Central Bluegrass — Where Lexington's Sewer Edge Meets Rural Septic Country
The Central Bluegrass is Kentucky's most urbanized interior region — but Lexington's dense sewer grid ends sharply at the urban service boundary. Beyond it, outer Fayette County and neighboring Madison County contain a patchwork of horse farms, newer rural subdivisions, and older residential clusters that depend entirely on onsite septic systems.
The sharp urban-rural divide that defines septic demand here
Lexington's Urban Service Boundary (USB) is one of the most clearly defined growth limits in the state. Inside it, sewer access is widespread. Outside it — and that boundary has held firm by design — properties cannot connect to the public system regardless of proximity. This creates an unusually clean divide: one side is fully sewered, the other is almost entirely on septic.
The outer Fayette County rural areas — think Paris Pike corridors, southeast Fayette farmsteads, and horse country estates — sit permanently outside the USB and will remain on private systems. In Madison County, Richmond has its own sewer service area, but the surrounding county, including Berea and rural townships, has a substantial septic footprint driven by decades of independent residential development on large lots.
Routing is organized by county here because the USB boundary, not a city name, is what determines whether a property uses septic.
Counties currently organized in this region
Additional counties may be added to this region as expansion justifies.
Fayette County — high-value properties, inspections drive volume
Outer Fayette's septic properties tend to be larger acreage lots — horse farms, estate parcels, and rural residential tracts. Real estate activity in this market is active and competitive, which makes pre-sale septic inspections one of the most common service triggers in this county. A failed inspection on a high-value property carries real financial weight.
Madison County — Richmond growth and older Berea systems
Madison County has two distinct septic contexts. The Richmond growth ring — subdivisions built in the 1990s and 2000s outside city sewer reach — is aging into its first major maintenance cycle. Berea, with its arts and college community character, has a mix of older in-town properties on aging systems and newer rural builds. Both generate consistent pumping and repair demand.