South Carolina septic rules
Septic pumping rules in South Carolina.
South Carolina 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 South Carolina 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
South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (SCDES), Onsite Wastewater (septic) program. SCDES licenses pumper/haulers and installers statewide under Regulation 61-56, with applications and exams handled through its regional and local offices; R.61-56 also lets local governments add their own license requirements.
The state program- Pumper and hauler licensingState license
Anyone who cleans septic systems or hauls and disposes of sewage from septic systems and portable toilets must hold an SCDES license, renewed every year (R.61-56 Section 600). First-time applicants must pass an exam on Regulation 61-56 with a score of 80 percent or better, scheduled through the local SCDES office. Applicants list their approved disposal facilities with written permission to use them and where vehicles are parked, vehicles must be inspected and approved before use, and vehicles must show the company name and license number in letters at least 4 inches high (Section 601).
Licensing details- Where septage can go
Septage and sewage may be disposed of only at SCDES-approved facilities designated on the licensee's application, only at locations the facility owner designates, and never into a public sewer without the owner's consent; storing septage in underground or partially buried tanks is prohibited (R.61-56 Section 601.3).
Disposal rules- Records and reports
Licensees must keep current records of each cleaning: date and time of removal, name and address of the property, quantity and type of septage, and date, time and location of disposal, and retain them at least two years for SCDES inspection (R.61-56 Section 602).
Reporting rules- Inspections
Not confirmed from an official source. Ask the state program linked above, or your county health department.
- The rule book
S.C. Code Regs. 61-56 (Onsite Wastewater Systems), Sections 600-602 for pumper/haulers
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 South Carolina?
South Carolina requires a state license or permit to pump or haul septage. Anyone who cleans septic systems or hauls and disposes of sewage from septic systems and portable toilets must hold an SCDES license, renewed every year (R.61-56 Section 600). First-time applicants must pass an exam on Regulation 61-56 with a score of 80 percent or better, scheduled through the local SCDES office. Applicants list their approved disposal facilities with written permission to use them and where vehicles are parked, vehicles must be inspected and approved before use, and vehicles must show the company name and license number in letters at least 4 inches high (Section 601).
Where do I get South Carolina 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 South Carolina 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://des.sc.gov/permits-regulations/septic-tanks/permits-licenses/septic-tanks-licensing-osww-system-professionals
- https://des.sc.gov/permits-regulations/septic-tanks/licensing-septic-pumperhaulers
- https://des.sc.gov/sites/des/files/Library/Regulations/R.61-56.pdf
- https://des.sc.gov/sites/des/files/Library/D-1777.pdf
- https://des.sc.gov/permits-regulations/septic-tanks/septic-tanks-regulation-forms-fact-sheets
- https://des.sc.gov/permits-regulations/permit-central/all-forms-applications
Other states
- Alabama
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Keep the county's paperwork with the job.
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