Texas OSSF (Septic) Installer License Renewal

Last reviewed October 2026 · 6 min read

In Texas, anyone who works as an on-site sewage facility (OSSF, or septic system) installer, apprentice, maintenance provider or maintenance technician must be licensed or registered by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). The licenses and registrations are valid for three years. Installer I, Installer II, Maintenance Provider, Site Evaluator and Designated Representative licenses need 24 hours of continuing education from TCEQ-approved courses, finished before the license expires; Apprentice and Maintenance Technician registrations need none. To renew, you submit a renewal application and a criminal history attestation and pay $111. TCEQ takes a late renewal up to 180 days after expiration at 1.5 or 2 times the fee, but CE not finished by the expiration date gets the renewal denied, and after 180 days you start over with a new application and the exam.

At a glance

Who needs it: To operate as an OSSF installer, apprentice, maintenance provider or maintenance technician in Texas, you must be licensed or registered by TCEQ
Which license: Installer I: standard OSSF systems (septic tanks, absorptive drainfields, unlined ET drainfields, leaching chambers, gravel-less pipe and pumped effluent drainfields). Installer II: all types of OSSF systems. Maintenance Provider: service or maintenance of on-site disposal systems using aerobic treatment. Apprentice (a registration): installs only under a licensed installer's constant, direct supervision. Maintenance Technician (a registration): maintenance only under the maintenance provider's direct supervision. TCEQ also licenses Site Evaluators and Designated Representatives
Renews every: Three years: occupational licenses and registrations are valid for three years. Go by the expiration date on your license
Renewal notice: As a courtesy, TCEQ mails a renewal notice to your last known address at least 60 days before the license expires, and may also email one 90 days before if it has a valid email address for you. It isn't responsible for undelivered mail: renewing on time is up to you
When you can renew: A license isn't eligible for renewal while it doesn't expire for 90 days or more, so you renew within the last 90 days before it expires
Continuing education: 24 hours from TCEQ-approved training courses for Installer I, Installer II, Maintenance Provider, Site Evaluator and Designated Representative licenses; none for Apprentice and Maintenance Technician registrations. You can take it any time while the license is active, but it must be finished before the expiration date: CE not completed by then gets the renewal denied, even if you apply within the 180-day late window. TCEQ's License Information search shows the CE hours on your record
Renewal fee: $111 if you apply on or before the expiration date; $166.50 (1.5 times the fee) 1 to 90 days after it; $222 (2 times the fee) 91 to 180 days after it
Renew: Online through TCEQ's Online Renewal page, paying by credit or debit card (print the receipt: it isn't mailed), or, if you can't renew online, on TCEQ's paper renewal form. Submit the criminal history notification the same day you renew. Allow at least 30 days for processing
Site evaluators: Renewing a site evaluator license also takes proof of a current designated representative, professional engineer, professional sanitarian, certified professional soil scientist, or professional geoscientist (soil science) license, on TCEQ's concurrent license affidavit mailed in with the renewal application and fee, unless your site evaluator license was granted on the basis of an Installer II or designated representative license
Deficiencies: If TCEQ finds a problem with your application, it sends a deficiency letter. You have 30 days from the letter's date or the license's expiration date, whichever is later, to fix every issue and tell TCEQ; otherwise the application expires and you must apply again with a new fee. Application fees are non-refundable
Working after it expires: If you've applied to renew (application and fee in), you may keep doing licensed work until TCEQ renews or denies it, but only while the license has been expired 90 days or less. More than 90 days past expiration, or with no application and fee in, you may not do licensed work until the license is renewed or re-issued
After 180 days: A license expired for 180 days or more can't be renewed, and only one renewal application may be submitted after it expires. You apply for a new license with its fee, meet the current education, training and experience requirements and pass the exam again
Military service: If you couldn't renew on time because you were on active duty outside Texas as a United States military service member, you can renew within two years of returning from active duty, with your military orders, the renewal application and the fee. CE is waived for the renewal cycle you served in. This doesn't apply to military contractors
Questions: licenses@tceq.texas.gov

The 180-day late window gives you more time to send the application, not to finish CE. Hours not completed by the expiration date get the renewal denied.

Renewing late? Apply well before day 180: TCEQ's pages put the cut-off at both "at least 180 days" and "over 180 days" after expiration, and a license past it can't be renewed.

TCEQ can only send notices to the address and email it has: keep your contact information current with TCEQ, or the 60-day notice goes to your old address.

How to renew

Find the expiration date on your OSSF license or registration and put a reminder about three months ahead of it: renewing opens once it's less than 90 days from expiring.
Licensed installers, maintenance providers, site evaluators and designated representatives: check your CE hours in TCEQ's License Information search, and finish any you're missing before the expiration date (24 hours).
Renew online through TCEQ's Online Renewal page and pay the $111 fee by card, or, if you can't renew online, use the paper renewal form. Print your receipt. Site evaluators who need the concurrent license affidavit mail it in with the renewal application and fee.
Submit the criminal history notification the same day you renew.
No letter or renewed license after 30 days? Email licenses@tceq.texas.gov, and fix any deficiency letter within its deadline.

