BILL NUMBER: S8506A
SPONSOR: HARCKHAM
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the general business law, in relation to individual
sewage disposal system disclosures; and to amend the real property law,
in relation to providing information on septic system operation and
maintenance on the property condition disclosure statement
 
PURPOSE:
Expands requirements for individual sewage disposal system disclosures.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends subdivisions 2, 3 and 5 of section 396-s of the general
business law to require all home sellers and vendors selling a home with
an individual sewage disposal system to provide a copy of the health
bulletin created by the Department of Health to vendees.
Section 2 states the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Individual sewage disposal systems, or septic systems, require extensive
upkeep. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
septic systems must be inspected at least every 3 years, and pumped
every 5 years.' Improper septic system management can lead to groundwa-
ter contamination, which can spread diseases to residents and wildlife.
Furthermore, this contamination can spread to nearby bodies of water,
which can have devastating effects on local ecosystems.
Requiring home sellers and vendors to provide information regarding
septic system upkeep will ensure that new homeowners are properly
educated on how to care for their septic system, allowing them to
protect both themselves and the environment.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
This is a new bill.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None to the State.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on July 1, 2025.
1 https://www.epa.gov/septic/how-care-your-septic-system

Statutes affected:
S8506A: 462 real property law, 462(2) real property law