New York septic rules
Septic pumping rules in New York.
New York 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 York 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
New York State Department of Health (residential onsite systems, 10 NYCRR Appendix 75-A) with city and county health departments; NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (septage transport, 6 NYCRR Part 364). DEC states that residential systems discharging under 1,000 gallons per day to groundwater need no SPDES permit but may require approval from the city health department, county health department or a district office of the State Department of Health; septage transporters are permitted statewide by DEC.
- Pumper and hauler licensingState license
Anyone transporting regulated waste in New York, including residential septage and residential raw sewage such as portable toilet waste, must hold a 6 NYCRR Part 364 Waste Transporter Permit. Only vehicles listed on the permit may be used, a copy of the permit must be carried in each vehicle, the transporter name and permit number must be displayed on the vehicle, and adding vehicles, waste types or destination facilities requires a permit modification. DEC notes that New York City (Business Integrity Commission) and Westchester County (Solid Waste Commission) have additional requirements.
Licensing details- Where septage can go
Part 364 permit general conditions require waste to be delivered only to transfer, storage, treatment and disposal facilities authorized to accept it, and the destination facility must be listed on the permit.
Disposal rules- Records and reports
Part 364 permittees must keep calendar-year records of the amount of each waste type transported to each destination facility and report this information to DEC by March 1 of each year.
Reporting rules- Inspections
Not confirmed from an official source. Ask the state program linked above, or your county health department.
- The rule book
6 NYCRR Part 364 (waste transporters); 10 NYCRR Part 75 and Appendix 75-A (residential onsite wastewater treatment systems)
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 York?
New York requires a state license or permit to pump or haul septage. Anyone transporting regulated waste in New York, including residential septage and residential raw sewage such as portable toilet waste, must hold a 6 NYCRR Part 364 Waste Transporter Permit. Only vehicles listed on the permit may be used, a copy of the permit must be carried in each vehicle, the transporter name and permit number must be displayed on the vehicle, and adding vehicles, waste types or destination facilities requires a permit modification. DEC notes that New York City (Business Integrity Commission) and Westchester County (Solid Waste Commission) have additional requirements.
Where do I get New York 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 York 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 .
Other states
- Alabama
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- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
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Keep the county's paperwork with the job.
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