Federal, state and city rule presets
Septage rules for all 50 states, without the stink.
Federal and all 50 state rule presets, plus city grease rules, or set your own. Pick your state (DC too), and Outfall knows what your drivers have to record on every pump-out, how long to keep it and which reports to pull. Each preset shows its public source.
$19.99/mo. All in. Unlimited trucks. No Bull 💩 Every state, every preset, one price per company.
Plain talk first: Outfall is not approved, endorsed or certified by the EPA, any state agency or any city. These rules are researched from public sources and were last verified October 22, 2026. Rules change and none of this is legal advice, so confirm yours with your state or local regulator.
What every state preset covers
Turn on your state's preset and Outfall sets up the paperwork side of the job for you:
- Who regulates you. The state agency, or the county or local health department when the state hands septage off to them.
- Permit or license. Whether the state wants a hauler permit, registration or license, and when it renews.
- What to record. Required fields like gallons, waste type, disposal site, date discharged or tank condition. A job can't be completed until they're filled in.
- How long to keep it. The retention period, where the rule states one.
- What to report. Your state pumping log, monthly to yearly summaries and the annual renewal numbers, as PDF or CSV.
- The source. A link to the rule or agency page, the date it was last checked, and how sure the research is, in plain words.
Where a state leaves septage to the counties, or publishes very little, the preset says so, falls back on the federal rules, and tells you to check with your county health department.
Federal rules: EPA 40 CFR Part 503
If you land apply domestic septage to farmland, forest or a reclamation site, federal rules apply in every state. Under 40 CFR 503.17 you keep records of the site, the acres, the application rate, how pathogen and vector requirements were met, and a signed certification, for five years. Turn on the federal preset alongside your state preset and the Part 503 requirements and five year retention ride along with your rules. Hauling to a treatment plant instead? Then the plant's permit and local pretreatment rules govern it, not Part 503.
A few states, side by side
| State | What the preset sets up |
|---|---|
| Texas | TCEQ transporter registration, a trip ticket for each load kept five years, and the annual summary to TCEQ due July 1. |
| Florida | DEP septage disposal service permit, a collection and hauling log (address, gallons, treatment facility, date and time of discharge) kept five years. |
| Ohio | Registration with each board of health, a record for every system pumped (tank condition, baffles, risers, repairs and more) kept at least five years. |
| North Carolina | DEQ septage firm permit, a pumping log with the six columns on DEQ's sample form, and the January 1 renewal numbers. More on the NC log. |
Septage hauler rules by state
Every state and DC, at a glance. "Not stated in state rule" means we didn't find a set number of years in the state rule; local rules or the federal rules may still set one.
| State | Who regulates | State permit | Keep records |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) source | Yes | 3 years |
| Alaska | Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) source | No statewide permit found | Not stated in state rule |
| Arizona | Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) source | Yes | Not stated in state rule |
| Arkansas | Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) source | Yes | 5 years |
| California | Local health officer (county or city environmental health) source | Yes, through local health | Not stated in state rule |
| Colorado | Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) source | Set locally, check your county | Not stated in state rule |
| Connecticut | Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) source | Yes | Not stated in state rule |
| Delaware | Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control source | Yes | Not stated in state rule |
| District of Columbia | DC Water (District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority) source | Yes | Not stated in state rule |
| Florida | Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) source | Yes | 5 years |
| Georgia | Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) source | Yes | Not stated in state rule |
| Hawaii | Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) source | Yes | Not stated in state rule |
| Idaho | Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) source | Yes | Not stated in state rule |
| Illinois | Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) source | Yes | Not stated in state rule |
| Indiana | Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) source | Yes | 5 years |
| Iowa | Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) source | Yes | 5 years |
| Kansas | Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) source | Set locally, check your county | Not stated in state rule |
| Kentucky | Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Department for Public Health, Onsite Sewage program source | Yes | 5 years |
| Louisiana | Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) source | Yes | Not stated in state rule |
| Maine | Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) source | Yes | Not stated in state rule |
