Indiana septic rules

Indiana Department of Environmental Management (septage) and Indiana Department of Health Onsite Sewage Systems Program (septic systems). IDEM permits septage removal, transport, storage, treatment and land application, while septic systems fall under Indiana Department of Health rules (410 IAC 6-8.3) and local health departments issue the residential system permits.

Anyone who removes septage from sewage disposal systems and transports, stores, treats or disposes of it, including land application, must obtain a septage management permit from IDEM before starting (IC 13-18-12, 327 IAC 7.1). The Septage Management Business Permit (State Form 50399) has no application fee and is generally valid for 3 years (327 IAC 7.1-8-3). IDEM guidance says each vehicle used for pumping and transporting septage must be inspected and vehicle identification numbers renewed before expiration. Homeowners servicing their own residential systems are exempt from the permit.

Septage may be discharged to permitted wastewater treatment plants or to storage/treatment facilities designed for domestic septage and restaurant grease. Treated septage may be land applied on agricultural fields under a separate Septage Land Application Site Permit for each site (State Form 50403, $30 per site per year). Land-applied septage must be lime stabilized and may not go on saturated, snow covered or frozen soil.

Holders of land application site permits must submit a Septage Land Application Quarterly Report (State Form 50397) for each approved site by the end of the month following each quarter, and identify unused sites in a cover letter instead.

Not confirmed from an official source. Ask the state program linked above, or your county health department.

IC 13-18-12; 327 IAC 7.1 (septage management); 410 IAC 6-8.3 (residential onsite sewage systems)