Gig Harbor Peninsula: water, septic and county permits

Outside the city, water comes from one of many small systems, such as Washington Water or Peninsula Light; most homes rely on septic under Tacoma-Pierce County Health, and Pierce County issues plumbing permits.

Sheet revised November 4, 2026

Finding your system among so many names

Start with the bill, because no community here has one confirmed supplier. Peninsula Light describes the area as having hundreds of independent water systems. Washington Water's list includes Artondale, East Gig Harbor Water District, Peacock Hill, Purdy Acres East and West, Rosedale Community Club, Rosedale East, Rosedale/Smyth, Wauna/Easley and Wollochet Harbor Club. Each is a named system, not a whole community.

• Washington Water has a Gig Harbor customer center.
• Peninsula Light is mainly an electric utility, but its water department began in 1996. Its 2025 figures are over 3,300 connections, with 64 owned and 51 managed systems.

If you have no bill, you may be on a well. See private and small-group wells and the wider water supplier lookup. DOH recommends testing a private well every year for coliform bacteria and nitrate. The health department's page says once a year for bacteria and every three years for nitrate on a single-family well. Both are stated here because they differ.

Peninsula Light says the peninsulas' water comes from the deepest aquifers beneath them. We found no published hardness number for these systems, so test before you treat. Iron and hardness covers the next step.

If a test shows hard water and you decide to treat it, one store lists water softeners. The same team runs SoftPro and this site.

Septic is the usual answer

The city's draft utilities plan says most homes outside its sewered area rely on on-site septic. The city treats septic tank effluent by contract from the Wollochet Harbor Sewer District, and from a 68-unit development on Wollochet Bay.

The health department's page says a designer or installer job needs a permit from it, while a certified professional can do minor repairs. Owners can file a Report of System Status through its O&M portal. A March 20, 2025 bulletin reported a state waiver that can move qualifying gravity and pump-to-gravity systems from inspections every 3 years to every 5. It excludes waterfront systems and has other conditions, and the start date is unconfirmed. Septic care on the peninsulas has the detail.

County permits outside the city line

The county's guide says stopping a leak is exempt, but removing and replacing a defective element with new material needs a permit and inspection. Inside the city, use the City of Gig Harbor sheet.

This is our advice, not a health department rule: never open a septic tank, and never go into one. If a drain backs up, stop using water and keep children and pets clear.