Texas Septic Help

Aerobic septic maintenance contracts in Texas: rules and costs

A Texas aerobic system comes with a two-year service policy. After that, a single-family homeowner must either sign a contract with a licensed Maintenance Provider, who tests and reports at least every four months, or maintain the system personally, unless the county requires a contract. [1] [2]

Last checked · sources below · about this page · Markdown version

This page summarizes state rules and county pages as of the date checked. Your permitting authority's current rules control. Not legal advice.

Contract prices above are one cost guide's estimates, not quotes. Ask providers for the written contract and price.

What state rules require

The first two years

Every system that needs routine maintenance starts with a two-year service policy, running from the date a builder sells the home or, for an existing home, the date the permitting authority approves the system. A copy goes to the permitting authority before the system can be used. If the home sells during those two years, the policy carries over to the buyer. [1]

After two years

The owner of a single-family home must either maintain the system personally or sign a new contract. A signed contract is due at the permitting authority 30 days before the current policy or contract expires. Owners of commercial, multifamily or speculative residential property may not maintain their own system. [1]

Visits and reports

Under contract, the Maintenance Provider tests the system and sends a report to the permitting authority and the owner at least once every four months, or every six months if the system has an electronic monitor that reports failures. Each report is due within 14 days of the test. [2] [1]

The tag

At the start of each contract the provider puts a weather-resistant tag on the outside of the motor cover, control panel or breaker box as the owner's record of maintenance checks. [1]

Ending a contract

Whoever ends a contract, the provider must notify the permitting authority in writing at least 30 days before service stops. The owner then has 30 days after it ends to file a new signed contract, unless the owner is allowed to maintain the system and chooses to. [1]

  • List the items the contract covers.
  • Say how quickly the provider will visit after you report a problem.
  • Name the Maintenance Provider responsible for the contract.
  • Say how often routine maintenance, testing and reporting happen.
  • Say who maintains the disinfection unit (for example, who refills the chlorine).
  • Give the provider's physical business address and phone number.

Source: [1] Texas Administrative Code, via Cornell Legal Information Institute

Maintaining the system yourself

What the state allows

Two years after installation, a homeowner may maintain an aerobic or other system that uses secondary treatment, drip irrigation or surface application. Owners who maintain their own system are exempt from the state testing and reporting rule. TCEQ notes that some permitting authorities require homeowner training or ban homeowner maintenance. [2] [1]

Training

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension offers an online course on homeowner maintenance of aerobic treatment units. [3]

Chlorine

TCEQ says to use calcium hypochlorite tablets certified for wastewater disinfection, never swimming pool tablets, which dissolve too slowly to disinfect and can release an explosive gas. [2]

Stricter county rules near Houston and Dallas

Fort Bend County

Fort Bend County requires contracts for all systems that use secondary treatment and does not allow homeowner maintenance of an aerobic system unless the owner is a certified maintenance provider for that unit. A contract filed late brings a Notice of Violation. The county lists a $50 annual fee per system with each contract and a $75 late fee. [4] [5] [6]

See also: Fort Bend County

Harris County

Harris County's permitting page says the owner of a permitted system must have a contract with a Maintenance Provider, and that failing to submit one can lead to misdemeanor charges in Justice of the Peace court. Contracts go to wastewater@harriscountytx.gov. [7]

Rockwall County

Rockwall County's FAQ says the county requires maintenance contracts for aerobic systems. [8]

Collin County, when a home sells

When a property with an aerobic system sells, Collin County asks for three forms: a change of ownership, an aerobic homeowner's information sheet and a maintenance contract in the new owner's name. [9]

See also: Aerobic systems: the maintenance contract

Reading a contract

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Checking an aerobic maintenance contract
CheckDoneNotes
All six items the state requires are in the contract (listed above)
Which repairs and parts are included (AgriLife notes a basic monitoring contract only meets the state minimum and leaves more work to you)
Whether pumping and chlorine are included or billed separately
Provider's license confirmed with TCEQ's license search
You receive each report, and the tag on the system is updated

Checklist rows are based on: [10] Texas A&M AgriLife Extension; [1] Texas Administrative Code, via Cornell Legal Information Institute; [11] Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)

What contracts cost

Where the numbers come from

Only one published Texas price range turned up: Texas Septic Guide, a commercial cost guide that also offers quotes, says aerobic contracts run $300 to $500 a year. Nearby Septic, another cost guide, now says it has no current Texas price it can cite. No independent survey turned up. Both pages were read on Oct 7, 2026. Texas Septic Guide also calls these contracts TCEQ-required; TCEQ says that two years after installation a homeowner may do the maintenance instead, so treat that guide as a price source, not a rules source. [12] [13] [2]

Aerobic contract tiers published by Texas Septic Guide
TierPublished range per yearWhat the guide says is includedSource
Basic$300 to $350Three inspections a year and the compliance reports[12]
Standard$350 to $450Adds chlorine refills, diagnostic checks and discounted repairs[12]
Premium$450 to $600Adds emergency service, minor parts and sometimes annual pumping[12]
Before you buy a system

TCEQ suggests asking what the ongoing contract will cost after the first two years when you compare systems. [14]

About this page

What the state requires in an aerobic septic maintenance contract, when a homeowner may do the maintenance instead, stricter county rules in the Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth areas, what to look for in a contract, and published contract prices.

