San Luis Obispo County Municipal Code Ch. 8.16 Septic Tank Trucks

No person or entity shall engage in the cleaning, pumping, hauling or disposing of material from a septic tank, cesspool, or any other tank or pit used for the collection of human excrement without first having obtained a permit in writing from the health officer or her/his duly authorized representative. All applications for permits shall be on a form supplied by the environmental health services division of the public health department and shall be in accordance with Chapter 8.06.

(Ord. 962 § 1, 1968: prior code § 7-016)

(Ord. No. 3468, § 27, 4-5-22)

(a) No permit will be issued to any person or entity, unless written application has been made and all trucks, tanks, conveyances and equipment used for the aforementioned purposes have been inspected and passed upon by the health officer or her/his duly authorized representatives.

(b) A valid certificate from the county sealer of weights and measures certifying the capacity of the tank may be required.

(c) The applicant shall have up to date written operating procedures and demonstrate they are knowledgeable of the operation of the equipment and of the proper procedures for cleaning and inspecting a septic tank to the satisfaction of the health officer or her/his duly authorized representative. A permit may be denied if the health officer or her/his duly authorized representative determines, based on substantial evidence, that the applicant does not have written operating procedures or fails to demonstrate that they are knowledgeable of the operation of the equipment and of the proper procedures for cleaning and inspecting a septic tank.

(d) An annual certification inspection shall take place at a location designated by the environmental health services division. A certification sticker shall be provided and placed on the driver's side of the tank once the operator has successfully passed inspection. An applicant may receive a replacement certification sticker upon proof that the sticker has been damaged and payment of an applicable fee. It shall be unlawful for anyone to place a certification sticker on any equipment other than the equipment specified in the permit.

(Prior code § 7-016.1)

(Ord. No. 3468, § 28, 4-5-22)

(a) All trucks or other conveyances must be clean, in good repair, and provided with leakproof metal tanks or other approved material. All tanks are to be equipped with watertight valves and tight fitting covers to prevent spillage or drippage.

(b) The tank capacity and the name, address, and phone number of the permittee shall be displayed on both sides of the truck or tank, in letters not less than three inches high. Such lettering shall be permanently affixed by painting, permanent decal, or other approved method.

(c) A vacuum hose shall be provided and maintained in a leakproof condition.

(d) A dedicated water hose for cleaning purposes shall be available. All hose and pipe used in cleaning shall be flushed back into the tank being cleaned and not onto the ground or premises. The hose shall be equipped with backflow prevention assembly when necessary to prevent backflow of contaminated water into the customer's water system.

(e) A minimum of one-gallon bleach or other approved sanitizer, hand cleaning/disinfectant, and a shovel shall be provided on the truck or other conveyance for cleaning and sanitizing purposes.

(Prior code § 7-016.2)

(Ord. No. 3468, § 29, 4-5-22)

No hose, pipe line, or tubing shall be connected from the domestic water line to any pump, suction pipe, or other equipment used in the cleaning, pumping or removing of material from any septic tank, cesspool or pit.

(Prior code § 7-016.3)

(a) All waste shall be disposed of in an approved waste disposal system.

(b) No person shall dispose of any of the cleanings containing human excrement from septic tanks, cesspools or pits in or upon any place, area, stream or watercourse where it may become offensive or a menace to public health.

(Prior code § 7-016.4)

(Ord. No. 3468, § 30, 4-5-22)

No cleanings shall be used for fertilizing any growing vegetables, garden truck, or low growing fruits or berries.

(Prior code § 7-016.5)

(a) Whenever a person cleans a septic tank, chemical toilet, cesspool, or sewage seepage pit, that person shall promptly record the event and make the records available for inspection by the health officer or her/his duly authorized representative. Upon request, the permitted person or entity responsible for that activity shall file a complete and accurate report for all such events. Said reports shall contain the location of septic tanks, chemical toilets, cesspools, and sewage seepage pits cleaned, the date of each cleaning, location of the disposal site, where sewage effluent or other material has been finally disposed of, and any other information which the health officer or her/his duly authorized representative may require.

(b) The report shall be signed by the permitted person or an officer of the permitted entity. The health officer or her/his duly authorized representative may require, before or after their initial receipt of a report, that any such report be sworn to before a notary. The permit of any person or entity who fails to submit sworn and/or notarized reports when required to do so may be revoked. Making a false statement or a material omission in a required report is a violation of this chapter, whether the report was or was not required to be sworn.

(Ord. No. 3468, § 31, 4-5-22)

Editor's note— Ord. No. 3468, § 31, adopted April 5, 2022, repealed § 8.16.070 and enacted a new § 8.16.070 as set out herein. Former § 8.16.070 pertained to a permit required for disposal of cleanings and derived from § 7-016.6 of the prior code.