Joseph K. Reeder

What this Septic Exempt Authorization covers

A Florida septic tank contractor registration authorises the installation, maintenance, repair, alteration and modification of onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems under Chapter 489, Part III, Florida Statutes. Two credentials sit behind every registered business and they run on different clocks: the business Certificate of Authorization is issued for two years and expires 31 March of odd years, while the registered septic tank contractor standing behind it renews every year on 30 September. The earlier of the two is the date that actually governs, which is why this page shows both. Regulatory authority moved from the Department of Health to DEP on 1 July 2021 under the Clean Waterways Act.

An exempt authorization covers work a full septic business authorization would otherwise require, within the narrower scope the exemption defines. It is not a lesser version of the same licence — check what the exemption covers before assuming parity.

Checking it yourself: Search the authorization number in DEP's public licence data. County health departments still handle permitting in most of Florida under DEP's rules, so the office that issues a permit and the office that issues this registration are not always the same.

Based on Chapter 489, Part III, F.S.; Chapter 62-6, F.A.C.; Clean Waterways Act (Ch. 2020-150, L.O.F.).