Unbuildable lot

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It is entirely possible to purchase a lot that will not pass a perc test and therefore not become buildable. This happens all the time.

Purchase of any lot should always be made contingent upon the seller providing you with valid perc tests and an on-lot septic design system before you close…otherwise you get to walk away from the deal.

Doesn’t appear that you did that and your builder may be correct in that you end up with $35,000 worth of dirt on which you cannot build.

That said, here are the criteria from Maryland regarding elevated sand mound systems you may find helpful:

http://www.mde.state.md.us/assets/document/water/Sand%20Mound%20Manual.pdf

What you need to so, as suggested by the previous poster, is to contact your County Sewage permitting office to determine if Maryland will allow ‘alternate’ septic systems.

In the past, lots either were allowed to have constructed a gravity system or an elevated sand mound syetm and that was it.

If the lot could not support either, the landowner was out of luck.

More modern ‘alternate’ systems have since been designed and approved for use on problem lots.

These include peat moss bed systems, holding tanks alone and other methods.

My state, Pennsylvania, allows some 20+ alternate septic systems, but even still…not all lots remain buildable.

I have a customer here who owns a home in the Poconos and whose septic system had completely failed.

The house was built prior to wetlands legislation both at the state and national level. But because of Current Federal and State law, she has been unable to come up with even an alternate septic design to replace the failed system and the house remains uninhabitable.

You need to consult your State sewage permitting agancies and a local sewage officer for your options.

I certainly hope not, but you can potentially own a lot that cannot support a 1 family dwelling.

Let us know what you ulitmately find.