Illinois septic rules
Septic pumping rules in Illinois.
Illinois 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 Illinois 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
Illinois Department of Public Health, Private Sewage Disposal Program. IDPH regulates private sewage disposal systems and licenses contractors; about 90 local health agencies also review system construction plans under local ordinance or as agents of IDPH.
The state program- Pumper and hauler licensingState license
IDPH licenses Private Sewage Disposal Pumping Contractors under the Private Sewage Disposal Licensing Act (225 ILCS 225). A license requires passing a written IDPH examination and paying an annual fee, and licenses expire December 31. Under 77 Ill. Adm. Code 905, licensed pumping contractors must complete 3 hours of IDPH-approved continuing education before renewal. Each pumper truck must show the business name, town and phone number in letters at least 8 inches high, and equipment is subject to inspection by IDPH or the local authority (905.170).
Licensing details- Where septage can go
Septage must be handled under 77 Ill. Adm. Code 905.170 and 40 CFR 503. Approved methods include discharge to a municipal sanitary sewer with IEPA approval and written municipal approval, application to agricultural land meeting site criteria, and discharge to IEPA-permitted treatment works, incinerators or sanitary landfills.
Disposal rules- Records and reports
Annually, the pumping contractor must notify IDPH and the local authority of the disposal sites used (location to the nearest quarter section, property owner, and other use of the site), give an annual estimate of gallons disposed at each site, and describe the disposal methods (77 Ill. Adm. Code 905.170(e)).
Reporting rules- Inspections
Not confirmed from an official source. Ask the state program linked above, or your county health department.
- The rule book
Private Sewage Disposal Licensing Act (225 ILCS 225); 77 Ill. Adm. Code 905 (Private Sewage Disposal Code), Section 905.170
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 Illinois?
Illinois requires a state license or permit to pump or haul septage. IDPH licenses Private Sewage Disposal Pumping Contractors under the Private Sewage Disposal Licensing Act (225 ILCS 225). A license requires passing a written IDPH examination and paying an annual fee, and licenses expire December 31. Under 77 Ill. Adm. Code 905, licensed pumping contractors must complete 3 hours of IDPH-approved continuing education before renewal. Each pumper truck must show the business name, town and phone number in letters at least 8 inches high, and equipment is subject to inspection by IDPH or the local authority (905.170).
Where do I get Illinois 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 Illinois 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://dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/environmental-health-protection/private-sewage-disposal.html
- https://idph.illinois.gov/envhealth/pdf/2013_Private_Sewage_Disposal_Act_and_Code_3-27-2014.pdf
- https://dph.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/idph/files/forms/private-sewage-disposal-system-evaluation-form-8-19-2016.pdf
- https://dph.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/idph/resources/topics-services/environmental-health-protection/private-sewage-displosal/Application-for-Portable-Sanitation-Business-License-9-2-2026.pdf
Other states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- 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