Key facts
Covers
  • The two-year service policy that comes with a system
  • What a maintenance contract must include under state rules
  • Testing, reporting and the maintenance tag
  • When a homeowner may maintain the system
  • Stricter rules in some counties
  • Published contract prices
Not covered
  • Commercial, multifamily or speculative residential property, where homeowner maintenance is not allowed
  • Prices from any specific provider, or a quote
Jurisdiction
Texas, United States (statewide), with county rules for Fort Bend, Harris, Collin and Rockwall counties.
Audience
Texas homeowners and buyers with an aerobic treatment unit or another system that needs routine maintenance.
Provides
  • The state's minimum contract terms, item by item
  • A checklist for reading a contract
  • Published contract price ranges, each linked to its source
Content last changed
Last verified
Primary sources

Price estimates come from commercial cost guides, listed in Sources.

Other formats
Markdown version

Contacts

Sources

Each fact above cites one or more of these by number. Accessed is the date the source was last re-read.

  1. [1] 30 Tex. Admin. Code § 285.7, Maintenance Requirements. Texas Administrative Code, via Cornell Legal Information Institute. Primary source.
    Supports: Two-year policy; contract contents; submittal and termination deadlines; homeowner exception; 14-day reports; tag.
    Accessed: .
  2. [2] Maintenance of On-Site Sewage Facilities (Septic Systems). Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). Primary source.
    Supports: Four- and six-month reporting; homeowner maintenance after two years; stricter local rules; chlorine.
    Publisher's date: Page last modified 2026-03-03.
    Accessed: .
  3. [3] Homeowner Maintenance of Aerobic Treatment Units (online course). Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. Primary source.
    Supports: AgriLife online homeowner maintenance course.
    Publisher's date: Course page dated 2021-07-07.
    Accessed: .
  4. [4] Aerobic Maintenance Information. Fort Bend County Environmental Health. Primary source.
    Supports: Fort Bend contracts required for secondary treatment.
    Accessed: .
  5. [5] Annual Maintenance Contract Renewal Fee. Fort Bend County Environmental Health. Primary source.
    Supports: Fort Bend Notice of Violation for late contracts; no homeowner maintenance unless certified.
    Accessed: .
  6. [6] Permit Fees. Fort Bend County Environmental Health. Primary source.
    Supports: Fort Bend $50 annual fee per system and $75 late fee.
    Publisher's date: Page says all fees are current as of 2023-05-26.
    Accessed: .
  7. [7] Wastewater Quality Permitting. Harris County Office of the County Engineer. Primary source.
    Supports: Harris County contract requirement, misdemeanor warning and submittal email.
    Accessed: .
  8. [8] Frequently Asked Questions (Environmental Health Coordinator). Rockwall County. Primary source.
    Supports: Rockwall County requires aerobic maintenance contracts.
    Accessed: .
  9. [9] On-Site Sewage Facilities. Collin County Development Services. Primary source.
    Supports: Collin County forms when a property with an aerobic system sells.
    Accessed: .
  10. [10] Homeowner's guide to evaluating service contracts for onsite wastewater treatment systems (B-6171). Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. Primary source.
    Supports: A basic monitoring contract only meets the state minimum (2008).
    Publisher's date: Bulletin dated October 2008.
    Accessed: .
  11. [12] Septic Maintenance Contracts in Texas (2026). Texas Septic Guide. Commercial cost guide.
    Supports: Aerobic contract range and tiers.
    Publisher's date: Page says last updated March 2026.
    Accessed: .
  12. [13] Aerobic Maintenance Contracts in Texas (2026). Nearby Septic. Commercial cost guide.
    Supports: No current published Texas contract price.
    Accessed: .
  13. [14] Advice for an Owner of an On-Site Sewage Facility (Septic System). Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). Primary source.
    Supports: Ask about contract cost after two years.
    Publisher's date: Page last modified 2026-03-03.
    Accessed: .
  14. [15] OARS: Find a Local Contact (septic permitting authority by county). Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). Primary source.
    Supports: Finding the local permitting authority.
    Accessed: .

Page history

  • : First version of this page.