New Hampshire Septic Installer Exam 3 Study Guide | Site
Conditions, Setbacks, EDAs & Troubleshooting 2027 [3
VERSIONS
This professional regulatory resource serves as a premier test bank explicitly
engineered for subsurface wastewater practitioners preparing for the New Hampshire
Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) Septic System Installer
Certification Examination. It features high-yield, scenario-based practice questions,
100% verified correct answers, and thorough legal and technical rationales
mapped directly to the New Hampshire Code of Administrative Rules Chapter Env-Wq
1000. Reviewing these premium testing parameters ensures absolute competence
across site condition evaluations, regulatory setback distances, Effluent Disposal Area
(EDA) design mechanics, and complex field troubleshooting protocols to guarantee
you clear your state licensing benchmark on the first attempt.
Section 1: Regulatory Authority & Licensing
1. Which New Hampshire state agency has primary regulatory authority over
Individual Sewage Disposal Systems (ISDS)?
A. Department of Health and Human Services
B. Department of Environmental Services (NHDES)
C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
D. Department of Safety
Answer: B
Rationale: NHDES, specifically the Subsurface Systems Bureau, issues permits for ISDS
design and installation.
2. What is the biennial renewal fee for an installer permit?
A. $40
B. $60
C. $80
D. $100
Answer: C
Rationale: RSA 485-A:36 specifies an $80 biennial permit fee.
3. How many continuing education hours must a permitted installer complete per
renewal period?
,A. 3 hours
B. 6 hours
C. 9 hours
D. 12 hours
Answer: B
Rationale: RSA 485-A:36 requires 6 hours biennially.
4. What happens if a permit is not renewed within 30 days of expiration?
A. It is void
B. It is suspended
C. It is revoked
D. It is extended
Answer: B
Rationale: Permits not renewed within 30 days are deemed suspended.
5. What is required to reinstate a suspended permit?
A. Only the renewal fee
B. Complete renewal application, permit fee, late fee, reinstatement fee, and CE
documentation
C. Only a new exam
D. Nothing, it automatically reinstates
Answer: B
Rationale: Reinstatement requires the $80 permit fee, $80 late fee, $80 reinstatement fee,
and CE documentation.
6. Who may install a septic system without an installer permit?
A. A homeowner for their own primary domicile
B. A homeowner for a rental property
C. A neighbor
D. A general contractor
Answer: A
Rationale: RSA 485-A:36 allows homeowners to install or repair systems for their own
domicile.
,Section 2: Site Evaluation & Soil
7. What is the minimum depth to seasonal high-water table for a standard leach
field in NH?
A. 6 inches
B. 12 inches
C. 24 inches
D. 36 inches
Answer: B
Rationale: NH rules require a minimum 12-inch vertical separation.
8. What is the most reliable indicator of the seasonal high-water table?
A. Leaf litter
B. Redoximorphic features
C. Soil pH
D. Texture alone
Answer: B
Rationale: Redox features indicate prolonged saturation and are required for site
evaluation.
9. The percolation test evaluates which soil property?
A. Soil color
B. Soil pH
C. Rate at which water moves through soil
D. Organic content
Answer: C
Rationale: A perc test measures infiltration rate for sizing absorption areas.
10. Which soil texture generally has the slowest infiltration rate?
A. Sand
B. Loamy sand
C. Silt loam
D. Clay
Answer: D
Rationale: Clay particles reduce pore size and infiltration.
11. Which soil characteristic most strongly influences the long-term acceptance
rate?
, A. Soil color
B. Soil texture
C. Surface vegetation
D. Slope aspect
Answer: B
Rationale: Texture determines pore size and permeability, affecting wastewater movement
and treatment.
12. When performing a percolation test, where should test holes be located?
A. Anywhere on the lot
B. Only near property lines
C. In the proposed disposal area
D. Near the house foundation
Answer: C
Rationale: Percolation tests must represent the actual soil conditions of the disposal area.
Section 3: Setbacks & Lot Loading
13. What is the minimum setback from a leach field to surface water (lake, pond,
river) in NH?
A. 25 feet
B. 50 feet
C. 75 feet
D. 100 feet
Answer: C
Rationale: NH rules require 75 feet to surface water and wetlands.
14. The setback between a septic tank and a private well may be reduced to 50
feet if:
A. The tank is plastic
B. Watertight pipe with SDR 26 or equivalent is used and solvent cemented
C. The well is less than 100 feet deep
D. The system is pressure-dosed
Answer: B
Rationale: Reduced setbacks are allowed when watertight pipe is used.
