Massachusetts septic rules
Septic pumping rules in Massachusetts.
In Massachusetts, pumpers are licensed or permitted locally, by the county or local health department. 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 Massachusetts 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
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), Septic Systems / Title 5 program. MassDEP writes the Title 5 rules (310 CMR 15.000) and approves system inspectors, while local Boards of Health permit septage haulers and receive pumping records and most inspection reports.
The state program- Pumper and hauler licensingLocal permit
Septage haulers apply to the local Board of Health for a septage hauler permit under MGL c. 111, Section 31B and 310 CMR 15.502. MassDEP provides model forms (Form 5 application, Form 6 permit). The model permit expires at the close of the year issued, requires transport in accordance with 310 CMR 15.500 to 15.505 and local regulations, and requires a copy of the permit in every vehicle carrying septage. Boards of Health may use their own forms.
Licensing details- Where septage can go
The model hauler application asks the hauler to list every location where septage will be disposed of, with a copy of the contract or approval for each, and states it is a violation of the permit to dispose of septage anywhere other than the identified locations or others the Board approves in writing. The model pumping record requires the receiving facility's signature or receipt.
Disposal rules- Records and reports
A System Pumping Record (MassDEP Form 4, or a local form with substantially the same information) must be submitted to the local Board of Health or other approving authority within 14 days of the pumping date under 310 CMR 15.351. It records the quantity pumped, the component, effluent tee filter status, observed condition, the hauler and vehicle, and the disposal location.
Reporting rules- Inspections
Title 5 requires a system inspection within 2 years before a property sale (or up to 6 months after if weather prevents it), among other triggers. Only MassDEP-approved System Inspectors may inspect, using the MassDEP-approved inspection form, and the report is generally submitted to the Board of Health within 30 days. Inspectors qualify through a class and exam administered by NEIWPCC and renew every 3 years.
Inspection rules- The rule book
310 CMR 15.000 (Title 5), including 15.351 (pumping records) and 15.500 to 15.505 (septage transport); MGL c. 111, Section 31B
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 Massachusetts?
In Massachusetts, pumpers are licensed or permitted locally, by the county or local health department. Septage haulers apply to the local Board of Health for a septage hauler permit under MGL c. 111, Section 31B and 310 CMR 15.502. MassDEP provides model forms (Form 5 application, Form 6 permit). The model permit expires at the close of the year issued, requires transport in accordance with 310 CMR 15.500 to 15.505 and local regulations, and requires a copy of the permit in every vehicle carrying septage. Boards of Health may use their own forms.
Where do I get Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts 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://www.mass.gov/septic-systems-title-5
- https://www.mass.gov/lists/title-5-septic-system-forms
- https://www.mass.gov/doc/system-pumping-record-title-5/download
- https://www.mass.gov/doc/application-for-septage-hauler-permit-0/download
- https://www.mass.gov/doc/septage-hauler-permit/download
- https://www.mass.gov/guides/buying-or-selling-property-with-a-septic-system
- https://www.mass.gov/guides/system-inspectors-soil-evaluators-training-licensing-and-renewal
- https://www.mass.gov/regulations/310-CMR-15000-septic-systems-title-5
- https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXVI/Chapter111/Section31B
Other states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- 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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