The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, TCEQ, regulates the hauling of portable toilet waste, which it calls chemical toilet waste. Haulers must register under 30 TAC Chapter 312, Subchapter G, and customers can check the registration through TCEQ's sludge transporter page.
Key takeaways
- TCEQ regulates the hauling of portable toilet waste, classed as chemical toilet waste.
- Haulers must register with TCEQ under 30 TAC Chapter 312, Subchapter G.
- Transporters file an annual report and give customers a manifest.
- Waste must be taken only to authorised disposal facilities.
- Renting a unit does not require a state registration, but the hauler that empties it must be registered.
What does TCEQ call portable toilet waste?
TCEQ's transporter guidance calls it chemical toilet waste and groups it with septage and grease-trap waste.
The regulator's guidance is the reference for how the waste is classed and carried. Because it is grouped with septage and grease-trap waste, the same transporter rules apply to its hauling.
A customer does not need to read the regulation to use a provider well. The useful question is whether the hauler is registered, and TCEQ's registration pages are where that can be checked.
Does a hauler need a registration in Texas?
Yes. Registration is required under 30 TAC §312.142(a), filed on TCEQ's municipal sludge transporter registration form.
The registration is filed with TCEQ's Sludge Transporter Registration Program. Transporters also file an annual report and give the customer a manifest for the waste they take away.
Renting a unit does not require a state registration. This page does not say that any particular provider holds a registration; that is a question to ask the provider directly and to check on the TCEQ website.
Where can a customer check a hauler's registration?
On the TCEQ website, on the page for sludge transporter registration, and by asking the provider for its registration before the order.
Ask the provider to confirm its registration in writing, and keep the manifest it gives you after each service. Disposal is only at authorised facilities, and the manifest is the record that shows where the waste went.
Fees, deadlines and form revision numbers change, so check the current TCEQ pages rather than relying on a figure printed elsewhere.
Frequently asked questions
Does a city permit also apply to hauling?
Cities may add their own hauler permit. No Fort Worth or Tarrant County hauler permit was found for this page, so the answer is not given here. Ask the city.
Does renting a portable toilet need a state registration?
Renting does not require a state registration. The hauler that empties the unit must be registered with TCEQ, and Fort Worth Porta Potty Rental can confirm its own registration on request.
Sources
This guide is general information for Tarrant County homeowners, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. Prices are estimates. See our disclaimer.