How an HHE-200 becomes a local permit
We start new and replacement system work with a Maine licensed site evaluator. The evaluator checks the soil, usable area, setbacks, and design flow, then puts the proposed system on the HHE-200. That signed drawing supports the application. The municipal Local Plumbing Inspector reviews it, collects the local fee, and signs the permit before excavation begins.
Maine CDC Subsurface Wastewater Unit writes the statewide rule, but your town handles the permit. Peaks Island work goes through Portland Permitting & Inspections. Windham and Gray each use their own inspector. We can coordinate the build and inspections, but we cannot approve our own work or overrule the inspector.
Primary source: Maine CDC HHE-200 permit forms and guidance.
The order of work for a new or replacement system
Bring us any old HHE-200, pumping receipt, inspection report, or system sketch. Those records help locate the old work, but they do not show today’s underground condition. Next comes the licensed site evaluator, municipal application, signed local permit, excavation, and inspection. We leave required work open until the Local Plumbing Inspector has seen it.
Maine CDC changed its subsurface wastewater forms in 2026 and says older versions remain acceptable through January 1, 2028. An older form is not automatically a dead end during that transition. It still needs to be complete, fit the project, and carry the municipal approval required for the work.
- Find existing plans and system records.
- Hire a licensed site evaluator.
- Obtain the municipal permit.
- Keep required work exposed for inspection.
- Retain the signed design and final records.
Call the town for permit decisions
For Portland work, call City of Portland Permitting & Inspections at 207-874-8703. For a different town, call that code office for its fee, intake, and inspection schedule. Statewide form and rule questions go to the Maine CDC Subsurface Wastewater Unit at 207-287-2070.
Ask the local office about town boundaries, variances, current fees, and whether a repair needs a new design. Call us about pumping, access, excavation, installation, and scheduling the physical work. The town makes the permit decision.
Primary source: City of Portland Permitting & Inspections.
What to tell us when you call
Have the address, callback number, last service date, system records, and a short description of the problem ready. Mention buried lids, gates, ferry travel, steep or soft ground, a long hose run, snow piles, and alarms. We use those details to confirm availability, equipment, scope, and price.
Much of Portland’s mainland is on public sewer, while island and outlying properties can use septic. Nearby towns have their own mix. If there is any doubt, check the address with the town or utility before scheduling an onsite wastewater job.
Clear normal items such as toys, loose hoses, and parked cars from the access route, but do not dig around an unknown lid or move heavy equipment across the field. Tell us about a second compartment, pump chamber, effluent filter, deep cover, damaged riser, or locked gate before the visit. We also need to know if the truck must stay on a narrow shoulder or if the hose crosses a walkway, neighbor’s land, or active business entrance. Those details affect setup time and what belongs in the quote.
Ask which truck will haul the load
Maine DEP licenses each truck used to transport Category C septage. Program rules call for a decal on the driver's side window, a license kept with the truck, and shipment records. Pumped material goes to an authorized receiving or disposal facility; ask where your load will be taken.
Calls are answered by an independent septic contractor serving the area. Ask for the business name, the truck handling the work, any credential or insurance information needed for your project, and the receiving destination before the load leaves.
Primary source: Maine DEP non-hazardous waste transporter program.
Keep a useful service record
Save the date, work completed, amount pumped, parts accessed, visible condition, load destination, and next step. Mark tank lids from fixed building corners. If the job needs a design or permit, take the field notes to the licensed site evaluator or Local Plumbing Inspector.
The invoice should say what was done. Ask questions while the tank or excavation is open, and leave required construction exposed for the inspector. For a recurring problem, compare records so we can see a timeline instead of one symptom on one day.
If a lid, baffle, filter, alarm, or pump needs separate work, ask for that item to be named instead of accepting a vague whole-system recommendation. A clear record helps the next service call start with the known condition rather than repeating the same locating and troubleshooting work.