Septic licensing guides

The registry answers “who is licensed?”. These answer the questions that come immediately after it.

Every state

How to verify a septic contractor's licence
The records tell you who was licensed on the day they were published. Here is how to check whether that is still true today.
How often should a septic tank be pumped?
Every three to five years is the default. There is a measurable rule that beats it, and a pumper is already taking the measurement.
Signs a septic system is failing
Slow drains, standing water, a green stripe across the lawn. What each one means, which are urgent, and who to call for what.
Buying a house with a septic system
The file exists before you close, and it answers questions an inspection cannot. What to ask for and which office holds it.

Installer or pumper? Georgia's two certifications explained
Separate certifications, separate exams, separate fees — and hiring the wrong one wastes a call-out.
Georgia septic permits, county by county
Certification is statewide; the permit is local. What your county environmental health office actually controls.
Georgia septic rules a homeowner should know
The handful of rules that decide who may touch your system, what needs a permit and who inspects the work.
How to find septic records for a Georgia property
Whether a property is on septic, where the tank is and what was permitted — and which office holds each answer.

Virginia septic licences: DPOR, VDH and who does what
Two agencies, two kinds of licence, and a specialty code that decides whether a contractor may legally touch a septic system.
How to find septic and well records for a Virginia property
Virginia's statewide database is not open to the public. Here is what is, and how to ask for the rest.

Florida septic permits: DEP or your county health department?
Florida is mid-transition between two agencies, county by county. How to find out which one holds your permit.
Florida septic contractor registration, explained
Registered contractor, master contractor, business authorisation. A company needs two of them, and most people check one.

North Carolina septic installer grade levels, explained
Grade Level II or IV decides what your contractor may legally put in the ground. The one mistake here stops a job dead.
North Carolina septic permits and county health departments
Three offices, three jobs. Which one does the soil evaluation, which issues the permit, and which licenses the installer.

Oklahoma septic system types, and who can install them
DEQ certifies installers per system type. An installer certified for a conventional drain field may not be certified for the aerobic system your soil requires.

Alabama septic licences and service areas, explained
Alabama publishes the counties each licensee may actually work in — the closest thing to a real service-area directory public records allow.