Christopher Michaeladvanced Plumbing Solutions LLC Jones

What this Onsite Wastewater Installer Grade Level II covers

NCOWCICB certifies the people who install and inspect onsite wastewater systems in North Carolina. Certification is graded by the complexity of system a holder may install, and continuing education is required in each calendar year — three hours at Grade Level II, six at Grade Level IV and six for a Point of Sale Inspector. The grade structure changed on 1 January 2025: existing Grade I holders moved to Grade II and Grade III holders to Grade IV, leaving only those two installer grades. The Board does not regulate pumping. A septage pumping business needs a separate permit from NC DEQ.

Grade Level II covers most ordinary residential work: conventional gravity systems, multiple tanks, grease traps, single pump or single siphon systems, fill systems, sand-lined trenches, and any approved gravity or single-pump dispersal system up to 1,499 gallons per day. It is the grade most certificate holders carry.

Checking it yourself: NCOWCICB publishes its certification list. Check that the grade covers the system you are having installed, not just that a certification exists.

Based on NCOWCICB certification guidance and FAQ; SB 166 (eff. 2025-01-01).