New Mexico septic rules
Septic pumping rules in New Mexico.
New Mexico 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 New Mexico 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 systemsRun by the state
New Mexico Environment Department (NMED), Environmental Health Bureau, Onsite Wastewater Program (Liquid Waste Program). NMED's Onsite Wastewater Program issues liquid waste permits and administers qualification of onsite professionals, including septage pumpers, under 20.7.3 NMAC; the rule applies to on-site systems up to 5,000 gallons per day.
The state program- Pumper and hauler licensingState license
Septage pumpers must be qualified by NMED under 20.7.3.904(D) NMAC. NMED policy guidance sets the minimum as completion of the NAWT Vacuum Truck Technician Training Certification Program or a comparable program plus an application to the Liquid Waste Program, and at least one qualified septage pumper must be on site during pumping. Pumpers must keep a written spill contingency plan and notify NMED of the disposal facilities they use. The fee rule 20.7.11 NMAC sets a septage pumper certification fee and an annual septage pumping truck registration fee.
Licensing details- Where septage can go
Under 20.7.3.306 NMAC, septage may be disposed of only at a permitted facility with the knowledge and consent of the facility owner, and transport and disposal must follow applicable federal, state and local rules.
Disposal rules- Records and reports
Under 20.7.3.306 NMAC, septage pumpers must keep customer invoices and disposal records for three years and make them available to NMED on written request.
Reporting rules- Inspections
Before the transfer of a property with an established on-site liquid waste system, the seller must have the system evaluated by a qualified third party evaluator on a department approved form (20.7.3.902(E) NMAC). Third party evaluator qualifications are in 20.7.3.904(B) NMAC, and a 20.7.11 NMAC fee applies to filing a property transfer report.
Inspection rules- The rule book
20.7.3 NMAC (Liquid Waste Disposal and Treatment); 20.7.11 NMAC (Liquid Waste Treatment and Disposal Fees)
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 New Mexico?
New Mexico requires a state license or permit to pump or haul septage. Septage pumpers must be qualified by NMED under 20.7.3.904(D) NMAC. NMED policy guidance sets the minimum as completion of the NAWT Vacuum Truck Technician Training Certification Program or a comparable program plus an application to the Liquid Waste Program, and at least one qualified septage pumper must be on site during pumping. Pumpers must keep a written spill contingency plan and notify NMED of the disposal facilities they use. The fee rule 20.7.11 NMAC sets a septage pumper certification fee and an annual septage pumping truck registration fee.
Where do I get New Mexico 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 New Mexico 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.env.nm.gov/septic/
- https://srca.nm.gov/parts/title20/20.007.0003.html
- https://srca.nm.gov/parts/title20/20.007.0011.html
- https://www.env.nm.gov/septic/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2024/10/LW-904-Policy-Guidance-Qualifications-of-OnSite-Professionals-GD-150225.pdf
- https://www.env.nm.gov/septic/property-transfer-evaluations/
- https://www.env.nm.gov/septic/liquid-waste-contractors/
- https://www.env.nm.gov/forms/
- https://www.env.nm.gov/septic/laws-and-regulations/
- https://service.web.env.nm.gov/urls/DwlPwnwg
- https://service.web.env.nm.gov/urls/qqYVDKpy
Other states
- Alabama
- Alaska
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- Florida
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- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
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- Iowa
- Kansas
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- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
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- 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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