Delaware septic rules
Septic pumping rules in Delaware.
Delaware requires a state license or permit to pump or haul septage. 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 Delaware 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 the state
Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), Division of Water, Groundwater Discharges Section. DNREC's Division of Water issues septic permits, licenses onsite professionals and permits liquid waste transporters statewide under 7 DE Admin. Code 7101.
The state program- Pumper and hauler licensingState license
Individuals who remove, transport or dispose of the contents of septic tanks, cesspools, grease traps, holding tanks or portable toilets need a Class F (Liquid Waste Hauler) license, and the company needs a Non-Hazardous Liquid Waste Transporters Permit (7 Del. C. 6023(d); 7101 Section 4.1.6 and 4.12.6). License applications go to the Onsite Systems Advisory Board, then a quarterly exam (70 percent to pass); licenses are issued for one year and renewal requires at least 10 hours of approved training. Class F licensees must operate under a transporter permit and a $5,000 performance bond. Transporter permit applications need vehicle details, liability insurance for each vehicle, disposal facility approval letters, Class F license cards and an operation plan, and are public noticed for 15 days.
Licensing details- Where septage can go
Transporter permit applications must include approval letters, discharge permits or other documents from each disposal facility authorizing the company to discharge that waste stream. Septage and grease trap waste may not be commingled unless the receiving facility approves in writing.
Disposal rules- Records and reports
Class F licensees must submit quarterly reports listing the location, 911 mailing address and total gallons of septage removed; holding tank and grease trap maintenance contracts must be submitted within 15 days of signing; unsatisfactory tank conditions must be noted on the sales slip or receipt (7101 Section 4.12.6).
Reporting rules- Inspections
When a property served by an onsite system is sold or transferred, the system must be pumped by a Class F licensee and inspected by a Class H licensee before the sale closes, with a 90-day extension for sheriff sales, auctions, short sales and cash sales; inspection forms go to DNREC within 72 hours (7101 Section 3.31.13).
Inspection rules- The rule book
7 DE Admin. Code 7101 (Regulations Governing the Design, Installation and Operation of On-Site Wastewater Treatment and Disposal Systems); 7 Del. C. Chapter 60
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.
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 Delaware?
Delaware requires a state license or permit to pump or haul septage. Individuals who remove, transport or dispose of the contents of septic tanks, cesspools, grease traps, holding tanks or portable toilets need a Class F (Liquid Waste Hauler) license, and the company needs a Non-Hazardous Liquid Waste Transporters Permit (7 Del. C. 6023(d); 7101 Section 4.1.6 and 4.12.6). License applications go to the Onsite Systems Advisory Board, then a quarterly exam (70 percent to pass); licenses are issued for one year and renewal requires at least 10 hours of approved training. Class F licensees must operate under a transporter permit and a $5,000 performance bond. Transporter permit applications need vehicle details, liability insurance for each vehicle, disposal facility approval letters, Class F license cards and an operation plan, and are public noticed for 15 days.
Where do I get Delaware septic forms?
From the state's own pages, linked on this page. Many counties and local health departments use their own forms on top of the state's, so check with the county where the system is too.
Does PortaPro come with Delaware 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://dnrec.delaware.gov/water/residential/septic-systems/
- https://dnrec.delaware.gov/water/commercial-government/groundwater-discharge-licenses/
- https://dnrec.delaware.gov/water/commercial-government/transporters/
- https://documents.dnrec.delaware.gov/wr/Information/GWDInfo/Documents/delaware-on-site-regulations-with-exhibits.pdf
- https://documents.dnrec.delaware.gov/Admin/Public-Notices/WR20260093/Application.pdf
Other states
- Alabama
- Alaska
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- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
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- Kansas
- Kentucky
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- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
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- Minnesota
- Mississippi
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- Montana
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- 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.
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