South Dakota septic rules
Septic pumping rules in South Dakota.
We did not find a statewide license for septic pumpers in South Dakota. Counties and cities may still require one. 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 Dakota 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 Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (DANR), On-Site Wastewater Systems. DANR sets the statewide on-site wastewater rules (ARSD 74:53:01) and reviews septic installation plans; installer certification is handled by the South Dakota Plumbing Commission. Under ARSD 74:53:01:42 the DANR secretary may inspect on-site systems at any time.
The state program- Pumper and hauler licensingNo state license found
No state license or certification for septic pumpers was found on DANR or Plumbing Commission pages. The state certifies septic system installers through a Plumbing Commission written test (70% to pass). Septage haulers that land apply domestic septage must meet DANR land application and recordkeeping requirements.
Licensing details- Where septage can go
ARSD 74:53:01:41 adopts the federal 40 CFR Part 503 requirements for septage use and disposal and allows disposal into a public system only with permission from local government officials and where the system provides at least secondary treatment. DANR guidance lists two options for domestic septage: a municipal or private wastewater treatment facility, or land application at non-public contact sites meeting pathogen reduction, vector attraction reduction, screening, agronomic rate and site restrictions (for example no application within 250 feet of a well or residence). Grease trap waste and septage mixed with commercial waste are handled by the DANR Waste Management Program.
Disposal rules- Records and reports
Haulers that land apply domestic septage must keep records for at least five years showing site location, acres, date and time of each application, crop nitrogen requirement, gallons applied, pathogen and vector attraction reduction method, and a certification statement. DANR may inspect and request copies of the records.
Reporting rules- Inspections
Not confirmed from an official source. Ask the state program linked above, or your county health department.
- The rule book
ARSD 74:53:01 (Individual and Small On-Site Wastewater Systems), including 74:53:01:41 (disposal of septage)
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 Dakota?
We did not find a statewide license for septic pumpers in South Dakota. Counties and cities may still require one. No state license or certification for septic pumpers was found on DANR or Plumbing Commission pages. The state certifies septic system installers through a Plumbing Commission written test (70% to pass). Septage haulers that land apply domestic septage must meet DANR land application and recordkeeping requirements.
Where do I get South Dakota 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 Dakota 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://danr.sd.gov/Agriculture/Livestock/FeedlotPermit/Septic/default.aspx
- https://danr.sd.gov/Agriculture/Livestock/FeedlotPermit/Septic/LandApplication.aspx
- https://danr.sd.gov/Agriculture/Livestock/FeedlotPermit/Septic/Installers.aspx
- https://sdlegislature.gov/Rules/Administrative/74:53:01
- https://sdlegislature.gov/api/Rules/74:53:01
- https://danr.sd.gov/Agriculture/Livestock/FeedlotPermit/docs/checksheet.pdf
- https://dlr.sd.gov/plumbing/forms/On_Site_Wastewater_System_Installer_Certification_Application.pdf
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Keep the county's paperwork with the job.
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