What a septic pumping receipt should show in Michigan

Why the receipt matters more than the pumping

A pumper who empties your tank has done one thing you can see and many things you cannot. The paperwork is how you learn about the second group. The tank may be cracked, the baffle or outlet device may be gone, the filter may be clogged, and the drain field may be pushing liquid back toward the tank. Without a written record, the next owner, the county or a loan officer has to take your word for what the tank looked like.

Michigan gives you a model for that record. EGLE’s septic replacement loan program uses a one-page Septic Tank Pump Record, form EQP1731, completed by the pumper for each tank. The form binds only loan work, but it is a useful list of what a Michigan regulator thinks is worth writing down at a pumping. Use it as a checklist even if you are not borrowing.

The receipt, line by line

Line on the EGLE form	What it tells you
Date of pumping or service	When the clock for the next visit starts
Tank size in gallons and gallons pumped	Whether the tank matches the permit and whether it was fully emptied
Tank material	Concrete, plastic, steel or other, which matters for inspections and repairs
Filter cleaned at the time of pumping	Whether an effluent filter exists and was serviced
Outlet device condition (baffle, tee, vented elbow, effluent filter, none)	Whether solids can leave the tank
Sludge and scum layers present	Whether the tank is active
Watertight, with no evidence of groundwater infiltration	Whether the tank leaks in or out
Structurally sound	Whether the tank needs repair or replacement
Risers to grade; secondary safety device present	Whether the lids are reachable and secured
Liquid level at, below or above the outlet	A clue to blockage in the field or a leaking tank
Evidence of drain or run back from the field	A sign that the drain field is not absorbing
Repair or replacement recommended	The pumper’s own call, with comments
Hauler name and license number	Who did it, and whether the EGLE license is real

The line the form does not have: sludge depth

The EGLE form has no field for how deep the sludge and scum are. EPA gives the measurements that matter: pump when the bottom of the scum layer is within 6 inches of the bottom of the outlet, when the top of the sludge layer is within 12 inches of the outlet, or when sludge and scum are more than 25 percent of the liquid depth. EGLE’s own yearly checklist uses one-third full as its trigger. Ask the pumper to write the depths down before pumping. A measured depth tells you more about the next date than any calendar rule, and it lets you compare one pumper with the next.

What the pumper should do while the truck is there

Oregon State University Extension describes the work. To remove all the material, the scum layer has to be broken up and the sludge stirred into the liquid, usually by siphoning liquid out and reinjecting it into the bottom of the tank. The tank should be emptied through the large central manhole and not the baffle inspection ports, since pumping through the ports can damage the baffles. Before closing the tank the crew should check the baffles and replace missing or deteriorated ones with sanitary tees. Oregon State adds that supervising the cleaning is a good idea. You need not stand over the crew, but you can read the receipt and ask whether each step happened.

Questions to ask on the day

Ask the crew to show you the outlet device before the lid goes back on, and to tell you the liquid level at the outlet when the truck arrived. Find out whether the filter was cleaned, whether the tank was emptied through the central manhole, and whether any baffle was replaced. If you have more than one tank, have the crew say which one each line of the record refers to, because the EGLE form has columns for up to three tanks. If the tank has no riser, ask the crew to note how deep the lid sits. None of these questions is rude. A crew that works from a checklist will answer them in a minute.

The license number is the line that protects you

Only a business with an EGLE septage waste servicing license and a vehicle license may clean out and haul septage in Michigan, and Michigan law bars contracting with someone who is not licensed. The licensed business must keep a record of septage volumes, disposal locations and complaints for at least five years, so a legitimate hauler can answer where your load went. EGLE publishes a Septage Haulers Directory, so look the license up there yourself. EGLE also says a cashed application check does not mean a license was issued. For the full rules see the septic pumping page.

What a thin receipt tells you, and what to do

A receipt with only a date and an amount leaves out most of what the EGLE form asks for. Ask the company to add the missing lines, and ask whether it can email the repair recommendation. If the outlet device is missing, the tank has a crack or the liquid level is above the outlet, treat it as a repair request and not a footnote, and call the county health department about a permit before any work starts. Keep every receipt with the house papers: the buyer, the county’s evaluator and the loan program may ask for them, and the guide to buying a house with septic lists what else to hand over. Your pumping interval depends on the measurements, which the pumping interval guide explains.