Septic tank pumping in Illinois
Quick answer
- Typical cost in Illinois
- $250–$7001,000-gallon tank, pump-out only; Chicago-area average about $347
- How often
- Every 3–5 yearsEPA guidance; sooner for larger households or a garbage disposal
- Permit needed?
- Nofor pumping; yes for repair, replacement or a new system
- Who may do it
- IDPH-licensed pumping contractorsPrivate Sewage Disposal Pumping Contractor license
In Illinois, pumping a septic tank is routine maintenance: no permit, but the company doing it must hold a Private Sewage Disposal Pumping Contractor license from the Illinois Department of Public Health. Repairs, replacements and new systems are a different matter — they need a permit from your county health department before work starts.
Licensed septic tank pumping professionals in Illinois
Every company here is on a county health department's list of licensed septic pumpers — Lake, McLean and Ogle counties so far, checked Sep 1, 2026. Illinois has about 90 local health departments and we add them as their lists are published; the statewide IDPH list has been requested. Listing is free — nobody pays to appear.
A. Helmer Septic
Licensed · Private sewage pumping contractor — Lake County Health Department list
Based in Cary · serves Lake County✓ license checked against the state roll Sep 1, 2026A & J Sewer Service, Inc
Licensed · Private sewage pumping contractor — Lake County Health Department list
Based in Wheeling · serves Lake County✓ license checked against the state roll Sep 1, 2026Arrow Septic Service
Licensed · Private sewage pumping contractor — Lake County Health Department list
Based in Woodstock · serves Lake County✓ license checked against the state roll Sep 1, 2026Blue Springs, Inc.
Licensed · Septic system pumper — McLean County Health Department list
Based in Carlock · serves McLean County✓ license checked against the state roll Sep 1, 2026Community Sewer & Septic
Licensed · Private sewage pumping contractor — Lake County Health Department list
Based in Wauconda · serves Lake County✓ license checked against the state roll Sep 1, 2026Evergreen Septic Service
Licensed · Private sewage pumping contractor — Lake County Health Department list
Based in Lake Geneva (WI) · serves Lake County✓ license checked against the state roll Sep 1, 2026Hallmann Sanitary Service
Licensed · Private sewage pumping contractor — Lake County Health Department list
Based in Hanover Park · serves Lake County✓ license checked against the state roll Sep 1, 2026Kelleys Sanitary Service
Licensed · Private sewage pumping contractor — Lake County Health Department list
Based in Antioch · serves Lake County✓ license checked against the state roll Sep 1, 2026Lakeland Septic Service
Licensed · Private sewage pumping contractor — Lake County Health Department list
Based in Union Grove (WI) · serves Lake County✓ license checked against the state roll Sep 1, 2026McBrayer Sanitary Service
Licensed · Septic system pumper — McLean County Health Department list
Based in Ellsworth · serves McLean County✓ license checked against the state roll Sep 1, 2026Nolen Services, LLC
Licensed · Septic system pumper — McLean County Health Department list
Based in Stonington · serves McLean County✓ license checked against the state roll Sep 1, 2026Norup Trenching
License 020-22C · Licensed septic pumper — Ogle County Health Department list
Based in Byron · serves Ogle County✓ license checked against the state roll Sep 1, 2026Pats Services, Inc
Licensed · Private sewage pumping contractor — Lake County Health Department list
Based in Burlington (WI) · serves Lake County✓ license checked against the state roll Sep 1, 2026Pitel Septic, Inc
Licensed · Private sewage pumping contractor — Lake County Health Department list
Based in Ringwood · serves Lake County✓ license checked against the state roll Sep 1, 2026Popejoy Plumbing, Heating & Electric, Inc.
