If you own property near Smith Mountain Lake or Leesville Lake and received a pump-out notice for 2025, you have three months to comply with Bedford County’s Mandatory Sewage Disposal System Pump-Out Ordinance.

In March 2024, the Bedford County Board of Supervisors amended the County Code to require all private sewage disposal systems located within 500 feet of either lake (at full pond elevation) be pumped out at least once every five years.

To manage this process, the County is phasing the requirement over five years. Homeowners who received notices in March 2025 must complete their pump-out by the end of 2025. Failure to comply could result in the assessment of a civil penalty (County Code Section 10-3e).

For details and compliance instructions, visit: bedfordcountyva.gov/pumpout.