Who Repairs Septic Systems in Suffolk, VA?

The board that licenses septic professionals

Individual septic licenses come from DPOR's Board for Waterworks and Wastewater Works Operators and Onsite Sewage System Professionals. Its Licensing Section is at (804) 367-8595, and its email is WaterWasteOper@dpor.virginia.gov. The board's regulation, 18VAC160-40-10, defines the license types:

The regulation also describes two levels. A master has the skills to install or maintain systems, or to evaluate soil sites and design conventional and alternative systems. A journeyman has the skills to install or maintain systems, or to assist with soil evaluation, under the direct supervision of a master licensee.

Firm licenses from the Board for Contractors

A contracting business carries its own license, with specialties defined in 18VAC50-22-30. Two apply to septic work:

• Conventional sewage disposal system contracting (CDS): one or more septic tanks with gravity, pumped or siphoned conveyance to a gravity-distributed subsurface drain field.
• Alternative sewage disposal system contracting (ADS): the installation, repair, improvement or removal of a treatment works that is not a conventional onsite sewage system.

So on a permitted repair, it's reasonable to ask about both: the firm's license and specialty, and the individual installer's onsite sewage license.

Who does which part of a septic job

1. Soil evaluation and design: a private onsite soil evaluator or a professional engineer. Since August 11, 2019, VDH has required their work with onsite sewage applications, and the Code of Virginia (§§ 32.1-163.5 and 32.1-163.6) directs VDH to accept designs certified by licensed evaluators and engineers.
2. The permit: the Suffolk Health Department, (757) 514-4700, for the Western Tidewater Health District.
3. Building the repair: an installer, conventional or alternative to match the system.
4. Maintenance: VDH's 2018 flyer says DPOR-licensed operation and maintenance providers and installers may do it, with conventional installers on conventional systems and alternative installers on both.
5. Operating an alternative system: a licensed operator, on the visit schedule in 12VAC5-613-150.
6. Pumping for the city's notice: a licensed, Health Department-certified hauler. The city publishes a list of certified septage handlers on its pump-out program page.
7. A sale inspection: under Code § 59.1-310.9, a person with a valid operator, installer or onsite soil evaluator license.

Looking someone up on DPOR

Use DPOR's License Lookup to search for the person and the firm. Check three things: that the license is current, that the type matches the job (an alternative system calls for alternative credentials), and that the name on the license matches the person or firm on your estimate. Questions about a license go to the board's Licensing Section at (804) 367-8595.

VDH also publishes a map and list of septic and well service providers. It says the list includes only providers who shared their contact information, that "VDH does not endorse or recommend any particular septic or private well service provider," and that leaving a provider off isn't a judgment against them. VDH's own advice is to verify licensing on the DPOR website.

Questions to ask before work starts

• What exactly failed, and how did you find it? Was the tank pumped so you could see the baffles?
• Is this maintenance with no permit, or a repair that needs a VDH permit?
• If a permit is needed, who is doing the soil evaluation and design, and what does that cost on its own?
• Does the design use the reserve area, the old trenches, new ground, or an alternative system, and why?
• Does a failing-system waiver apply, and what would it mean if I sell?
• Is city sewer available here, and did you compare the cost?
• What are your DPOR license numbers, for you and for the firm, and which specialties do they carry?
• Who files the permit application, and who schedules any health department visit?
• How will the yard be restored, and what warranty comes with the work?
• For an alternative system: who will be the operator, and what will yearly visits cost?

What the written estimate should spell out

• The work described part by part: tank, distribution box, header lines, drain lines, any pump or treatment unit.
• Whether the price includes the soil evaluator's or engineer's design and the permit fee ($225 or $425 for a home-sized repair permit in the Western Tidewater district).
• Excavation, tree removal, and restoration such as fill, seed or sod.
• Pumping, if the tank has to be emptied first.
• Payment schedule, start date, and what happens if the health department asks for changes.
• The warranty, in writing.

Contractors are responsible for their own licensing, insurance, permits, pricing and warranties, and any agreement for work is between you and the contractor.

Hiring questions

Which license covers building a new drain field?

An onsite sewage system installer license: conventional for a conventional field, alternative for an alternative system. The alternative installer license covers both. The firm may also carry the CDS or ADS specialty from the Board for Contractors.

Who is allowed to do a septic inspection for a home sale?

Under § 59.1-310.9, only a person with a valid onsite sewage system operator, installer or onsite soil evaluator license. See septic inspections.

Does VDH recommend septic contractors?

No. Its provider list says VDH "does not endorse or recommend" any provider, and it points homeowners to DPOR to verify licenses.

Is a soil evaluator the same as an installer?

They are separate licenses. An onsite soil evaluator's license covers evaluating soils for onsite systems; an installer's covers building and repairing them. Ask each person which licenses they hold.

How this site helps

A request here goes to one independent local septic contractor who works in Suffolk. This site doesn't check licenses, so use the lookup above. The contractor sets their own price, and the referral is free.