Licensed · Septic system pumper — McLean County Health Department list
Based in Fairbury · serves McLean County✓ license checked against the state roll Sep 1, 2026Rechel Septic Systems
Licensed · Private sewage pumping contractor — Lake County Health Department list
Based in McHenry · serves Lake County✓ license checked against the state roll Sep 1, 2026Rieke Septic Service
Licensed · Private sewage pumping contractor — Lake County Health Department list
Based in Gilberts · serves Lake County✓ license checked against the state roll Sep 1, 2026Rochelle Vault
License 021-22C · Licensed septic pumper — Ogle County Health Department list
Based in Rochelle · serves Ogle County✓ license checked against the state roll Sep 1, 2026Ron Morris Septic
License 211-22P · Licensed septic pumper — Ogle County Health Department list
Based in Amboy · serves Ogle County✓ license checked against the state roll Sep 1, 2026Sunrise Septic Service, LLC
Licensed · Private sewage pumping contractor — Lake County Health Department list
Based in Antioch · serves Lake County✓ license checked against the state roll Sep 1, 2026Tate Trenching
License 046-22C · Licensed septic pumper — Ogle County Health Department list
Based in Mt Morris · serves Ogle County✓ license checked against the state roll Sep 1, 2026Tidy Tank Plumbing, Sewer, and Septic
Licensed · Private sewage pumping contractor — Lake County Health Department list
Based in Crystal Lake · serves Lake County✓ license checked against the state roll Sep 1, 2026Watson Septic Inc
License 034-22P · Licensed septic pumper — Ogle County Health Department list
Based in Davis Junction · serves Ogle County✓ license checked against the state roll Sep 1, 2026Weidner's Septic Service, Inc
Licensed · Private sewage pumping contractor — Lake County Health Department list
Based in Lake Zurich · serves Lake County✓ license checked against the state roll Sep 1, 2026Zeschke Environmental
Licensed · Septic system pumper — McLean County Health Department list
Based in Bloomington · serves McLean County✓ license checked against the state roll Sep 1, 2026Zeschke Septic
Licensed · Septic system pumper — McLean County Health Department list
Based in Bloomington · serves McLean County✓ license checked against the state roll Sep 1, 2026
What it costs in Illinois
Illinois sits in the middle of the national range. Chicago-area quotes run lower than downstate because haulers are close together and disposal sites are near.
A standard pump-out of a 1,000-gallon tank costs $250 to $700; in the Chicago area the typical range is $249 to $504, about $347 on average. Bigger tanks cost more: roughly $375 to $875 for 1,250 gallons and $450 to $1,050 for 1,500. Jet cleaning of the tank walls and baffles adds $200 to $300. Expect extra for locating and digging to a buried lid, and for emergency or weekend calls.
Rules and permits in Illinois
Illinois regulates septic systems under the Private Sewage Disposal Licensing Act (225 ILCS 225) and the Private Sewage Disposal Code (77 Ill. Adm. Code 905). The Illinois Department of Public Health licenses two kinds of contractor: installation contractors, who build and repair systems, and pumping contractors, who empty them. A pumper who cannot show a current IDPH license is not allowed to do the work.
Permits for new systems, repairs and replacements come from your local health department — about 90 local health agencies review plans across the state, either under their own ordinance or as IDPH agents. In suburban Cook County the Cook County Department of Public Health reviews and approves all private sewage systems, except in Barrington Hills, Inverness, Palos Park and South Barrington, which run their own IDPH-approved septic ordinances. Cook County also requires septage haulers to hold a county hauler permit on top of the state license.
Routine pumping needs no permit anywhere in Illinois. What it does need is a licensed hauler who disposes of the septage at an approved site — ask where it goes; a licensed contractor will tell you.
Questions people in Illinois ask
How do I know the tank needs pumping?
Slow drains, gurgling, a wet or unusually green patch over the drainfield, or a sewage smell outside. If none of those and it has been three years, book it anyway — a full tank pushes solids into the drainfield, and replacing a drainfield costs many times a pump-out.
Do I have to be home?
No, as long as the lid is reachable and the hauler knows where it is. Most companies will locate it for a fee if you don't.
Does pumping fix a backed-up system?
Temporarily. If it backs up again within weeks, the drainfield is failing, and that is a permit-and-installer job through your county health department, not a pumping job.
Is a cheap unlicensed hauler a risk?
Yes. Illinois requires the pumping contractor to be IDPH-licensed, and licensed haulers must dispose at an approved site. An unlicensed hauler may dump illegally, and the trouble can land on the property owner too.
Sources
- Lake County Health Department — Septic Tank Pumper List (July 16, 2026) — read Sep 1, 2026
- McLean County Health Department — 2026 List of Septic System Pumpers (revised May 12, 2026) — read Sep 1, 2026
- Ogle County Health Department — Licensed Septic Pumpers — read Sep 1, 2026
- Illinois Department of Public Health — Private Sewage Disposal (licensing, 225 ILCS 225, 77 Ill. Adm. Code 905) — read Aug 31, 2026
- Cook County Department of Public Health — Septic — read Aug 31, 2026
- Angi — Septic tank pumping cost, Chicago, IL (updated May 5, 2026) — read Aug 31, 2026
- HomeGuide — Septic tank pumping cost (national ranges by tank size, EPA 3–5 year guidance) — read Aug 31, 2026
Listed here and want changes, or want your listing removed? Tell us — done within a day. Costs are ranges from the sources above, not quotes; your price depends on the tank, the access and the distance.