Kentucky's septic tank servicing regulation, 902 KAR 10:170, names material pumped from portable toilets as domestic septage, and it sets operator requirements, licensing, vehicle and equipment rules, inspection and enforcement. The licence application is form DFS-306, which cites KRS 211.976. This guide describes the regulation's reach and what to check, and it does not reproduce its fees or bond amounts.
Key takeaways
- 902 KAR 10:170 covers septic tank servicing and names material pumped from portable toilets as domestic septage.
- The regulation sets operator requirements, licensing, the operation of vehicles and equipment, inspection and enforcement.
- The licence application for the regulation is form DFS-306, citing KRS 211.976.
- The regulation sets its own fees and surety bond. This guide does not print them, and the current text is the one to check.
- 902 KAR 10:160 covers permits to operate a domestic septage disposal site, so the destination of a load is part of compliance.
- Justia copies of the regulation may be out of date, so the Kentucky Legislature's own page is the one to cite.
What the regulation covers and why portable units are inside it
The regulation covers septic tank servicing in Kentucky, and its definition of domestic septage includes material pumped from portable toilets, which places a portable unit's pump-out inside its rules.
Most people think of septic tanks when they hear the words septage and servicing, but the Kentucky regulation is written more broadly. Its definition of domestic septage includes material pumped from portable toilets, so the pump-out of a portable unit is work the regulation governs.
The regulation sets out who may service septic tanks and how the service is carried out. It covers the operators, their licensing, the vehicles and equipment they use, the inspections and the enforcement. A customer does not need to know every clause, but a customer does need to know that the operator who arrives is the one the regulation licenses.
Portable toilet work in Louisville and across Jefferson County is therefore a regulated activity, and the company that books it should be able to say how it meets the regulation.
Operator requirements and the licence
The regulation sets operator requirements and a licence for the work, and the operator who pumps a unit must hold the licence it requires, which the customer can ask to see.
The licence is the operator's to hold and to show. It is not the customer's to obtain. A customer who books a pump-out is entitled to ask the operator to confirm the licence before the first visit, and an operator who cannot confirm it should not be booked.
The licence application for the regulation is form DFS-306, which cites KRS 211.976. Those references are given so a reader can find the form and the statute, and the current form is the one to use.
The regulation sets its own fees and surety bond. This guide does not print them, because the figures are set in the regulation and change, and the current text is the authority.
- The licence held under 902 KAR 10:170
- The vehicles and equipment the truck uses
- The inspection record for the truck
- The disposal site the load goes to
Vehicles, equipment and the rules on the road
The regulation covers how a septage vehicle and its equipment are operated, so the truck that pumps a unit must meet the rules the regulation sets for it.
A pump-out truck carries a tank of waste through the streets, and its operation is governed by the regulation. The truck's equipment, its tank and its pump are the things an inspector checks, and a truck that does not meet the regulation should not be used.
The customer can ask the operator how the truck is inspected and what its equipment is. A clear answer is a good sign; a vague answer is a reason to ask again or to look for another operator.
Where a truck is used for portable units across several events in a week, the inspection and the equipment record are kept current, so the record is ready if an inspector asks.
Where the waste goes: the disposal site rule
The regulation for disposal sites, 902 KAR 10:160, covers permits to operate a septage storage or disposal site, site procedures and inspections, so the destination of each load is part of the compliance question.
A load of waste that is pumped legally can still be handled wrongly if it goes to the wrong place. The disposal site must hold the permit the regulation requires, and the operator must take the load there.
The visit record should name the site, so the customer can see where the waste went. A record without a site is the weakest part of the chain.
The regulation index also lists 902 KAR 10:150 on the same chapter. Its text was not read for this guide, and it is not summarised here.
What to check before booking
Before booking, check the operator's licence, the truck's inspection, the disposal site and the record each visit will carry, and get the answers in writing.
Ask for the operator's licence number and the name on it. Ask for the truck's inspection status and for the equipment it carries. Ask for the disposal site and its permit. Ask for a sample visit record that names those items.
Keep the answers with the booking. If a venue or an office asks later, the written answers and the record are the evidence, and memory is not.
Where an answer is unclear, the booking is held until the answer is clear. A pump-out that goes ahead on an unclear answer is the one that is hardest to explain afterwards.
Why the regulation is read at source
Copies of the regulation on other websites may be out of date, so the reading that matters is the one on the Kentucky Legislature's own regulation page.
The regulation is amended from time to time, and a copy on a third-party site may not show the latest text. For a question about a fee, a bond or a licence condition, the official text is the only safe source.
This guide cites the regulation and its form by number and does not restate the detail. A reader who needs the detail should go to the source and check the current version.
The same is true for any operator's own summary of the rule. The summary is useful, but the source is the authority, and a good operator will point to it.
The operator's duty on the day of the pump-out
On the day of a pump-out the operator checks the unit, pumps the tank, restocks it and records the visit, and reports anything unusual to the office before leaving the site.
The operator arrives with the vehicle and its equipment, checks the unit for damage or a fault, and pumps the holding tank. The unit is restocked and the visit is recorded against it, with the date, the work done and the site the load goes to.
Anything unusual, such as a cracked tank, a leak or a blocked vent, is reported to the office before the truck leaves, so the office can arrange the next step.
When a customer should refuse a visit
A customer should not accept a pump-out where the operator cannot confirm its licence, the truck's inspection or the disposal site, and should say so before the work starts.
If the operator cannot give the licence number, the inspection status or the disposal site, the visit should not go ahead until those are confirmed in writing. A pump-out carried out on an unconfirmed basis is the one that is hardest to explain later.
A refusal is not a complaint. It is a reasonable request for the information the regulation expects an operator to have.
A customer's own checklist for the pump-out
A customer's checklist for a pump-out covers the licence, the inspection, the disposal site, the record and the contact for a fault, and each is ticked before the first visit.
Ask for the operator's licence, the truck's inspection status, the disposal site and a sample visit record. Ask for the name and number of the person to call about a fault, and whether that person can authorise a visit the same day.
Keep the ticked list with the booking. It is a short record that shows the customer asked the questions the regulation expects an operator to answer.
Frequently asked questions
Does Kentucky regulate pumping portable toilets?
Yes. The septic tank servicing regulation, 902 KAR 10:170, names material pumped from portable toilets as domestic septage, and it sets operator requirements and licensing.
What is the licence application called?
Form DFS-306, which cites KRS 211.976. The current form is the one to use.
Does this guide give the fees or the bond?
No. The regulation sets them, and they change, so the current text is the one to check.
Where does the waste have to go?
To a disposal site permitted under the Kentucky regulation for domestic septage disposal, 902 KAR 10:160. The visit record names the site.
What does an operator need to show me?
The licence it holds under the regulation, the truck's inspection status and the disposal site for the load.
Can I check the regulation myself?
Yes. The Kentucky Legislature's own regulation page is the one to cite, and it is the authority for the current text.
Does the regulation apply across the Ohio River?
No. Indiana has its own rules, which were not searched for this guide, and the Indiana office confirms the position for an Indiana site.
Sources
- Kentucky Legislature, 902 KAR 10:170 septic tank servicing
- Kentucky Legislature, 902 KAR 10:160 domestic septage disposal site operation
This guide is general information for Jefferson County homeowners, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. Prices are estimates. See our disclaimer.