Sanitation System (C-42) · Lesson 4 of 6

Setback Distances: Reading Table H 101.8

"Setback Distances: Reading Table H 101.8" is lesson 4 of 6 in the Sanitation System (C-42) Learning Hub. It opens with "The Rule: Same Lot, Minimum Distances" and works through 5 short steps, then a worked example you can check yourself against.

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Steps in this lesson

  1. The Rule: Same Lot, Minimum Distances
  2. Read the Table by Column
  3. Component-to-Component and Water Lines
  4. The Footnotes Change the Number
  5. Protect the Reserve Area and Document It

The worked example in the course applies this lesson to a realistic job in 6 steps, from "Septic tank to building" through "Disposal field to building".

What you'll be able to do

  • Explain the main idea of "Setback Distances: Reading Table H 101.8" in plain language you can use on the exam.
  • Apply this step with confidence: "Component-to-Component and Water Lines".
  • Apply this step with confidence: "The Footnotes Change the Number".
  • Apply this step with confidence: "Protect the Reserve Area and Document It".
  • Test yourself on the worked example and the quick-check quiz inside the classroom.
Setback Check: Septic Layout vs. Table H 101.8SITE PLAN (not to scale)property lineHOUSE6 ftTANKWELL55 ft90 ft (min 100)DISPOSAL FIELD8 ft5 ftCHECK AGAINST TABLE H 101.8ItemActualMinTank to house6 ft5 ftOKTank to well55 ft50 ftOKField to well90 ft100 ftFAILField to property line5 ft5 ftOKField to building8 ft8 ftOKAlso check on every site:Seepage pit: 8 ft building, 8 ft lot line,150 ft from wells, 12 ft from other pitsSloping ground: 15 ft to ground surfaceReserve 100% expansion area (H 101.6)Layout FAILS: field is 90 ft from the well; 100 ft is requiredMove the field at least 10 ft farther away, or choose another locationOther four checks pass: 6/5 ft, 55/50 ft, 5/5 ft, 8/8 ft2025 CPC Appendix H: Table H 101.8 (minimum horizontal distances) and Section H 101.6CC
The diagram for this lesson, exactly as it appears in the Learning Hub.

The first steps of this lesson

Step 1: The Rule: Same Lot, Minimum Distances

Section H 101.8 of 2025 CPC Appendix H says no private sewage disposal system, or any part of it, may sit on a lot other than the lot of the building it serves, and none may be closer than the minimum distances in Table H 101.8. The table is the layout test you run on every site plan before you dig. A failing distance is fixed by moving the component or changing the design, not by getting a verbal OK.

Step 2: Read the Table by Column

Table H 101.8 has four component columns: building sewer, septic tank, disposal field, and seepage pit or cesspool. Building or structure: 2, 5, 8, and 8 feet. Property line adjoining private property: clear, 5, 5, and 8 feet. Water supply wells: 50, 50, 100, and 150 feet. Streams and other bodies of water: 50, 50, 100, and 150 feet. Trees: 10 feet for the tank and for a seepage pit. Distribution box: 5 feet for field and pit. Pressure public water main: 10 feet in every column.

The remaining 3 steps, the worked example and the quiz are in the course. This is a preview. The full lesson, with the step-by-step explanations, a worked example and a quick-check quiz, is inside the classroom.

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