How to Check a Florida Septic Contractor's Registration

To check a Florida septic contractor, ask for two numbers and look them up free on the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) website: the contractor's own registration (SR or SM plus 7 digits) and, for most companies, the business authorization (SA plus 7 digits). Both should show as active, and the names should match the company on your quote. If the work is done under a plumbing license instead, check that on the state's DBPR license search.

This guide walks through each search, explains what a result means, and covers the cases that confuse people: sole proprietors, plumbers, homeowners, pumping companies and expired registrations. For a printable checklist, use our contractor verification worksheet. To test whether a number is even in the right format, try the registration checker.

Who is allowed to do septic work in Florida

DEP's septic contracting FAQ names three groups:

Registered septic tank contractors, registered by DEP under Part III of Chapter 489, Florida Statutes. State law says a person may not hold himself or herself out as a septic tank contractor or master septic tank contractor unless DEP has registered him or her (s. 489.552).
Licensed plumbing contractors. Under s. 489.105(3)(m), F.S., a plumbing contractor may install, maintain and repair septic tanks "without obtaining an additional local regulatory license, certificate, or registration."
Homeowners, on their own home only. DEP says: "A homeowner can do septic work only on his or her owner-occupied, single-family home." State law still requires the owner to get every permit.

Pumping is included. DEP's FAQ says you need to be a registered septic tank contractor to pump septic tanks, unless you are a state-licensed plumber, and that both may pump tanks with an active service permit from their county health department. So a pumping company should be able to give you a registration or plumbing license number too.

What a registration tells you

A registration is more than a business license. According to DEP's registration page and its contractor handbook, to become registered a person must:

Pass a 100-question exam on Chapter 62-6 and the septic statutes, with a score of at least 75%
Show at least 3 years of experience (6,000 hours), verified in writing by a septic tank contractor or plumbing contractor (approved coursework can count for up to 4,000 hours)
Submit a certified criminal history check from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement
Renew every year by September 30, with 12 hours of approved continuing education (18 hours for a master contractor)

A master septic tank contractor (SM) has met further requirements on top of that. The worksheet linked above lists them.

Step 1: Ask for the numbers

Before you search, ask the company, in writing if you can, for:

The full name and registration number of the contractor who qualifies the company (SR or SM)
The business authorization number (SA), unless the contractor works alone under his or her own name
The company's exact legal name, as it appears on the quote

A reputable company should have these at hand. If the answer is "we're licensed" with no number, ask again before you go further.

Step 2: Search the contractor

Open DEP's Individual Septic Certification Search. The form has fields for last name, first name, license number and profile ID, plus a "Certification Type" menu with two choices, "Registered Septic" and "Master Septic". You can fill in any one of the fields.

Search by license number first. It returns one person, so there is no guessing.
If you only have a name, search by last name and pick the type. Common surnames return many people, so match the first name and city too.
Check the status and expiry. Individual registrations expire every September 30. DEP says a registration not renewed by then "will automatically revert to inactive status", and it then provides no permitting or inspection services related to that person's septic contracting.

Step 3: Search the business

Open DEP's Business Authorization Search. It has two fields: business authorization name and business authorization number. Try the number first, then the name if the number finds nothing.

Then cross-check. DEP's downloadable list of business authorizations shows, for each business, its authorization number, expiration date, the "Contractor Registration" number of its qualifying contractor, its business county and its status. The SR or SM number in that column should be the same one you searched in Step 2. If it is a different person, ask the company who qualifies it now.

Business authorizations expire on March 31 of every odd-numbered year. The handbook adds an important link between the two records: if the qualifying contractor's registration goes inactive, "the business authorization that the registration-holder qualifies will also move to inactive status."

How to read what you find

Result	What it likely means	What to do
Both records active, names match, the SR on the business record is the person you searched	The check passed	Save screenshots with the date
Person active, no business authorization, company name is the owner's own name (for example "John Doe Septic", owned only by John Doe)	Can be fine. DEP says a sole proprietor working under his or her own name is exempt.	Confirm the owner is the only owner
Person active, no business authorization, company uses another name ("John's Septic") or has a second owner	DEP says a business name other than the owner's name, or an added owner such as a spouse, requires a fictitious name filing and a certificate of authorization	Ask the company to explain before you sign
Person or business inactive	Not renewed. An inactive qualifier also makes the business authorization inactive.	Ask for proof of renewal
Name on the truck or quote differs from the DEP record	DEP's FAQ says an authorized business may advertise only under the business name the department authorized	Ask which name is authorized
Nothing found at all	Wrong number or spelling, a plumbing license instead, or no registration	Ask for the exact number, then check DBPR (below)

Two more rules from DEP's FAQ are worth knowing. A registered contractor cannot be the sole qualifier for more than one business that needs an authorization. And when a business loses its only qualifier, it has 60 days to hire a new one, during which it may not take on new contracts but may finish existing work.