Still tracking this in a spreadsheet? On a paid plan, get emailed 90, 60, 30, 7 and 1 days before it expires, by default.

Start free

Deadline checklist

6 months outLook up your CE hours in TCEQ's License Information search and book the TCEQ-approved courses you still need (24 hours for a license; none for an apprentice or maintenance technician registration).
3 months outCheck TCEQ has your current mailing and email address. Renewing opens once the license is less than 90 days from expiring.
60 days outRenew online, pay the $111 fee and submit the criminal history notification the same day.
30 days outNo letter or renewed license yet? Email licenses@tceq.texas.gov.
Expiration dayEvery CE hour must already be done. Renewing after today costs 1.5 times the fee, then 2 times after 90 days.

The license isn't the only thing expiring

Most lapses that cost contractors work aren't the license itself. They're one of these, renewing on a different date:

Your apprentices' or maintenance technicians' TCEQ registrations, if you supervise any: each is valid for three years and renews on its own
Your backflow tester or landscape irrigator license, if you hold one: TCEQ renews it separately
General liability insurance policy
Workers' compensation policy (or exemption)
Certificates of insurance (COIs) you've given to clients and GCs
Commercial auto insurance

LicenseLedger keeps every one of those dates in one place and emails you before each one expires, with reminders far enough ahead to finish CE and paperwork.

Track your renewal dates free

Frequently asked questions

How often do you renew a Texas OSSF installer license?

Every three years. TCEQ mails a renewal notice at least 60 days before the license expires, and you can renew within the last 90 days before it expires.

How many CE hours does a Texas septic installer need?

24 hours from TCEQ-approved training courses for Installer I, Installer II, Maintenance Provider, Site Evaluator and Designated Representative licenses, finished before the license expires. Apprentice and Maintenance Technician registrations need none. CE not completed by the expiration date gets the renewal denied, even within the 180-day late window.

How much does it cost to renew a Texas OSSF license?

$111 if you apply on or before the expiration date, $166.50 1 to 90 days after it, and $222 91 to 180 days after it.

What if my Texas OSSF installer license expired?

You have 180 days after expiration to apply, at the late fee. If you've applied, you may keep working until TCEQ renews or denies it, but only while it has been expired 90 days or less; past that, or with no application in, you may not do licensed work until it's renewed. After 180 days you need a new license and must pass the exam again.

Official sources

Rules, fees and CE requirements change. Confirm the current requirements with the official source before you renew:

TCEQ, On-Site Sewage System (OSSF) Information and Requirements

This guide is general information, not legal advice.

Other Texas guides

All Texas guides on one page

Get a reminder before this renewal is due

Add this license, your insurance policies and the COIs you collect from subs to LicenseLedger, and get an email before each one expires. Free for up to 3 records, no credit card required.

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Texas OSSF (Septic) Installer License Renewal

Last reviewed October 2026 · 6 min read

At a glance

Who needs it: To operate as an OSSF installer, apprentice, maintenance provider or maintenance technician in Texas, you must be licensed or registered by TCEQ
Which license: Installer I: standard OSSF systems (septic tanks, absorptive drainfields, unlined ET drainfields, leaching chambers, gravel-less pipe and pumped effluent drainfields). Installer II: all types of OSSF systems. Maintenance Provider: service or maintenance of on-site disposal systems using aerobic treatment. Apprentice (a registration): installs only under a licensed installer's constant, direct supervision. Maintenance Technician (a registration): maintenance only under the maintenance provider's direct supervision. TCEQ also licenses Site Evaluators and Designated Representatives
Renews every: Three years: occupational licenses and registrations are valid for three years. Go by the expiration date on your license
Renewal notice: As a courtesy, TCEQ mails a renewal notice to your last known address at least 60 days before the license expires, and may also email one 90 days before if it has a valid email address for you. It isn't responsible for undelivered mail: renewing on time is up to you
When you can renew: A license isn't eligible for renewal while it doesn't expire for 90 days or more, so you renew within the last 90 days before it expires
Continuing education: 24 hours from TCEQ-approved training courses for Installer I, Installer II, Maintenance Provider, Site Evaluator and Designated Representative licenses; none for Apprentice and Maintenance Technician registrations. You can take it any time while the license is active, but it must be finished before the expiration date: CE not completed by then gets the renewal denied, even if you apply within the 180-day late window. TCEQ's License Information search shows the CE hours on your record
Renewal fee: $111 if you apply on or before the expiration date; $166.50 (1.5 times the fee) 1 to 90 days after it; $222 (2 times the fee) 91 to 180 days after it
Renew: Online through TCEQ's Online Renewal page, paying by credit or debit card (print the receipt: it isn't mailed), or, if you can't renew online, on TCEQ's paper renewal form. Submit the criminal history notification the same day you renew. Allow at least 30 days for processing
Site evaluators: Renewing a site evaluator license also takes proof of a current designated representative, professional engineer, professional sanitarian, certified professional soil scientist, or professional geoscientist (soil science) license, on TCEQ's concurrent license affidavit mailed in with the renewal application and fee, unless your site evaluator license was granted on the basis of an Installer II or designated representative license
Deficiencies: If TCEQ finds a problem with your application, it sends a deficiency letter. You have 30 days from the letter's date or the license's expiration date, whichever is later, to fix every issue and tell TCEQ; otherwise the application expires and you must apply again with a new fee. Application fees are non-refundable
Working after it expires: If you've applied to renew (application and fee in), you may keep doing licensed work until TCEQ renews or denies it, but only while the license has been expired 90 days or less. More than 90 days past expiration, or with no application and fee in, you may not do licensed work until the license is renewed or re-issued
After 180 days: A license expired for 180 days or more can't be renewed, and only one renewal application may be submitted after it expires. You apply for a new license with its fee, meet the current education, training and experience requirements and pass the exam again
Military service: If you couldn't renew on time because you were on active duty outside Texas as a United States military service member, you can renew within two years of returning from active duty, with your military orders, the renewal application and the fee. CE is waived for the renewal cycle you served in. This doesn't apply to military contractors
Questions: licenses@tceq.texas.gov

