Virginia septic rules
Septic pumping rules in Virginia.
Virginia 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 Virginia 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
Virginia Department of Health (VDH), Division of Onsite Water and Wastewater Services. VDH administers onsite sewage and sewage handling statewide; sewage handling permits are issued by the State Health Commissioner, with applications, conferences, equipment inspections and disposal site approvals handled by the district or local health department.
The state program- Pumper and hauler licensingState license
A sewage handler (anyone who removes and transports by vehicle the contents of septic tanks, holding tanks, privies, portable toilets or similar) must hold a written sewage handling permit issued by the Commissioner (12VAC5-610-560). The process under 12VAC5-610-380 includes an application, a conference with the health department, an initial equipment inspection, and approval of disposal sites. Vehicle criteria are in 12VAC5-610-1020 through 1070.
Licensing details- Where septage can go
Approved disposal sites are sewerage systems or treatment works holding a certificate to operate, with the owner's permission and a determination that the load will not overload the facility, or special facilities approved case by case (12VAC5-610-590). Applicants not owning the treatment works must attach the owner's statement giving quantity per day and point of discharge (12VAC5-610-380 E). Disposal into bodies of water or streams is prohibited (12VAC5-610-560 D).
Disposal rules- Records and reports
VDH's MyHD portal is used by permitted sewage handlers and licensed operators to submit maintenance reports and pump-out information as required by the applicable regulation; reports for alternative onsite sewage systems are not complete until the fee is paid.
Reporting rules- Inspections
VDH does not require onsite sewage systems to be inspected before property transfer, though lenders may. Owners of alternative onsite systems must have them visited at least annually by a licensed operator, and pump-outs are required for conventional systems in the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area.
Inspection rules- The rule book
12VAC5-610 (Sewage Handling and Disposal Regulations), including 12VAC5-610-380, -560, -580, -590
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 Virginia?
Virginia requires a state license or permit to pump or haul septage. A sewage handler (anyone who removes and transports by vehicle the contents of septic tanks, holding tanks, privies, portable toilets or similar) must hold a written sewage handling permit issued by the Commissioner (12VAC5-610-560). The process under 12VAC5-610-380 includes an application, a conference with the health department, an initial equipment inspection, and approval of disposal sites. Vehicle criteria are in 12VAC5-610-1020 through 1070.
Where do I get Virginia 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 Virginia 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.vdh.virginia.gov/environmental-health/onsite-sewage-water-services/
- https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/environmental-health/information-and-application-form-for-sewage-hauler/
- https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/content/uploads/sites/20/Sewage-Handler-Permit_Application_02.2026-1.pdf
- https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincode/title12/agency5/chapter610/section560/
- https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincode/title12/agency5/chapter610/section580/
- https://law.lis.virginia.gov/admincode/title12/agency5/chapter610/section590/
- https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/environmental-health/environmental-health-services/onsite-sewage-water-services/onsite-system-operation-and-maintenance-reports/
- https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/environmental-health/what-i-should-know-when-buying-a-house-with-an-onsite-system/
Other states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- 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
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Keep the county's paperwork with the job.
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