Maryland septic rules
Septic pumping rules in Maryland.
Maryland 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 Maryland 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
Maryland Department of the Environment, Onsite Systems Division, and the State Board of On-Site Wastewater Professionals. MDE's Onsite Systems Division guides county health departments and local approving authorities, which run delegated onsite sewage disposal programs under COMAR 26.04.02 to 26.04.05.
The state program- Pumper and hauler licensingState license
Since December 31, 2022, any individual performing on-site wastewater services, including pumping, must register with the State Board of On-Site Wastewater Professionals (Environment Article Title 9, Subtitle 11A, sec. 9-11A-15). Registration costs $150, is valid for 2 years, and local permitting authorities check MDE's registered list. Separately, MDE states that a Sewage Sludge Utilization permit is required for any person who collects, stores, treats, transports or disposes of sewage sludge or septage in Maryland (COMAR 26.04.06).
Licensing details- Where septage can go
Collecting, transporting, storing, treating, land applying or disposing of septage requires an MDE Sewage Sludge Utilization permit under COMAR 26.04.06.
Disposal rules- Records and reports
Not confirmed from an official source. Ask the state program linked above, or your county health department.
- Inspections
Since July 1, 2022, anyone performing a property transfer inspection of an onsite sewage disposal system must hold a Property Transfer Inspector license from the Board of On-Site Wastewater Professionals. Environment Article 9-217.1 requires property transfer inspectors to complete an MDE-approved inspection course, and MDE publishes a recommended inspection procedure.
Inspection rules- The rule book
COMAR 26.04.02 to 26.04.05 (onsite systems); COMAR 26.04.06 (sewage sludge management); Environment Article Title 9, Subtitle 11A and 9-217.1
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 Maryland?
Maryland requires a state license or permit to pump or haul septage. Since December 31, 2022, any individual performing on-site wastewater services, including pumping, must register with the State Board of On-Site Wastewater Professionals (Environment Article Title 9, Subtitle 11A, sec. 9-11A-15). Registration costs $150, is valid for 2 years, and local permitting authorities check MDE's registered list. Separately, MDE states that a Sewage Sludge Utilization permit is required for any person who collects, stores, treats, transports or disposes of sewage sludge or septage in Maryland (COMAR 26.04.06).
Where do I get Maryland 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 Maryland 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://mde.maryland.gov/programs/water/BayRestorationFund/OnsiteDisposalSystems/Pages/OnsiteSystems.aspx
- https://mde.maryland.gov/programs/water/wwp/Pages/State-Board-of-On-Site-Wastewater-Professionals.aspx
- https://mde.maryland.gov/programs/water/BayRestorationFund/OnsiteDisposalSystems/Documents/OSDS-Wastewater-Services-Application.pdf
- https://mde.maryland.gov/programs/water/BayRestorationFund/OnsiteDisposalSystems/Documents/PTI/OSDS-PTI-Application.pdf
- https://mde.maryland.gov/programs/water/BayRestorationFund/OnsiteDisposalSystems/Documents/Onsite%20Systems/MDE%20Guidance%20for%20Conducting%20Inspections%20of%20On-site%20systems%20for%20Property%20Transfer.pdf
- https://mde.maryland.gov/programs/land/RMP/Pages/index.aspx
- https://mde.maryland.gov/programs/land/RMP/Pages/sewagesludge.aspx
Other states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- 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
