California septic rules
Septic pumping rules in California.
In California, pumpers are licensed or permitted locally, by the county or local health department. Below: who regulates, what pumpers have to keep, and where to find the official forms. Checked against official sources on October 8, 2026.
The rules
What a pumper in California should know.
A guide, not legal advice. Counties and local health departments can add their own rules on top of the state's, so check with the county where the system is.
- Who regulates septic systemsRun by county and local health departments
State Water Resources Control Board (OWTS Policy) with Regional Water Boards; local health officers register septic tank cleaners. The State Water Board's OWTS Policy sets statewide standards overseen by the State and Regional Water Boards, and local agencies (county and city departments and districts) implement them through Local Agency Management Programs approved by the regional board; septic tank cleaner registration is issued by the local health officer.
The state program- Pumper and hauler licensingLocal permit
It is unlawful to engage in the business of cleaning septic tanks, chemical toilets, cesspools or seepage pits, or to dispose of the cleanings, without a registration issued by the local health officer (Health and Safety Code 117405). Registration follows an examination covering equipment, the applicant's knowledge of sanitary laws, and the proposed place and manner of disposal (HSC 117420), and it expires at the end of each calendar year (HSC 117430). Counties set their own fees and procedures.
Licensing details- Where septage can go
The registration application must state the exact location where cleanings will be disposed of, and the health officer examines the place and manner of disposal before registering (HSC 117415, 117420).
Disposal rules- Records and reports
The health officer may require registrants to file, at any frequency, a statement listing each premises cleaned (owner or tenant name, address and date), where and by whom cleanings were disposed of, and any discharges that may violate laws; the statement can be required to be sworn, and discharge statements must also go to the regional water board (HSC 117435).
Reporting rules- Inspections
Not confirmed from an official source. Ask the state program linked above, or your county health department.
- The rule book
Cal. Health and Safety Code 117400 to 117450 (septic tank pumpers); State Water Board OWTS Policy (Water Code 13290 et seq.)
Official forms
Get the forms from the source.
We link to the state's own pages instead of keeping copies, because forms change. Your county may use its own forms as well, and those are the ones an inspector will expect.
We did not find a statewide forms page for pumpers in California. Ask the state program or your county health department for the current forms.
In PortaPro
Upload your county's form once. Fill it from every job.
- Your form, filled from the job
Upload the current PDF from your county or the state, place the fields on it, and bind them to job data. Each pump-out fills it with the customer, site, tank, gallons pumped and technician, and you download a finished PDF.
How Regulatory Forms works- Service reports on the driver's phone
Every account comes with a septic inspection checklist and a pumping service report with gallons pumped and a disposal manifest. Drivers fill them on site and they are filed with the job.
PortaPro for septic companies- Prefer paper for now
Print our free septic pumping service report. It has the fields most programs ask for.
Free septic service report
Questions
Do I need a license to pump septic tanks in California?
In California, pumpers are licensed or permitted locally, by the county or local health department. It is unlawful to engage in the business of cleaning septic tanks, chemical toilets, cesspools or seepage pits, or to dispose of the cleanings, without a registration issued by the local health officer (Health and Safety Code 117405). Registration follows an examination covering equipment, the applicant's knowledge of sanitary laws, and the proposed place and manner of disposal (HSC 117420), and it expires at the end of each calendar year (HSC 117430). Counties set their own fees and procedures.
Where do I get California septic forms?
We did not find a statewide forms page for pumpers. Ask the State Water Resources Control Board (OWTS Policy) with Regional Water Boards; local health officers register septic tank cleaners or the county health department where the system is.
Does PortaPro come with California forms built in?
No. Forms change, and counties use their own, so PortaPro doesn't ship copies. You upload the current PDF from your county or state once, place the fields on it, and PortaPro fills it from each job: customer, site, tank, gallons pumped and technician. When the agency updates its form, you upload the new one.
How current is this page?
We read the official sources listed at the bottom on October 8, 2026. Rules and forms change, so treat this as a starting point and confirm with the agency before you rely on it. This is not legal advice.
Sources
Official pages we read on .
- https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/owts/
- https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/owts/summary.html
- https://rmadocs.venturacounty.gov/environmental-health/programs/liquid-waste/publications/california-codes-health-and-safety-code-section-117400-117450-septic-tank-pumpers.pdf
Other states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Keep the county's paperwork with the job.
Try PortaPro free with your own county forms, or book a walkthrough.
7-day free trial · Cancel anytime
