the plan for new homes, additions, garages and porches around Burlington. The trenches are ready for the footing inspection before any concrete goes in.
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We take down houses, garages, barns and sheds around Burlington and haul off what comes down. Call or text for a free quote in writing.
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We load and haul off construction and demolition debris around Burlington. We also haul storm wood and the brush piles from clearing.
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Overgrown fields and fence lines cut back to open ground with machines. Most people around Burlington call it bush hogging.
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New homes, remodels, additions and repairs within about 30 miles of Burlington. On our own builds, the site work comes from our excavation side.
Learn MoreA few of the questions we hear most around Hillsborough. If yours is not here, call or text and ask.
Tell us where the job is and what you need done. Call or text (336) 516-7170, or send the form, for a free quote.
Tell us about the septic system, lot, driveway, teardown or home project and where it is. We look at the job and put your free quote in writing.