Conditions, Setbacks, EDAs & Troubleshooting 2027 [3
VERSIONS
This professional regulatory resource serves as a premier test bank explicitly
engineered for subsurface wastewater practitioners preparing for the New Hampshire
Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) Septic System Installer
Certification Examination. It features high-yield, scenario-based practice questions,
100% verified correct answers, and thorough legal and technical rationales
mapped directly to the New Hampshire Code of Administrative Rules Chapter Env-Wq
1000. Reviewing these premium testing parameters ensures absolute competence
across site condition evaluations, regulatory setback distances, Effluent Disposal Area
(EDA) design mechanics, and complex field troubleshooting protocols to guarantee
you clear your state licensing benchmark on the first attempt.
Section 1: Regulatory Authority & Licensing
1. Which New Hampshire state agency has primary regulatory authority over
Individual Sewage Disposal Systems (ISDS)?
A. Department of Health and Human Services
B. Department of Environmental Services (NHDES)
C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
D. Department of Safety
Answer: B
Rationale: NHDES, specifically the Subsurface Systems Bureau, issues permits for ISDS
design and installation.
2. What is the biennial renewal fee for an installer permit?
A. $40
B. $60
C. $80
D. $100
Answer: C
Rationale: RSA 485-A:36 specifies an $80 biennial permit fee.
3. How many continuing education hours must a permitted installer complete per
renewal period?
,A. 3 hours
B. 6 hours
C. 9 hours
D. 12 hours
Answer: B
Rationale: RSA 485-A:36 requires 6 hours biennially.
4. What happens if a permit is not renewed within 30 days of expiration?
A. It is void
B. It is suspended
C. It is revoked
D. It is extended
Answer: B
Rationale: Permits not renewed within 30 days are deemed suspended.
5. What is required to reinstate a suspended permit?
A. Only the renewal fee
B. Complete renewal application, permit fee, late fee, reinstatement fee, and CE
documentation
C. Only a new exam
D. Nothing, it automatically reinstates
Answer: B
Rationale: Reinstatement requires the $80 permit fee, $80 late fee, $80 reinstatement fee,
and CE documentation.
6. Who may install a septic system without an installer permit?
A. A homeowner for their own primary domicile
B. A homeowner for a rental property
C. A neighbor
D. A general contractor
Answer: A
Rationale: RSA 485-A:36 allows homeowners to install or repair systems for their own
domicile.
,Section 2: Site Evaluation & Soil
7. What is the minimum depth to seasonal high-water table for a standard leach
field in NH?
A. 6 inches
B. 12 inches
C. 24 inches
D. 36 inches
Answer: B
Rationale: NH rules require a minimum 12-inch vertical separation.
8. What is the most reliable indicator of the seasonal high-water table?
A. Leaf litter
B. Redoximorphic features
C. Soil pH
D. Texture alone
Answer: B
Rationale: Redox features indicate prolonged saturation and are required for site
evaluation.
9. The percolation test evaluates which soil property?
A. Soil color
B. Soil pH
C. Rate at which water moves through soil
D. Organic content
Answer: C
Rationale: A perc test measures infiltration rate for sizing absorption areas.
10. Which soil texture generally has the slowest infiltration rate?
A. Sand
B. Loamy sand
C. Silt loam
D. Clay
Answer: D
Rationale: Clay particles reduce pore size and infiltration.
11. Which soil characteristic most strongly influences the long-term acceptance
rate?
, A. Soil color
B. Soil texture
C. Surface vegetation
D. Slope aspect
Answer: B
Rationale: Texture determines pore size and permeability, affecting wastewater movement
and treatment.
12. When performing a percolation test, where should test holes be located?
A. Anywhere on the lot
B. Only near property lines
C. In the proposed disposal area
D. Near the house foundation
Answer: C
Rationale: Percolation tests must represent the actual soil conditions of the disposal area.
Section 3: Setbacks & Lot Loading
13. What is the minimum setback from a leach field to surface water (lake, pond,
river) in NH?
A. 25 feet
B. 50 feet
C. 75 feet
D. 100 feet
Answer: C
Rationale: NH rules require 75 feet to surface water and wetlands.
14. The setback between a septic tank and a private well may be reduced to 50
feet if:
A. The tank is plastic
B. Watertight pipe with SDR 26 or equivalent is used and solvent cemented
C. The well is less than 100 feet deep
D. The system is pressure-dosed
Answer: B
Rationale: Reduced setbacks are allowed when watertight pipe is used.