The 180-day late window gives you more time to send the application, not to finish CE. Hours not completed by the expiration date get the renewal denied.

Renewing late? Apply well before day 180: TCEQ's pages put the cut-off at both "at least 180 days" and "over 180 days" after expiration, and a license past it can't be renewed.

TCEQ can only send notices to the address and email it has: keep your contact information current with TCEQ, or the 60-day notice goes to your old address.

How to renew

Find the expiration date on your OSSF license or registration and put a reminder about three months ahead of it: renewing opens once it's less than 90 days from expiring.
Licensed installers, maintenance providers, site evaluators and designated representatives: check your CE hours in TCEQ's License Information search, and finish any you're missing before the expiration date (24 hours).
Renew online through TCEQ's Online Renewal page and pay the $111 fee by card, or, if you can't renew online, use the paper renewal form. Print your receipt. Site evaluators who need the concurrent license affidavit mail it in with the renewal application and fee.
Submit the criminal history notification the same day you renew.
No letter or renewed license after 30 days? Email licenses@tceq.texas.gov, and fix any deficiency letter within its deadline.

Still tracking this in a spreadsheet? On a paid plan, get emailed 90, 60, 30, 7 and 1 days before it expires, by default.

Start free

Deadline checklist

6 months outLook up your CE hours in TCEQ's License Information search and book the TCEQ-approved courses you still need (24 hours for a license; none for an apprentice or maintenance technician registration).
3 months outCheck TCEQ has your current mailing and email address. Renewing opens once the license is less than 90 days from expiring.
60 days outRenew online, pay the $111 fee and submit the criminal history notification the same day.
30 days outNo letter or renewed license yet? Email licenses@tceq.texas.gov.
Expiration dayEvery CE hour must already be done. Renewing after today costs 1.5 times the fee, then 2 times after 90 days.

The license isn't the only thing expiring

Most lapses that cost contractors work aren't the license itself. They're one of these, renewing on a different date:

Your apprentices' or maintenance technicians' TCEQ registrations, if you supervise any: each is valid for three years and renews on its own
Your backflow tester or landscape irrigator license, if you hold one: TCEQ renews it separately
General liability insurance policy
Workers' compensation policy (or exemption)
Certificates of insurance (COIs) you've given to clients and GCs
Commercial auto insurance

LicenseLedger keeps every one of those dates in one place and emails you before each one expires, with reminders far enough ahead to finish CE and paperwork.

Track your renewal dates free

Frequently asked questions

How often do you renew a Texas OSSF installer license?

Every three years. TCEQ mails a renewal notice at least 60 days before the license expires, and you can renew within the last 90 days before it expires.

How many CE hours does a Texas septic installer need?

How much does it cost to renew a Texas OSSF license?

$111 if you apply on or before the expiration date, $166.50 1 to 90 days after it, and $222 91 to 180 days after it.

What if my Texas OSSF installer license expired?

Official sources

Rules, fees and CE requirements change. Confirm the current requirements with the official source before you renew:

TCEQ, On-Site Sewage System (OSSF) Information and Requirements

This guide is general information, not legal advice.

Other Texas guides

All Texas guides on one page

Get a reminder before this renewal is due

Add this license, your insurance policies and the COIs you collect from subs to LicenseLedger, and get an email before each one expires. Free for up to 3 records, no credit card required.

Start free

Not ready to sign up? Get the free tracking spreadsheet