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Aerobic Septic Maintenance Contracts in Texas
The obligation does not end when the inspector signs off. That is where it starts.
The rule: Texas Health & Safety Code §366.0515 requires every aerobic system owner to keep an active contract with a licensed maintenance provider.
For a new aerobic install in Gregg County the maintenance agreement is part of the permit file from the start, alongside the Affidavit to the Public. Where the county's 2026 order applies, the provider must inspect at least once every three months (stricter than TCEQ's statewide every-four-months baseline) and reports to the county. When the contract lapses, the county finds out, because the reports simply stop arriving.
Treatment units in Gregg County: who maintains them, and how
Where Gregg County’s 2026 order applies (the county outside incorporated cities, and any city that has contracted with the county), it is stricter than the state baseline below. Inspections must happen at least once every three months, not every four, and each report must record the sludge level in the pump tank and the condition of the spray area. All maintenance must be done by a TCEQ-registered maintenance company unless the owner is a registered provider for their own unit, was trained under HB 2510 before HB 2482 was adopted, or holds a Class D or higher wastewater licence and the manufacturer’s certification for the brand.
Every Texas system that needs maintenance starts life with a two-year service policy, and a signed copy goes to the permitting authority before the system is approved for use. After that, the owner of a single-family home may maintain the system personally instead of holding a contract; commercial, speculative and multifamily property may not. Under a contract, the licensed provider reports at least every four months (every six with electronic monitoring). That is the statewide baseline; a county order can be stricter.
County office: Gregg County Health Department, 405 East Marshall Avenue, Longview, TX 75601, (903) 237-2628.
Sources: Gregg County, Order Adopting Rules for On-Site Sewage Facilities, passed 31 March 2026; 30 TAC §285.7, maintenance requirements; TCEQ: OSSF maintenance; Gregg County: Septic Systems (program contact (903) 237-2628). Checked October 2026.
What a service visit covers
The aerator or compressor running at the right output, the disinfection stage and its consumables, pumps, floats and alarms, sludge and scum levels, the spray or drip field, and the report, which is how the authority knows the system is being looked after.
What you can do yourself
- Listen for the compressor. A silent one has stopped treating.
- Never silence an alarm without finding out why it went off.
- Keep vehicles, roof water and deep roots off the tank and the field.
- Keep the reports. They are the asset when you sell.
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