Dorchester County - Well and On-Site Sewage Disposal Activities - Privatization Program

Dorchester allows private well and sewage work

Beginning July 1, 2025, Maryland authorizes a private well and on-site sewage work program only in Dorchester County. Both the county government and its local approval authority must request the program before Maryland’s Department of the Environment can establish it. The department sets the covered activities and decides whether the program is temporary or ongoing within the law’s three-year authorization. That authorization expires June 30, 2028. Private participants must be Maryland-licensed environmental health specialists with satisfactory relevant experience and meet additional state or local quality requirements. The local approval authority reviews their work and approves or rejects it. The department must require reporting, performance monitoring, and compliance audits at least annually. Consumer protections must include fee caps and ways to resolve disputes. Participants must carry appropriate insurance and provide financial backing, including protection against state losses and bonds, letters of credit, or similar security. The department sets the required amounts. The program must follow applicable purchasing laws and ethics policies, including conflict-of-interest rules. Program records must go to the local approval authority and become public records under Maryland’s Public Information Act. The department can suspend or stop the program for noncompliance, missed reporting or monitoring requirements, or health or environmental risks.