Septic Earthwork
Septic Tank & System Excavation
Princeton Excavation is the dig crew on septic jobs: tank pits, tank replacement digs, distribution field excavation, and abandonment digs. Your engineer designs the system, your licensed septic contractor pulls the permits and installs it, and we open and close the ground on their schedule, to their spec.
Where we fit on a septic job
Septic work is a three-party job: engineer, licensed installer, and the crew moving the dirt. We're the third one, and we're good at it.
Tank Pits and Replacement Digs
We cut the pit to the elevation on the plans, bench or shore the walls where depth requires it, and leave working room so the installer can set the new tank without fighting the hole.
Distribution Field Excavation
Field excavation to the engineer's lines and depths, with light tracked machines and careful bucket work so the receiving soil doesn't get smeared or compacted before the system goes in.
Abandonments by the Book
When an old tank comes out of service, the septic contractor pumps it, and we dig, crush or fill, and close the pit under their supervision, the way the township requires it.
Built for septic country
In Hopewell, Montgomery, and Skillman, a big share of homes run on septic, and when a system fails or a sale is pending, the clock matters. Installers and engineers need a dig crew that shows up on the day, holds the plan, and doesn't leave a pit open over a weekend. That's the job we do, with a 5 to 6 ton excavator for the tank pit and a mini for tight backyards.
Where we work
To be plain about it: we are an excavation contractor, not a licensed septic installer. Design and permits come from your engineer and the health department, and installation belongs to the licensed septic professional. We open the ground, handle the spoil, and backfill to their spec. Keeping that line clear is exactly why the trades like working with us.
How a job goes
From the first call to a clean handover
1. Site Walk
We come look at the property by appointment, check the access and any constraints, and go over your plans or what you have in mind.
2. Marking & Layout
We set the layout on the ground with laser accuracy. Depths, lines, and elevations are marked before anything gets dug.
3. The Work
We bring the right machine for the access, lay ground protection where it's needed, and keep the mess around lawns, trees, and hardscape to a minimum.
4. Clean Handover
You're left with a site that's ready to go and a yard that's still in one piece, set up for whatever's next.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, and we don't pretend to be. We're a registered NJ home improvement contractor doing the excavation. The system design, permits, and installation belong to your engineer and licensed septic contractor; we dig under their direction. On most septic jobs that split already exists — we're just a dig crew that's reliable about it.
That's the point of our fleet. We track in on ground protection, cut one clean pit over the tank, and stockpile spoil on mats instead of across the lawn. The mini excavator handles backyards that a full-size machine would tear up getting to.
Your septic contractor pumps it out first. Then, under their supervision, we either crush the tank in place and fill the void with clean material or remove it, and close the pit in compacted lifts per the township's abandonment requirements.
Service Areas
- Princeton· Mercer County
- Hopewell Township· Mercer County
- Montgomery & Skillman· Somerset County
- West Windsor· Mercer County
- Lawrence Township· Mercer County
- Pennington· Mercer County
- Robbinsville· Mercer County
- Hamilton Township· Mercer County
- Plainsboro· Middlesex County
- Cranbury· Middlesex County
- South Brunswick· Middlesex County
- Hillsborough· Somerset County
- Ewing· Mercer County
Princeton, Hopewell Township, Montgomery & Skillman, and surrounding Mercer and Somerset County, NJ.
Installers and engineers: send the plan and we'll have the ground open on schedule.
Owner-operated and by appointment. Tell us about your project and we'll walk the site with you.