How to verify a Florida septic contractor

Use this page as a worksheet before you hire a septic company for a repair, replacement or new system: which free state lookups to run, what each result means, and what to get in writing. Each lookup takes a few minutes. For more background, read our guide on how to check a Florida septic contractor's registration.

In Florida, septic tank contractors are registered by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) under Part III of Chapter 489, Florida Statutes. The credential is called a DEP septic tank contractor registration.

Step 1: Run the lookups that apply

Ask the company for its numbers before you search: the registration number of the contractor who qualifies the business, and the business's own authorization number. A contractor who works under his or her own given name may have only the first one (see Step 2).

Lookup	Run it when	Link
DEP individual septic tank contractor registration	Always. Search the registered or master contractor who qualifies the company.	Individual registration search (last name, first name or license number)
DEP septic business authorization	The company is a corporation, LLC or partnership, or works under a business name rather than the owner's own name	Business authorization search (business name or number)
Florida DBPR license search	The job includes plumbing work, such as plumbing inside the house, or the company does septic work under a plumbing contractor license. Plumbing contractors are licensed by DBPR, separately from DEP's septic registrations. Under s. 489.105(3)(m), F.S., a licensed plumbing contractor may install, maintain and repair septic tanks without an additional local license, certificate or registration.	DBPR license search (name, license number, city or county, license type)
Florida Division of Corporations (Sunbiz)	The company is an LLC or corporation	Search by entity name

DEP also publishes the full lists of contractor registrations and business authorizations as downloads, filtered by active or inactive status.

Step 2: Read the results

What you find	What it means
A number starting with SR	A registered septic tank contractor (an individual).
A number starting with SM	A master septic tank contractor (an individual). To become a master, a contractor must have been registered in Florida for at least 3 years (or be a certified plumbing contractor who has done septic work for 3 years), complete 30 hours of approved coursework and pass a more advanced exam.
A number starting with SA	A septic business authorization ("Septic Authorization" in DEP's records). It belongs to the company, not a person.
A number starting with SE	A business listed in DEP's records as "Septic Exempt". Ask the company to explain its status and which registered contractor qualifies it.
Status active	The check passed. Save a screenshot with the date.
Status inactive	Individual registrations expire every September 30. A registration that was not renewed by then goes inactive automatically, and DEP does not provide permitting or inspection services for an inactive contractor. If you search in early October, check that the renewal has gone through.
Business authorization dates	Business authorizations expire on March 31 of every odd-numbered year, so check the date shown.
No business authorization, owner works in his or her own name	Can be fine. The law does not require a business authorization for an individual contracting in his or her own given name. Search that person's SR or SM number instead.
The name on the record differs from your quote	Ask the company to explain before you sign. DEP requires septic work to be done under the name it has authorized.
Nothing found	Check the spelling and ask for the exact number. If it still does not show up, ask whether the company works under a plumbing license and check it on the DBPR license search, or ask the company to show you its DEP record before you sign.

Step 3: Confirm the permit

Florida law says no one may build, repair, change or abandon a septic system without a permit first. Routine pumping is not a repair under Rule 62-6.002, so it does not need a repair permit. Local rules can differ, so ask your county permit office. Repairs usually need one, and replacements and new systems do. Ask the contractor:

• Does this job need a permit, and if not, why not?
• Who will apply for it, and whose name will be on it?
• Will the work wait until the permit is issued, and who schedules the inspection?

Find the office for your county on our Florida county septic permit offices page. You can also ask that office whether a permit has been issued for your address.

Step 4: Get it in writing

Before you sign, ask for a written quote or contract that covers:

• Scope: exactly what will be done (pumping, a part replacement, drain field repair or a full system), plus what is not included
• Permit: whether a permit is needed, who applies, and whether permit fees are in the price
• Registration numbers: the contractor's SR or SM number and, if the company has one, the business's SA number, as you checked them
• Insurance: a current certificate of insurance; you can call the insurer listed to confirm it is active
• Warranty: what it covers, for how long, and who honors it
• Price and timing: the total cost, the payment schedule and the expected start and finish dates

Our guide on how to read and compare septic quotes goes through a typical quote line by line, and the septic quote comparison tool helps you line quotes up side by side.

Red flags

• The company will not give you a DEP registration number, or the number does not match its name.
• The contractor offers to do a repair or replacement "without the hassle" of a permit.
• You are told a septic inspection is required by law before you can sell your home. Florida law says a government may not require a septic inspection at the point of sale. A buyer can still ask for one.
• You are pushed to approve a large repair on the spot, without a written quote.
• The business name on the truck, the quote and the DEP record are all different.

Aerobic treatment units

If your home has an aerobic treatment unit (ATU), Florida law requires you to keep a current maintenance service agreement with an ATU maintenance entity permitted by DEP. The maintenance entity must inspect the unit at least twice a year. (The owner of an owner-occupied single-family home can instead be permitted to maintain the unit after training certified by the manufacturer.) When you hire a company to service an ATU, ask whether it holds that maintenance entity permit, and check that your service agreement names it. The ATU also needs an operating permit, valid for 2 years. See our aerobic system service page for more.

How this directory shows registration

Some listings on this site carry a "Registered with Florida DEP" badge. We add it only after we have looked up the company's numbers on DEP's public register. For a business, that means both the individual contractor's SR or SM registration and the business's authorization. For a contractor working under his or her own given name, the law does not require a business authorization (s. 489.555, F.S.), so the badge details show only that person's SR or SM number. The badge details also show the month we last checked DEP's register. A listing without the badge is not a sign that a company is unregistered; it means we have not yet confirmed its numbers. Always run your own lookups, because registrations can lapse after we check them.

Printable checklist

1. Company's legal name, the qualifier's SR or SM number and the business's SA number (if it has one), in writing
2. DEP individual search done: registration active, name matches
3. DEP business search done (unless the contractor works under his or her own given name): authorization active, name matches the quote
4. DBPR search done if plumbing work is included or the company works under a plumbing license
5. Sunbiz record checked for an LLC or corporation
6. Permit: needed or not, who applies, whose name is on it
7. Certificate of insurance received
8. Written quote lists scope, price, schedule and warranty
9. For an ATU: the maintenance company holds a DEP maintenance entity permit
10. Screenshots and search dates saved with the contract

Ready to compare companies? Browse septic companies in Tampa, Orlando or Ocala, or see the full directory.