Septic companies in California

Who Regulates Septic Systems in California

Sources: California State Water Resources Control Board. Checked 2026-09-18.

California has more than 1.2 million septic systems, and one statewide policy governs all of them. The State Water Resources Control Board adopted it in 2012 and amended it in April 2023. Your county, not the state, is almost always the office that issues your permit.

The OWTS Policy opens in a new tab lets county environmental health departments and other local agencies issue septic permits, as long as they stay consistent with it. A county can write its own Local Agency Management Program opens in a new tab, and once its Regional Water Board approves it, that program sets the local rules.

Where no county program is approved, new and replacement systems follow the state's low-risk Tier 1 standard opens in a new tab. A county may also set conditions stricter than the state's, and owners must follow those opens in a new tab too.

Licenses and What to Check Before You Hire

Sources: Contractors State License Board; California Legislature (Health and Safety Code). Checked 2026-09-18.

California has no single state septic license. Two different credentials cover the work, depending on the job.

Installing a septic tank is contractor work. The Contractors State License Board's C-42 Sanitation System class opens in a new tab covers contractors who fabricate and install septic tanks and other sewage disposal structures. You can check any contractor's license and complaint history with the CSLB license lookup opens in a new tab.

Pumping is regulated locally. State law requires any business that cleans septic tanks opens in a new tab to hold a registration from the local health officer opens in a new tab, issued only after an examination of its equipment opens in a new tab and its knowledge of sanitation. Registrations expire every calendar year opens in a new tab, so ask a pumper for this year's.

We hold the CSLB's contractor list but have not yet matched the companies in this directory against it, and county pumper registrations are not published as one statewide list. Until we have run those checks, every California listing reads as unverified. That reflects our backlog, not the company's standing.

Permits, Inspections and Selling a Home

Sources: Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board; California Department of Real Estate; County of Santa Cruz; California State Water Resources Control Board. Checked 2026-09-18.

A new or replacement system needs a permit from your county or city. The Central Coast Regional Water Board, for one, states that every new or replacement septic system requires a permit opens in a new tab. Your county office below can tell you what yours requires.

We found no state rule requiring a septic inspection when a home sells. The Department of Real Estate describes a septic inspection as something the purchase contract settles opens in a new tab, including who pays for it. Sellers of one to four unit homes must still give buyers a Transfer Disclosure Statement opens in a new tab.

Some counties go further. Since July 1, 2023, Santa Cruz County opens in a new tab has required sellers to have the system pumped and inspected and to give buyers a disclosure. Check with your county office before you list.

Near some rivers and lakes the rules tighten. New or replacement systems within 600 feet of a listed impaired water body opens in a new tab must meet the state's Tier 3 requirements. A system that is failing falls into Tier 4 opens in a new tab and must be corrected.

Keeping a System Working

Sources: California State Water Resources Control Board; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Checked 2026-09-18.

California sets no fixed pumping schedule: owners must keep the system in good working condition opens in a new tab, pumping as needed or as the county requires. The EPA's guide is that a household tank is typically pumped every three to five years opens in a new tab and inspected at least every three.

Help Paying for Repairs

Sources: California State Water Resources Control Board. Checked 2026-09-18.

The State Water Board points homeowners to USDA's Section 504 Home Repair Program opens in a new tab. It offers repair loans to very-low-income homeowners, and grants to elderly very-low-income homeowners for health and safety hazards. The Board also lists the Rural Community Assistance Corporation's septic system loan and grant program opens in a new tab.

The state policy lets counties set up low-interest septic loans through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. So far the Board reports that no local agency has set one up opens in a new tab.

Find Your County's Septic Office

Each link goes to the office's own septic or onsite wastewater page. Checked 2026-09-18.

Questions People Ask