Under Oklahoma's Department of Environmental Quality rules in Title 252, Chapter 645, septage includes material removed from a portable toilet. A business that pumps, transports or disposes of septage needs an annual DEQ licence, each vehicle is inspected and registered yearly with its registration number displayed, and the waste goes to a permitted wastewater treatment facility or an approved pretreatment facility. Septage treatment facilities must exclude portable toilet waste.
Key takeaways
- Portable toilet material is septage under OAC 252:645-1-2.
- An annual DEQ licence is required under 252:645-1-3.
- Each vehicle is inspected and registered yearly, with its number shown on both sides, under 252:645-1-4.
- The waste goes to a permitted wastewater treatment facility or an approved pretreatment facility, under 252:645-1-7.
- Septage treatment facilities must exclude portable toilet waste, under 252:645-7-2.
- Confirm the current text against the official Oklahoma Administrative Code before quoting it.
What is septage in this context?
Septage is the waste pumped from septic tanks and similar systems, and under OAC 252:645-1-2 it includes material removed from a portable toilet.
The category is what triggers the licence and the disposal rules. A portable toilet's contents are therefore handled under the same rules as septage, even though the source is a rented unit rather than a home.
The site should not assume that portable toilet waste is treated more lightly than septage.
What must the hauler hold?
An annual DEQ licence under OAC 252:645-1-3, and drivers who meet the certification requirements.
The licence is for the business that pumps, transports or disposes of septage. Drivers must meet the certification requirements the rule sets.
The site should ask for the licence and the driver certification details before the first visit.
What must the vehicle show?
A yearly DEQ inspection and registration, a watertight tank, and the DEQ registration number displayed on both sides, under OAC 252:645-1-4.
The registration number on both sides lets a site or an inspector check the vehicle from the street.
A tank that is not watertight is a spill risk on the road and at the unit, and the site should not accept a vehicle that fails that check.
- Yearly DEQ inspection and registration
- A watertight tank
- DEQ registration number on both sides
Where may the waste go?
To a permitted wastewater treatment facility or a DEQ-approved pretreatment facility, under OAC 252:645-1-7.
The rule treats the septage from portable toilets as sewage for disposal, and the facility on the record must be one of the approved places.
Septage treatment facilities must exclude portable toilet waste under OAC 252:645-7-2, so a facility that takes it is not the destination for this waste.
Which version of the rule is current?
Two public copies were found, one current through March 2024. The official Oklahoma Administrative Code governs.
A permit or contract that depends on a section number should cite the official source and its date.
This page cites the sections as the public copies state them, and the official text should be checked before any section is quoted.
What should a site ask before the first visit?
The licence number, the vehicle's registration, the facility name and the record that will be kept.
A hauler that can answer those four questions on the phone is showing that it holds the licence and the registration.
The answers are kept with the rental file, and the first visit waits until they are given.
How does the chain of custody work?
The waste passes from the unit to the hauler's tank, then to the facility, and each handover is recorded with the date, the volume and the names of the parties.
A complete record shows the unit, the hauler, the vehicle and the facility, so a question about any step can be answered from paper. A gap in the chain is where a problem is found.
The receipt from the facility is the most useful record a site can keep, since it shows the waste reached an approved place.
What should happen to a load that is refused at the facility?
A refused load is taken back by the hauler, not left at the site, and the site is told the reason in writing.
A load that the facility will not accept is a problem for the hauler, and it must not be dumped at the event or the job. The site should refuse to let it stand.
The reason for the refusal, such as a mixed load, is recorded and the crew is briefed to keep the loads separate in future.
Who is responsible for a spill?
The hauler is responsible for a spill during removal and transport, and the site is responsible for keeping the units accessible and for reporting any misuse.
A spill on the road or at the unit is reported to the provider and to the DEQ. Clean-up follows the hauler's procedure, and the site keeps the people away until it is done.
A neighbor who sees waste on the ground should report it to the provider and the DEQ, with the place and the time.
What do the rules mean for a rental company that does not haul?
A rental company that arranges service through a separate hauler is still responsible for choosing one that holds the licence, the registration and a permitted facility.
A company that places units and leaves the emptying to another business should ask that business for its licence number before the first visit, and keep the answer on file.
A site that books a unit through an intermediary should ask who will actually empty the tank, because that party's licence is the one the rules require.
How long should the records be kept?
The visit records and the facility receipts are kept for the length of the rental and for a period afterward, so questions about an old visit can be answered without a search.
Records are most useful when a neighbor, an inspector or a permit reviewer asks about an earlier event. Keeping them in one labeled folder makes that answer quick.
The period is set by the site's own file policy, and the provider's records should match the site's copies.
What should an event organizer do with the waste plan on the day?
The organizer keeps the waste plan at the event office, with the hauler's contact, the facility's name and the visit log, so a question on the day can be answered at once.
Stewards and the event's medical lead should know where the plan is kept, in case a spill or a complaint needs a quick answer.
The plan is updated if the hauler or the facility changes during the event, and the change is written into the log.
Why does the chain of custody matter for a small job?
A small job with one unit can seem too minor for paperwork, but the same rules apply to it, and a single unpermitted load creates the same problem a large event would.
The licence and the registration are not scaled to the size of the job. A one-unit visit needs the same hauler, the same vehicle and the same facility as a festival.
Small jobs are also the ones most often booked through a third party, which is where the chain is most likely to break. The site should ask for the paperwork on every job, whatever its size.
How do the state's rules and a city's own practice fit together?
The state rules set the baseline for hauling and disposal, and a city's own practice, such as its wastewater plant's acceptance rules, sets the detail the hauler must follow in that place.
A wastewater plant can have its own acceptance conditions, and the hauler is expected to know them. The site should ask the hauler to name the plant and confirm it accepts portable toilet material.
Where the local practice is unclear, the DEQ is the agency to ask, and the answer is recorded with the site's file.
Frequently asked questions
Is portable toilet waste septage?
Yes. OAC 252:645-1-2 includes material removed from a portable toilet in septage.
Does a hauler need a licence?
Yes, an annual DEQ licence under OAC 252:645-1-3.
What must the vehicle show?
Its DEQ registration number on both sides, a yearly inspection and a watertight tank.
Where does the waste go?
To a permitted wastewater treatment facility or an approved pretreatment facility.
Can a septage site take portable toilet waste?
No. Septage treatment facilities must exclude portable toilet waste under OAC 252:645-7-2.
Is the rule current?
One public copy is current through March 2024. Check the official Oklahoma Administrative Code.
Sources
- Oklahoma Administrative Code, Title 252, Chapter 645
- Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality
- State of Oklahoma
This guide is general information for Oklahoma County homeowners, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. Prices are estimates. See our disclaimer.