Verified as of September 16, 2026. We re-check these pages quarterly.
The number that explains everything
About 28,000 properties on septic sit inside the lagoon program boundary in Indian River County. Of those, fewer than 1,000 — homes and businesses together — are inside the county's existing or planned sewer service areas, according to the county utilities director.
That leaves roughly 27,000 properties whose owners will have to install a nitrogen-reducing system on their own land.
Why the county cannot simply build more sewer
It costs the county $51,000 to $65,000 per property to bring a sewer hookup out to a property, funded through state grants and the county's required local match. At that rate, extending sewer to 27,000 properties is not a budgeting problem, it is an arithmetic one.
So the county targets projects where the environmental return is highest — the neighborhoods closest to the lagoon and its tributaries, where septic systems have the most direct effect on water quality. Everywhere else, the on-site upgrade is the path.
How to find out which one you are on
- Confirm you are inside the program area at all — check your address.
- Call the county's septic-to-sewer program on 772-770-5300 and ask whether your street is inside an existing or planned service area, or in a current project.
- Look at the county's own project list at IRCS2SProgram.com. As of September 2026 it carries Floravon Shores Phase 2, North Sebastian Phase 3, Wabasso Island and Hobart Landing, along with a countywide project.
- Only then get a price. Quoting an upgrade for a property that has a line coming is a waste of your money, and quoting a connection for a property that will never see one is worse.
The comparison, honestly
| Connect to sewer | Upgrade on site | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it applies to | Fewer than 1,000 properties | Roughly 27,000 |
| Your cost | $5,000–$8,000 gravity; $11,000–$20,000+ with a grinder pump | $15,000–$25,000 to retrofit |
| Also required | Tank abandonment: permit from the Florida Department of Health, inspection afterward | A maintenance contract and ongoing inspections |
| Ongoing | A monthly sewer bill; higher upkeep if you have a grinder pump | $1,200–$2,000 a year, on the county's estimate |
| Ends the septic cycle? | Yes | No — you still own a system, a more complicated one |
| Help available today | County has applied for about $50m in state grants, aimed at infrastructure and some private connections | None |
A worked example
A Roseland house near the river, and a house in an inland subdivision several miles west of it.
The Roseland property sits in the kind of riverfront neighborhood the county prioritizes. If a project reaches the street, the owner pays $5,000–$8,000 for a gravity connection plus abandonment of the old tank, while the county spends $51,000–$65,000 getting the line there.
The inland property is inside the program boundary but nowhere near a project. Its owner pays $15,000–$25,000 for a retrofit and $1,200–$2,000 a year thereafter. Over ten years that is roughly $27,000 to $45,000 against the first owner's connection cost plus sewer bills.
Same deadline, same law, very different bill. The only way to know which one you are is to ask.
One thing to watch
If a contractor proposes an upgrade before anyone has checked whether your street is in a service area or a planned project, ask why. That check is free and it takes a phone call.
Verified as of September 16, 2026. We re-check these pages quarterly. Project lists and service-area boundaries change — confirm with the county on 772-770-5300 or at IRCS2SProgram.com before you commit.