On Thu, 01 Apr 2010 05:50:07 -0700, JimK wrote:
Guy next door to us has a tank about 8' from the outside wall of his
workshop (but no drain field, just a tank) - no engineering problems
anticipated in doing that, but that is in the US where there are no
building regs to worry about.

so what are those "building codes" I keep reading references to on
websites etc? are they just advisory?

In the US? It varies by state and by county and by township etc. - where
I live, there's no planning permission and no building code at all.

There are other codes to be followed, though; anything I make has to
follow the state-wide fire code (dictating things like window sizes in
habitable basements etc.), and the electrical code is a major pain in the
backside (because for anything non-trivial I have to buy a permit in
advance and then pay an inspector to sign off on it afterwards). For a
septic system I don't need a permit, but I am supposed to get it
inspected by an approved contractor after install.

It can be confusing at times knowing what rules apply - but OTOH I
suppose the nice thing is that I *can* do all the work myself if I want,
even if I still have to pay in some situations to say I'm doing it and
then get it inspected afterwards.

cheers

Jules