Taking an exam

Navigating the Decentralized Wastewater Industry: Certification and Continuing Education

ByLaura Schultz

We have previously explored career pathways in different sectors of the decentralized wastewater industry. Of the four main pathways, our site primarily covers training events and resources for those in the skilled trades and regulatory fields of decentralized wastewater and septic systems. Careers that fall into these areas are more likely to have strict requirements for initial certification and continuing education.

Here, we further explore the specific professions that meet these criteria and common requirements for certification and continuing education that should be expected for each. In nearly all cases, however, these requirements will vary widely based on your state and sometimes your county within the state as well. 

Installation

This is a fairly straightforward profession. Decentralized/septic installers construct new systems for homes and businesses, including the digging and backfilling of the necessary trenches. They may also perform repairs and maintenance.

Certification: Requirements vary state by state. But many states have a certification exam unique to their states that must be passed to obtain an installers license, while others have voluntary exams, and some require no examination. Some requirements may also vary by county within a state — In Iowa, for example, the Certified Installer of Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems (CIOWTS) certification is required in only 25 of 99 counties. 

Many organizations and training providers offer classes to help students prepare for installation certification exams, though these are not necessarily available everywhere.

Continuing Education: Continuing education requirements also vary significantly state by state. Most have some sort of continuing education standard, but the amount of hours to earn and renewal period can be quite different. Some states again will have requirements at the county level as opposed to the state level, merely a monetary fee, or, in some, no continuing education requirements at all. (Though this does not necessarily mean that continuing education is not available to installers in such states).

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If you are having difficulty determining the exact certification and education requirements for installers in your state, you can reach out to the state septic system program contact as listed by the US Environmental Protection Agency. 

You could also refer to a state by state spreadsheet compiled by the State Onsite Regulators Association (SORA), which is available to download here. However, this spreadsheet was compiled in 2020, so you would want to verify the information it has listed for your state in case updates have been made to state requirements since. For instance, South Carolina put into place new regulations for installers to obtain CEUs for license renewal in 2022, which it did not previously require. 

Operations and Maintenance

O&M is essential to keeping all wastewater systems functioning properly and efficiently. Pumping, tank cleaning, service work, and sometimes homeowner education is typically available from those in O&M professions. Service contracts and renewable operating permits might be required for those working with particular advanced systems. 

Requirements for certification and continuing education of pumpers and general maintenance providers are not as widespread as those for installers. Some states have them and others do not. Illinois, for example, does hold pumping license exams. Classes covering O&M are more widely available, though they often offer CEUs for other licenses and not necessarily a license specifically for O&M. 

Again, we strongly recommend contacting your state septic system program contact if your state’s requirements for these professions are unclear. 

Inspection and Monitoring

This area generally covers two similar but not identical job functions: Private home or property  inspectors and local government regulatory officials. These officials are very commonly known as environmental health professionals (EHPs), but depending on where you live may also be referred to as environmental health practitioner, a sanitarian, an environmentalist, or something else. 

Inspectors: Home inspectors can sign off on the proficiency of an existing or new septic system, when it has been built alongside a new home or added to a property. They can also sign off on a system when a property is being sold, to ensure that it’s functioning properly for the new owners. They are not government officials and are not working in a regulatory capacity. Some states do have licenses for inspectors that must be earned and renewed like any other type of septic/decentralized/onsite license. 

Regulators: EHPs and other similar positions are regulating alongside inspecting. Their job is to ensure that systems comply with health and environmental standards, and they very often work out of a county health department. Usually EHPs will need to pass an exam and complete continuing education to get and maintain their state license, but — not to keep repeating the same line! — the exact requirements vary by state. 

There is, however, a national body for environmental health certification in the United States. The National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) certifies and offers its own CEUs for EHPs and those working in other areas of public/environmental health such as food safety or body art. Many states accept these CEUs for their own licenses. Most states also have their own state-level environmental health association, the majority of which are affiliates of NEHA. Your state association is the best place to turn for information on licensure and continuing education to work with regulating septic systems. If your state has a NEHA affiliate, you can find it here.

Design

The job of a decentralized wastewater/septic system designer is to create a system that fits the characteristics of a property’s location, watershed, and wastewater flow. For relatively basic systems, installers can often handle the design, if they have the necessary credentials to do so in their state. More advanced systems may require an engineer to design. Again, certification for designers of both types vary widely. Some states do not require a license. Some states do require them, or even have more than one type of license for different levels of design (such as Rhode Island). To be absolutely sure of your state’s requirements, your state’s septic system program contact is again your most valuable resource if you have difficulty finding clear requirements listed online. 

Engineers, of course, need at least a bachelor’s degree in engineering — typically environmental or civil engineering in the case of wastewater systems. They also need to earn and maintain a professional engineering (PE) license for their state. Most states require engineers to complete continuing education to renew their license. Use this website to learn more about PE licensing in each state. 

Design is also very often a collaborative process, involving the installer (if different than the designer/engineer), local environmental health professionals, and soil scientists. As discussed, installers and EHPs typically have their own licenses to maintain. We will discuss soil scientists further below.

Site Evaluation

Site evaluation on a property to prepare for a system’s design is often a two-step process. First, a soil scientist will visit a site to test and identify the soil’s suitability for a septic system. They will recommend the most appropriate points for the system to be placed. Then, a more comprehensive site evaluation will be conducted in order to pick the best of these points.

Site evaluators assess comprehensively to determine key characteristics about the landscape, soil, ground & surface water, property size, and more that will become essential for the system designers. A more involved evaluation might need assessment of watershed impacts, mounding potential, and pollutants. 

Sometimes, the soil scientists will also be able to perform the more complete site evaluation, depending on their credentials.

Certification: Soil scientists have earned a bachelor’s degree in soil science or a closely related field. Some states have soil science licenses for professionals, and many of these use the guidelines and exams of the Soil Science Society of America. See such states here. Continuing education for these licenses is common, and your state may also have its own soil science society or association. 

Fewer states have specific licenses for site evaluators than for many of the other licenses we’ve discussed. Texas is an example of one that does. In Texas, to be certified as a site evaluator, you must be already certified in at least one of a number of other decentralized disciplines, such as installing, engineering, sanitarian, or soil scientist. Rhode Island offers a similar license called the Class IV Soil Evaluator’s License.

Further Reading