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How Wisconsin Regulates Hauling a Portable Restroom

The state rules for hauling portable-toilet waste: who needs the DNR septage servicing license, what the operator must hold and why the waste is kept separate.

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Wisconsin Septage

Septage Hauling Under Wisconsin Rules: what it covers

Quick answer

Wisconsin's Department of Natural Resources requires anyone in the business of removing and disposing of domestic septage to hold a septage servicing business license. Portable restrooms are part of the DNR's definition of domestic septage, and the operator in charge must meet a certification grade that depends on the disposal method. Milwaukee Porta Potty Rental asks for the hauler's license on every rental.

Septage Hauling Under Wisconsin Rules illustration for Milwaukee, WI

The waste in a portable restroom is regulated, and the rules fall on the hauler who pumps it, not on the customer who rents the unit. The rules are set by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and they cover who may pump the tank, how the operator is certified, where the waste goes and whether it may be mixed with anything else.

The DNR's general permit for septage storage defines domestic septage to include the contents of portable restrooms. That means a portable toilet is not outside the rules; it is inside them. The operator who pumps it has to hold the state's license and the operator in charge has to meet the certification grade for the disposal method being used.

This page describes the state rules as the DNR's own licensing and permit text presents them. It does not state a fee, a bond, a certification grade number or a deadline, and it does not describe any Milwaukee ordinance, because none on this subject was found. Where a fact is needed for a particular hauler, the DNR and the hauler are the source.

Service area
Milwaukee & Milwaukee County
Availability
Phones answered 24/7
Warning signs

Signs you need septage hauling under wisconsin rules

Keep the unit's contents out of storm drains, ditches and open ground. Do not attempt to pump or move the contents yourself. Report a leak, an open tank or a spill to the number on the order and to the hauler at once.

  • A hauler offers to pump a unit and cannot say whether it holds the state license
  • A company says it does not need a license because it only rents the units
  • The waste is taken to a site that is not named or permitted
  • The hauler mixes the unit's contents with other waste or with rinse water
  • The operator in charge cannot say what certification the work requires
  • The unit is pumped into a storm drain or onto open ground
Our process

How our septage hauling under wisconsin rules visit works

  1. Ask for the hauler's DNR septage license

    The hauler's septage servicing business license is asked for on the first call. The license holder is the business that pumps the unit, and the question is whether that business holds the state license.

  2. Confirm the operator in charge and the certification

    The operator in charge is named, and the certification the work requires for the disposal method used is confirmed. The grade is not printed on this page, because it depends on the method and the DNR sets it.

  3. Check the disposal site is permitted

    The site the waste goes to is confirmed as a permitted disposal facility. The hauler names the site, and a site that is not named is not used.

  4. Keep the waste separate

    The contents of the unit are kept separate from other waste and from rinse water on the way to disposal. The DNR's general permit says septage may not be mixed with other waste.

  5. Record the pumping and the disposal

    Each pumping is recorded with the date, the unit, the hauler and the disposal site, and the record is available to the customer on request.

Who needs the DNR septage servicing license?

Anyone in the business of removing and disposing of domestic septage needs the DNR's septage servicing business license. That includes pumping portable toilets, which the DNR's permit text counts as domestic septage.

The license applies to the business that does the pumping and disposal, not to the customer who rents the unit. A customer does not need a license to rent a portable toilet, and the license question is asked of the hauler.

A rental company that delivers a unit but hires a separate licensed hauler to pump it is still asked for the hauler's license. The question is who does the pumping, and that business must hold the state license.

The DNR is the authority that issues the license and sets its terms. The searches for this page did not give the license fee or any bond amount, and none is stated here.

What does the operator in charge have to hold?

The operator in charge must meet a certification grade that depends on the disposal method. The grade is set by the DNR, and it is confirmed with the hauler rather than assumed from this page.

A certification is held by the individual who is in charge of the operation, not by the company alone. The hauler names that person, and the customer can ask to see the certification.

The grade depends on how the waste is disposed of, so the hauler's disposal method determines the grade the operator needs. A hauler that uses a different method must have an operator with the matching grade.

The grade is not stated on this page, because the DNR's grade structure is the authority and a number given here could be wrong for a given method.

What is the rule against mixing waste?

