Minnesota septic rules
Septic pumping rules in Minnesota.
Minnesota 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 Minnesota 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
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), Subsurface Sewage Treatment Systems (SSTS) program. MPCA writes the SSTS rules and licenses businesses and certifies individuals statewide, while the rules are implemented and enforced through local ordinances by counties, cities and townships, which may be stricter.
The state program- Pumper and hauler licensingState license
A state SSTS license for the type of work is required for any business that maintains all or part of an SSTS, and a license is also required to land spread septage (Minn. R. 7083.0700). A maintenance license authorizes pumping sewage tanks, transporting septage, and land applying it or disposing of it at a treatment facility (Minn. R. 7083.0770). Work must be done under the supervision of MPCA-certified individuals. Exemptions include a farmer pumping and land applying septage from systems on land the farmer owns or leases.
Licensing details- Where septage can go
Septage may go to a permitted wastewater treatment plant only if the plant approves it. Land application must follow federal 40 CFR Part 503, and MPCA does not directly regulate land application but requires licensed maintainers to follow applicable state and local requirements and check local ordinances. Licensed maintainers may temporarily store up to 50,000 gallons of septage in registered underground tanks without a state permit if local permits are issued and other listed conditions are met.
Disposal rules- Records and reports
Maintenance licensees must record the pump-out date, gallons removed, tank leakage, the access point used, the disposal method, the reason for pumping, maintenance hole cover safety concerns and any repairs, give this to the homeowner within 30 days, and keep pumping records for five years. They must give the owner written reports of any noncompliance within 30 days (Minn. R. 7083.0770, subp. 2). MPCA offers an optional sewage tank maintenance reporting form.
Reporting rules- Inspections
Individuals conducting SSTS compliance inspections must be certified by MPCA and either operate under an SSTS inspection business license or act as a qualified local government employee. MPCA publishes a compliance inspection form for existing systems.
Inspection rules- The rule book
Minn. R. ch. 7080, 7081, 7082 and 7083 (licensing at 7083.0700 and 7083.0770); Minn. Stat. 115.55 and 115.56; 40 CFR Part 503
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 Minnesota?
Minnesota requires a state license or permit to pump or haul septage. A state SSTS license for the type of work is required for any business that maintains all or part of an SSTS, and a license is also required to land spread septage (Minn. R. 7083.0700). A maintenance license authorizes pumping sewage tanks, transporting septage, and land applying it or disposing of it at a treatment facility (Minn. R. 7083.0770). Work must be done under the supervision of MPCA-certified individuals. Exemptions include a farmer pumping and land applying septage from systems on land the farmer owns or leases.
Where do I get Minnesota 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 Minnesota 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.pca.state.mn.us/business-with-us/septic-systems
- https://www.pca.state.mn.us/business-with-us/ssts-service-and-maintenance
- https://www.pca.state.mn.us/business-with-us/ssts-inspections
- https://www.pca.state.mn.us/business-with-us/ssts-business-licensing-and-individual-certification
- https://www.pca.state.mn.us/business-with-us/ssts-forms-and-fact-sheets
- https://www.pca.state.mn.us/sites/default/files/wq-wwists4-38.docx
- https://www.revisor.mn.gov/rules/7083.0700/
- https://www.revisor.mn.gov/rules/7083.0770/
Other states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- 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