| Maryland | Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) source | Yes | 10 years |
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) source | Yes, through local health | Not stated in state rule |
| Michigan | Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) source | Yes | 5 years |
| Minnesota | Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) source | Yes | 5 years |
| Mississippi | Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) source | Yes | 2 years |
| Missouri | Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) source | Set locally, check your county | Not stated in state rule |
| Montana | Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) source | Yes | 5 years |
| Nebraska | Nebraska Department of Water, Energy, and Environment source | Yes | 5 years |
| Nevada | Health authority with jurisdiction under NAC 444 source | Yes | 3 years |
| New Hampshire | New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) source | Yes | 5 years |
| New Jersey | New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) source | Yes | Not stated in state rule |
| New Mexico | New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) source | Yes | 3 years |
| New York | New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) source | Yes | 3 years |
| North Carolina | NC DEQ Division of Waste Management, Solid Waste Section source | Yes | Not stated in state rule |
| North Dakota | North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality (NDDEQ) source | Yes | 5 years |
| Ohio | Ohio Department of Health (ODH) source | Yes | 5 years |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) source | Yes | 3 years |
| Oregon | Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) source | Yes | 3 years |
| Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) source | Yes | 5 years |
| Rhode Island | Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) source | Yes | 3 years |
| South Carolina | South Carolina Department of Environmental Services source | Yes | 2 years |
| South Dakota | South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources (DANR) source | Set locally, check your county | Not stated in state rule |
| Tennessee | Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) source | Yes | Not stated in state rule |
| Texas | Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) source | Yes | 5 years |
| Utah | Local health departments under Utah DEQ Division of Water Quality rule R317-550 source | Yes, through local health | Not stated in state rule |
| Vermont | Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) source | Yes | Not stated in state rule |
| Virginia | Virginia Department of Health (VDH) source | Yes | Not stated in state rule |
| Washington | Local health jurisdictions approve pumpers source | Yes, through local health | Not stated in state rule |
| West Virginia | West Virginia Office of Environmental Health Services (OEHS) source | Yes | Not stated in state rule |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) source | Yes | 5 years |
| Wyoming | Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) source | Set locally, check your county | Not stated in state rule |
Researched from public sources, last verified October 22, 2026. Summaries are short on purpose; the preset in the app carries the full notes. Confirm with your state or local regulator.
City grease rules on top
Grease trap rules mostly come from cities and their pretreatment programs. Outfall has presets for Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Fort Worth, El Paso, Phoenix, Jacksonville, Nashville, Boston, Washington DC, Charlotte, Greensboro, High Point, Winston-Salem, Durham and Cary. Each one sets the pumping interval by trap type and the records to keep. See grease trap service software for how the records work.
Or set your own
Your county wants something extra? Your city isn't on the list? Write custom rules: the fields you must record, how often tanks and traps are due, and how long to keep records. Rules you turn on are copied into your company, so edits stay yours. Several can be on at once, and a state's rules only apply to sites in that state.
Something look off? Tell us.
Rules change and research can miss things. If your state or city rules look off, tell us right from the rules screen in the app, or email support@getoutfall.com. We'll fix the preset or build custom rules for you. No crappy runaround.
State rule questions, flushed out.
Does Outfall have rules for my state?
Yes. There's a preset for all 50 states and DC, plus the federal EPA Part 503 preset for land applied septage. Where a state leaves septage to the counties, the preset says so and points you to your county health department.
Is Outfall approved by my state?
No. Outfall is not approved, endorsed or certified by the EPA, any state agency or any city. It keeps the records the public rules describe. Your company is responsible for its records and for confirming its rules with your regulator.
How current are the rules?
They were researched from public sources and last verified October 22, 2026. Each preset shows that date and its source. Rules change, so check with your state or local regulator.
I work in two states. Does that work?
Yes. Turn on both states' presets. A site can have its own state, and each state's rules only apply to sites in that state.
Does it file reports with the state for me?
No. Outfall builds the log, summaries and renewal numbers as PDF or CSV. You submit them the way your agency asks.