The DNR's general permit says septage may not be mixed with other waste. A unit's contents are kept separate on the way to disposal, and the hauler follows the rule for every load.

Mixing septage with other waste changes what the disposal site must accept and how it must be treated. The rule keeps the waste in the form the permitted site is set up to handle.

A hauler that adds rinse water or other material to the tank is breaking the rule in the way the load is carried, and the customer should ask how the tank is kept separate.

The rule is part of the DNR's general permit text for septage storage, and the hauler is expected to know it and to follow it on every load.

Where does the waste go, and how is that checked?

The waste goes to a permitted disposal site, which the hauler names. A site that is not named or not permitted is not acceptable, and the customer can ask for the name on the first call.

The disposal site is the last link in the chain. A permitted site is one the DNR has approved for septage, and the hauler's arrangement with it is part of the license.

The customer can check the site by asking the hauler for its name and then confirming the permit with the DNR. The DNR's listings are the source for that check.

A pumping that is not recorded with its disposal site is a gap in the record, and the hauler is asked to fill it before the next visit.

What is the rule for a hauler from outside Wisconsin?

A hauler from another state that pumps units in Wisconsin must meet the Wisconsin requirements for that work. The DNR is the source for what those are, and a hauler's own home-state license is not enough on its own.

The state's license applies to the work done in Wisconsin. A hauler based elsewhere is asked for its Wisconsin license, not only its license at home.

A hauler that cannot show a Wisconsin license for the work is not used for a unit in the service area.

The searches did not cover every hauler's licensing position, so the check is made for each hauler on the first call.

Options

Types and options for septage hauling under wisconsin rules

Licensed hauler with a permitted site

The standard arrangement: a DNR-licensed septage servicing business, an operator with the required certification and a named permitted disposal site.

Hauler outside the state

A hauler from another state that carries Wisconsin waste must meet the Wisconsin license requirement for the work done in the state, and the DNR is the source for that.

Property or event operator

An organizer or a property owner who pumps its own units without a license is not using a licensed hauler, and the arrangement is not described as one on this site.

Milwaukee County

Why septage hauling under wisconsin rules is different in Southeast Wisconsin

The DNR's septage rules apply across Wisconsin, including Milwaukee and the 25 places in the service area. No separate Milwaukee septage ordinance was found, and none is described here.

A municipal ordinance in another Wisconsin community requires haulers to hold a state septage license and use certified operators. That ordinance is not a Milwaukee rule and is not described as one.

The DNR's general permit defines domestic septage to include portable restrooms, which is the reason a portable unit is in scope.

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Where we work

Septage Hauling Under Wisconsin Rules across Milwaukee County

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Related

Servicing and Pumping Schedule

The visit schedule that keeps units clean and usable, with the pumping done by a licensed hauler and the record kept for the customer.

Standard Portable Toilet Rental

The standard single-stall unit for events, job sites and yards, delivered, placed, serviced and collected across the Milwaukee service area.

Event Restroom Planning in Milwaukee

The sequence for setting an event's restroom plan in Milwaukee: the organizer, the City's event office, the site layout and then the unit order.

Long-Term Job Site Rental

A rental for the length of a multi-month job, with a fixed weekly servicing plan, a repair route and a written record for the site manager.

Guides

Read before you book

How Wisconsin Regulates Pumping and Hauling a Portable Restroom

Wisconsin's Department of Natural Resources requires a septage servicing business license for anyone in the business of removing and disposing of domestic septage, and its general permit defines domestic septage to include portable restrooms.

FAQ

Septage Hauling Under Wisconsin Rules FAQs

Does a portable toilet count as septage?

Under the DNR's general permit text, domestic septage includes the waste from portable restrooms. The rules for septage therefore apply to pumping one.

Does the customer need a license?

The customer does not need the septage license. The hauler that pumps the unit must hold it, and the customer asks for the hauler's license on the first call.

What certification does the operator need?

A certification grade that depends on the disposal method, set by the DNR. The grade is not stated on this site, and the hauler confirms the one it needs.

Can the waste be mixed with other material?

No. The DNR's general permit says septage may not be mixed with other waste, and the hauler keeps the load separate.

Where can I check a hauler's license?

Ask the hauler for its license details, then confirm them with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. This site does not print a license number.

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