Septic tank pumping and repair in Chattanooga, TN
Ring us and a septic contractor who works your side of the ridge picks it up from there.
Call (423) 275-5876
Sewer mains don't reach every driveway around Chattanooga. On the ridges, out in the county, and across the line in Bradley County, plenty of houses still send everything down the drain into a tank in the yard. That's not unusual for this state: the University of Tennessee's soil science department puts it at nearly 30 percent of Tennessee households living with a septic system.
This site is for those households. It covers what pumping involves, what a repair usually looks like, what a buyer's inspection should include, and how the permit side works here, because Hamilton County runs its own septic office instead of leaving it to the state. When you're ready for someone to actually open the lids, call the number on this page and a local septic contractor takes it from there.
Where to start
| What's going on | Read this |
|---|---|
| Nobody remembers the last pumping, or you just bought the place | Septic tank pumping around Chattanooga |
| Trying to figure out how often your tank needs it | Pumping schedule by tank size and household |
| Wet spots, smell, slow drains, a field that quit | Septic system repair |
| Sewage coming up in a tub, shower or floor drain | Septic backing up into the house |
| Buying, selling, or renting the house out short-term | Septic inspections for a sale or rental |
| Adding a bedroom, a pool, or fixing a failed field | Hamilton County septic permits |
| Wondering why your lot needed a special system | Septic on Chattanooga's rock, slopes and sinkholes |
Ring us and a septic contractor who works your side of the ridge picks it up from there.
Call (423) 275-5876
Why the ground here matters
Chattanooga sits where the Valley and Ridge country meets the Cumberland Plateau: folded ridges like Missionary Ridge running through town, with Walden Ridge and Signal Mountain capped by harder rock to the west. The U.S. Geological Survey notes that the Valley and Ridge in Tennessee is underlain by carbonate rock, the limestone and dolomite that dissolve into sinkholes and caves. Tennessee's septic rules treat sinkholes, drainageways and steep ground as places a drain field generally can't go, so on a lot of local properties the usable soil is a smaller patch than the yard suggests. That's one reason a tank that's overdue for pumping can turn into a field repair faster than you'd expect.
Who's allowed to do the work
- Pumping: anyone in Tennessee who hauls septage for a living needs an annual septic tank pumping contractor permit from TDEC's Division of Water Resources. The truck is inspected every year, and the permit number and company name have to be painted on both sides of it.
- Installing and repairing: TDEC permits installers after a written exam, and Hamilton County also requires its own county installer license for work inside the county.
- Permits for the system itself: in Hamilton County they come from the county's Groundwater Protection office; in Bradley County they come from TDEC.
Pricing is set by the contractor. Ask for the number before the hose comes off the truck, and ask what's included (locating and digging up lids, a look at the baffles, a written note of what they saw).
Good questions
Is Chattanooga on sewer or septic?
Both. Much of the city is sewered, but many homes in the outer parts of Hamilton County, on the mountains, and in Bradley County are on septic. Your property records, or a past pumping receipt, will tell you which you have.
Do you pump septic tanks yourselves?
No. We are a referral service. Your call goes to an independent local septic contractor, who quotes and does the work.
Do you cover the Georgia side?
Calls from Catoosa and Walker County are welcome, but this site focuses on the Tennessee side. Georgia septic permits run through the county board of health under Georgia Department of Public Health rules, not through TDEC or Hamilton County.
Tell us what the septic is doing
This line is answered for local septic contractors around Chattanooga. We are a referral service, not a pumping company: the contractor quotes the job, does the work and bills you directly. Toilets or floor drains backing up? Quit running water in the house first, then call.