Florida septic rules
Septic pumping rules in Florida.
Florida 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 Florida 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 systemsState and local
Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Onsite Sewage Program. Since July 1, 2021 DEP implements the onsite sewage statutes and rules, while county health department offices continue to do septic permitting and inspections; DEP registers septic tank contractors.
The state program- Pumper and hauler licensingState license
DEP registers septic tank contractors under Part III of Chapter 489, F.S.; no one may hold themselves out as a septic tank contractor without registration (s. 489.552). Applicants file DEP Form 4075, show at least three years (6,000 hours) of experience, pass a 100-question exam and submit a Florida criminal history check. Registrations expire each September 30 and renewal (DEP Form 4076) requires 12 hours of approved continuing education (18 for master contractors). DEP Form 4012 is the Application for Septage Disposal Service Permit.
Licensing details- Where septage can go
Land application of septage from onsite systems has been prohibited since January 1, 2016 (s. 381.0065(6), F.S.). Septage rules are in Rule 62-6.010, F.A.C. (Septage and Food Establishment Sludge).
Disposal rules- Records and reports
Not confirmed from an official source. Ask the state program linked above, or your county health department.
- Inspections
Not confirmed from an official source. Ask the state program linked above, or your county health department.
- The rule book
Ch. 62-6, F.A.C. (including 62-6.010 septage, 62-6.019 to 62-6.023 contractor registration); ss. 381.0065 and 489.551 to 489.558, F.S.
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 Florida?
Florida requires a state license or permit to pump or haul septage. DEP registers septic tank contractors under Part III of Chapter 489, F.S.; no one may hold themselves out as a septic tank contractor without registration (s. 489.552). Applicants file DEP Form 4075, show at least three years (6,000 hours) of experience, pass a 100-question exam and submit a Florida criminal history check. Registrations expire each September 30 and renewal (DEP Form 4076) requires 12 hours of approved continuing education (18 for master contractors). DEP Form 4012 is the Application for Septage Disposal Service Permit.
Where do I get Florida 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 Florida 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://floridadep.gov/water/onsite-sewage
- https://floridadep.gov/water/onsite-sewage/content/septic-tank-contractor-registration
- https://floridadep.gov/water/onsite-sewage/content/onsite-sewage-forms-and-publications
- https://floridadep.gov/sites/default/files/STCR_handbook_September_2026.pdf
- https://flrules.org/gateway/ChapterHome.asp?Chapter=62-6
- https://flrules.org/gateway/RuleNo.asp?id=62-6.010
- https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0400-0499/0489/Sections/0489.551.html
- https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0400-0499/0489/Sections/0489.552.html
- https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0300-0399/0381/Sections/0381.0065.html
Other states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- 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.
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