If the company works under a plumbing license

Plumbing contractors are licensed by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), not DEP, so they will not show up in DEP's septic searches. Use the DBPR license search, which lets you search by name, license number, city or county, or license type.

A plumbing license is a legitimate route to septic work, not a loophole. DEP's FAQ is clear on its limits, though: "The state licensed plumber is only exempt from the septic tank contractor registration requirement." Permits, inspections and the other rules in Chapter 62-6 still apply, so ask a plumbing company the same permit questions you would ask a septic contractor.

If you plan to do the work yourself

State law exempts a property owner who personally builds, maintains or repairs the system serving his or her own owner-occupied single-family home from contractor registration. The owner is still subject to all permitting requirements (s. 381.0065(4), F.S.). The exemption covers work the owner does personally. If someone else will be doing the work, they need their own registration or plumbing license. Your county septic permit office can explain the permit steps.

Insurance and paperwork

DEP's registration page and FAQ say nothing about insurance, so a registration lookup does not tell you whether a company is insured. Ask for a current certificate of insurance, and call the insurer listed on it to confirm the policy is active. Also ask for a written quote that lists the registration numbers you checked, the scope, the permit and the warranty. Our guide on how to read a septic quote goes through each line.

Questions to ask on the phone

What is the registration number of the contractor who qualifies your company, and is that person on staff?
What is your business authorization number? If you have none, is the owner working alone under his or her own name?
Is the name on my quote the same name DEP has authorized?
For a repair or replacement: who pulls the permit, and whose name goes on it?
For an aerobic unit: do you hold a DEP maintenance entity permit? (Florida requires ATU owners to keep a service contract with a permitted maintenance entity, unless an owner-occupied single-family owner is permitted to maintain it after manufacturer-certified training.)
Can you send a certificate of insurance?

If something is wrong

Doing or offering septic work without a registration can lead to "administrative actions, citations, fines and other legal actions", according to DEP's FAQ. Under state law, violating Part III of Chapter 489 is a first-degree misdemeanor (s. 489.558), and DEP can suspend or revoke a registration for reasons that include violating the law or its rules, fraud and gross misconduct (s. 489.556).

To report unlawful septic contracting, DEP's reporting page asks you to contact your local county health department, which can help with the complaint. Our guide on who regulates septic systems in Florida explains which office handles what.

How this directory shows registration

Some listings carry a "Registered with Florida DEP" badge, added only after we looked up the contractor's registration on DEP's register, along with the business authorization. Where a listing has no business authorization on file, it is because DEP exempts a sole proprietor working under his or her own name; in that case we checked only the contractor's registration, so confirm the owner is the only owner. We checked in November 2026. A listing without the badge is not a sign that a company is unregistered. It means we have not confirmed its numbers yet. Registrations can lapse after we check, so always run your own search. Browse companies in Tampa, Orlando or Ocala, or the full directory.

Frequently asked questions

Is a septic registration the same as a license?

In Florida, septic tank contractors hold a DEP registration, not a license from the Department of Health or DBPR. People often call it a license, and DEP's own pages sometimes do too. The numbers start with SR (registered) or SM (master).

Does a septic pumping company need to be registered?

Yes. DEP says you must be a registered septic tank contractor or a state-licensed plumber to pump septic tanks, with an active service permit from the county health department.

The company has no SA number. Should I worry?

Not always. A contractor working alone under his or her own name does not need a business authorization (s. 489.555, F.S.). A corporation, LLC, partnership or association, or anyone trading under a fictitious name, does.

The registration expired last week. Can they still do my job?

Ask them to renew first. DEP says it provides no permitting or inspection services related to septic contracting for an inactive registration, and its handbook says contractors working with an inactive registration may face disciplinary and enforcement action. Ask for proof of renewal.

Does DEP publish complaints or discipline against contractors?

We did not find a public list of disciplinary actions. The state health department's septic contractor enforcement page lists no cases; it points to DEP and the county health departments. Ask the county health department if you have a concern about a specific company.

This guide is general information, not legal advice.