The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy regulates septage servicing under Part 117 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act. Portable toilet contents are treated as septage, so the truck and operator that pump and haul the waste need state licenses, and a caller can check them.
Key takeaways
- EGLE regulates septage servicing in Michigan under Part 117 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, 1994 PA 451.
- Portable toilet contents are treated as septage, so a person may not service them unless authorized by a septage waste servicing license and a septage waste vehicle license.
- The vehicle is licensed, not only the company. Each licensed truck carries its vehicle license number and a year seal on both sides.
- EGLE’s online Septage Haulers Directory shows whether a license is valid and when it expires, so a caller can check the number on the truck.
- Oakland County’s septage receiving page requires haulers to be licensed under GLWA and EGLE to use its sites. That county rule is not stated for Wayne or Macomb counties.
- Ask which license number will service your unit and check it before the work is booked. Do not assume the hauler is licensed.
Who regulates portable toilet waste in Michigan?
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) regulates septage servicing under Part 117 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, 1994 PA 451. Portable toilet contents are treated as septage under that part.
Part 117 covers septage servicers, and it is the part of Michigan’s environmental law that applies to the pumping and hauling of waste from septic tanks, cesspools and portable toilets. The statute defines a portable toilet as a receptacle for human waste placed temporarily for human use, and it treats the material removed from one as septage.
This guide does not quote the enacted definition of septage word for word, because the wording was not confirmed from the statute text. What is safe to say is that portable toilet contents fall within the septage rules, so the people who service them need the state licenses.
The statute is found in the Michigan Legislature’s collection under the sections beginning at MCL 324.11701. Read the current text there before relying on any summary, including the one on this page.
What licenses does a septage hauler need?
A person may not service septage unless authorized by a septage waste servicing license and a septage waste vehicle license. The vehicle is licensed, and the seal goes on the cab of the truck.
The two licenses do different jobs. The servicing license authorizes the operator. The vehicle license authorizes the truck that carries the waste. A hauler needs both, and a truck without a current vehicle license should not be used to take a unit’s contents away, however good the operator’s paperwork.
The markings on the truck are the first thing a caller can see. The EGLE guidance says each licensed truck displays the words licensed septage hauler, its vehicle license number and the year seal, on both sides. A truck that does not show those markings is a question to ask, not something to accept.
A new septage business must name a responsible agent with at least 10 hours of continuing septage education, and renewal requires 30 hours. A certified local health department inspects the vehicle before it is approved. The vehicle license runs for five years alongside the operator license.
| Item | What the state requires or shows |
|---|---|
| Servicing license | Authorizes the operator to service septage |
| Vehicle license | Authorizes the truck; runs five years with the operator license |
| Truck markings | “Licensed septage hauler”, vehicle license number and year seal on both sides |
| Responsible agent (new business) | At least 10 hours of continuing septage education; 30 hours at renewal |
| Vehicle inspection | A certified local health department inspects the vehicle before approval |
How can a caller check a hauler’s license?
EGLE’s online Septage Haulers Directory, on the Septage Waste Program page, shows whether a license is valid and when it expires. Check the number on the truck against the directory before any work is booked.
The directory is the quickest check, and it puts the verification in the caller’s hands. Ask the technician for the vehicle license number and the operator license, then look them up on the EGLE page rather than relying on what the call says.
If the number does not appear, or the expiry date has passed, do not book the work until the hauler explains the position. A license that is being renewed is a question for the hauler and the state, not a reason to assume the service is covered.
Keep a note of the number and the date you checked. It is a short record, and it protects both sides if a question about the waste comes up later. Nothing in this guide names an individual at EGLE, and none is needed for the check.
Where does the waste go once it is pumped?
Waste has to go to a facility the rules allow. In Oakland County, the county’s septage receiving page says haulers must be licensed under GLWA and EGLE to use its unloading sites. That county rule is not stated for Wayne or Macomb counties in this guide.
The disposal site is part of the chain of custody. A hauler who pumps a unit must take the waste to a site it is permitted to use, and that site is a separate question from the hauler’s own vehicle license. Ask the hauler which disposal site it uses for units from your location.
Oakland County’s septage receiving rule is a useful example of how the local layer works. The county requires GLWA and EGLE licensing for haulers using its sites. Wayne and Macomb counties may have their own arrangements, and this guide does not state them, so ask the hauler to name the site and its basis.
A unit that goes to an unapproved site creates a problem for the site owner as well as the hauler. Asking which site is used, and checking that it is one the hauler is allowed to use, is part of the same check as the license number.
What role does the local health department play?
A certified local health department inspects a septage vehicle before it is approved. Which health department covers a particular hauler in Wayne County is not confirmed by this guide, so ask the hauler to name it.
The inspection is part of how the vehicle is approved, and it is a check on the truck rather than on the operator alone. A hauler should be able to say which health department inspected the vehicle and when.
This guide does not state which Wayne County agency is the certified local health department for any given hauler. That is not sourced, and a caller should not assume a particular office without asking the hauler and checking.
If a hauler cannot name the inspecting body, treat that as a reason to check the EGLE directory more closely before work is booked, and to ask the hauler to put the answer in writing.
Frequently asked questions
Does the rental company need the license or the truck?
Both are relevant. The vehicle carries the vehicle license, and the operator needs the servicing license. Ask for both numbers and check them in the EGLE directory before the work is booked.
Is a city permit enough to empty a unit?
No. A city event permit does not replace the state septage licenses. The directory check is the step that confirms the hauler is authorized to service the waste.
Does this apply to units on a construction site?
The septage definition is not limited to a type of site, so the same license and disposal checks apply to units on a construction site as to units at an event. Build them into the order.
What if I cannot find the hauler in the directory?
Do not assume the service is licensed. Ask the technician to explain the position in writing, and do not book the work until the license number is confirmed through the EGLE directory.
Sources
- Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy: Septage Waste Program
- Michigan Legislature: Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, Part 117
- Oakland County: septage receiving
This guide is general information for Wayne County homeowners, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. Prices are estimates. See our disclaimer.