It's all Plain to Sea

[mrhobbithhnet]

To start your design, familiarize yourself with the current standards in your area that apply to the Three R's of 'private waste management' :

Rules, Regulations, and Rigmarole.

A good place to start is a public domain document provided by the Health Departments of virtually all jurisdictions in America and Canada. It will be the bible that all engineers, officials and designers will have to refer to and adhere to in all their applications for permits.

Here's a link to the one that applies to Colorado:

Individual Sewage Disposal Systems

I've combed through that document many a time, looking for a handle on just what is possible for homebuilt, waterless, approved design approaches and standard. The three R's are thick as thieves in these 'manifesto's', so have patience with yourself. Everything you need to know is clearly laid out in bits and pieces all throughout the copy.

The primary place to start it the glossary of course. From an understanding of the exact words used to describe each element of a private sewage disposal system, it becomes quite clear what your design choices apply to.

Primary conclusions I've drawn, and from which I've based my designs:

Composting Toilets, in their strict description, are expressly excluded from being an option for the DIY builder. They make quite clear in the last item in the outline of what is acceptable that they all require National Sanitary Foundation [or similar organization] approval. That, therefore, excludes them from being an option for one-up constructions.

The ONLY option for your own solution seems to be to design a Vault Privy that meets those guidelines. It just so happens that that design criteria applies quite handily to what you'd expect as a design guide for a homebuilt, scalable and approved solution. Read all sections of the Colorado document that apply to a privy, a privy vault and a vault. If your design meets those guidelines and your locale already approves their use and provides permit applications for them, then you are set to make an application.

Pay additional attention to the specific table in that document that outlines location restrictions for your project. They are understandably very concerned to see that a toilet of any sort is not going to compromise any other water system in the vicinity. There are strict requirements for placement relative to underground water systems, irrigation lines and other such things. And there are detailed workarounds for the designer should there be conflicts of this nature.

DO NOT MAKE THE APPLICATION WITH JUST A COPY OF THE SUNNYJOHN PLANS.

If your application for a DIY toilet is ever presented or seen as an application to build your own composting toilet, it will not comply. They make abundantly clear that composting toilets can only get an approval from another agency all together. They will not sign off on such applications.

I've made every effort to exclude every reference to 'composting toilet' in the plans, but it easily construed as such and could quickly disqualify your application if you are not careful when you present your own personal design for a privy vault. It meets all of the guidelines to that type of toilet if you follow all the RRR's that apply WRT to screening, concrete details, privacy, location and access, but in and of itself, is not a pre-approved design.

That being the case, the design may very well need to be transcribed into a separate document that describes how your design meets their requirements for a privy vault. It the permit is accepted, they will simply make their inspection based on their published criteria, your application, and from that note compliance or infraction accordingly.

I'd suggest making a checklist of items that apply to your design and check them off as each is addressed. The Sunnyjohn construction plans are a good place to use find actual drawings and details of approach you can include in your application process.

Things like screening, location, vault size and construction, privacy, access etc. can all be itemized as action items for your process.

If it is deemed to be sufficiently unique to NOT meet their pre-approved approaches, then you may have options available WRT to 'experimental' permits. A few have been successful taking that route as well.
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