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State guide

Septic companies in Arkansas

Arkansas permits septic from the state, through a Department of Health specialist who sits in your own county health unit and is called the Authorized Agent. The state licenses four roles under one rule and the pumper under a separate law from 1973. This guide covers who to call, why the designer of your system has to be an engineer, surveyor, master plumber or sanitarian, the ten acre exemption and the 200 foot condition attached to it, and the monitoring contract an alternative system carries for life.

Companies
124
Counties
44
With Google reviews
58

Who Regulates Septic Systems in Arkansas

Sources: Arkansas Department of Health. Checked 2026-09-18.

Arkansas permits septic from the state, but the person who signs your permit sits in your county. That sounds like a contradiction and it is not. The Department of Health places its own staff in each county health unit, and it is that state employee who approves the work.

The Arkansas Department of Health's Onsite Wastewater program sets statewide policies and assists Environmental Health Specialists in each of the county health units opens in a new tab, and the programme reviews permit applications for systems under 5,000 gallons per day opens in a new tab. A house is well inside that limit.

The rule gives that person a title you will hear on the phone. An Authorized Agent is the Environmental Health Specialist assigned to the county or business unit by the Department opens in a new tab, and for those cities or counties with Authorized Agents, that agent shall be the Authorized Agent of the Department opens in a new tab. The statute makes the permit one issued by the Division of Sanitarian Services or its authorized agent opens in a new tab.

One layer can sit on top, and it is a city rather than a county. A municipality may adopt an ordinance governing the same subject matter as the chapter opens in a new tab, so inside a city limit there may be more to satisfy. To start, call the health unit in the county where the property is and ask for the Onsite Environmental Specialist opens in a new tab.

Licenses and What to Check Before You Hire

Sources: Arkansas Department of Health. Checked 2026-09-18.

Arkansas licenses four roles under one umbrella and a fifth under its own older law. The rule's term is licensees, meaning persons licensed by the state to perform onsite related services, and it names Installers, Designated Representatives, Certified Monitoring Personnel and Septic Tank Manufacturers opens in a new tab.

The Designated Representative is the one who designs your system, and Arkansas sets a high bar for who may be one. A DR is certified by the Department to make percolation tests, system designs and inspections, subject to the Authorized Agent's final approval opens in a new tab, and DRs shall be registered professional engineers, registered land surveyors, licensed master plumbers, registered sanitarians or similarly qualified opens in a new tab.

The installer is a separate licence and is registered rather than merely approved. An installer is any person, firm, corporation, association, municipality or governmental agency licensed by the department which constructs, installs, alters or repairs onsite systems opens in a new tab, and each installer operating in Arkansas shall be registered by the Department, wherever the home office may be opens in a new tab.

Pumping is governed by a different law entirely, from 1973. Persons or companies cleaning or pumping septic tanks, holding tanks, marine sanitation devices or portable toilets must obtain a Septic Tank Cleaner License opens in a new tab, and the rule defines a septic tank cleaner as anyone who cleans those or transports septage or sewage opens in a new tab.

Two more roles complete the set. A Monitoring Person is certified by the Department to conduct assessments under the Onsite Wastewater Systems Monitoring Program opens in a new tab, and septic tank manufacturers doing business in Arkansas shall hold a valid registration, at a fee of one hundred dollars opens in a new tab.

Arkansas publishes a searchable register, and the label to pick is not the obvious one. The state's own instructions say to select the Designated Representative license type, and for a septic system installer to select the Advanced Septic Installer license type opens in a new tab. We hold no Arkansas register of our own, so no listing here carries a verified credential for this state, and that lookup is where a claim gets checked.

Permits, Inspections and Selling a Home

Sources: Arkansas Department of Health. Checked 2026-09-18.

The Arkansas permit comes in parts, and the last one is the one that lets you flush. Part I is the Permit for Construction, completed by a Designated Representative and approved by the Department or its Authorized Agent opens in a new tab. Part III is the Permit for Operation, issued after approval of the inspection, and the system shall not be used until it is issued opens in a new tab.

There is one exemption and it is drawn tightly. It applies to a single residence on ten or more acres where all parts of the sewage system are more than 200 feet from any property line, including roads opens in a new tab. Both halves have to be true, and the road clause catches people out.

On selling, we found no state rule requiring a septic inspection when a home changes hands. What Arkansas does have is a disclosure duty on new build. On the state's own form a developer or builder attests that prior to the sale of the property they will convey to the buyer all information associated with the system opens in a new tab.

For an existing home, the paperwork is worth chasing before you buy. The county health unit holds the permit, and the state advises that it helps to know the year the home was built, the subdivision name and lot number, and the name of the original owner or developer opens in a new tab.

Keeping a System Working

Sources: Arkansas Department of Health; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Checked 2026-09-18.

If you have a holding tank or an alternative system, Arkansas does not leave the servicing to you: owners are required to maintain a Monitoring Contract with a Monitoring Person registered by the Department for the life of the system opens in a new tab, assessments shall be conducted at a minimum once every 6 months opens in a new tab, and no homeowner shall be allowed to monitor their own system opens in a new tab. For a conventional tank we found no state interval, so the EPA's three year inspection guidance applies opens in a new tab.

Help Paying for Repairs

Sources: Arkansas Department of Agriculture; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Checked 2026-09-18.

Arkansas's state water money is for organisations. The Natural Resources Division partners with community water and wastewater systems, city and county governments and conservation districts opens in a new tab, and 319 eligibility runs to state or local government agencies, nonprofit organisations and academic institutions, with a 40% non-federal match opens in a new tab.

So the route that reaches a single household is federal. Grants and low interest loans repair, improve or modernise rural single family homes, with grants for elderly very low income owners to remove health and safety hazards opens in a new tab, while individual homeowners are not eligible to receive 319 grant assistance directly opens in a new tab.

Find Your County Health Unit

Arkansas septic permits are issued by the state through the Environmental Health Specialist assigned to each county health unit. The Department of Health no longer publishes a page for each unit, so the office below comes from its own directory service. Each entry is the health unit for that county. Checked 2026-09-18.

CountyEnvironmental health office
BaxterBaxter County Health Unit - Mountain Home opens in a new tabBaxter County Health Unit - Mountain Home is at 850 Buttercup Drive, Mountain Home 72653, phone 870-425-3072. This office is an Arkansas Department of Health county health unit, not a county government department: the permit is issued by the ADH Environmental Health Specialist assigned to the county, whom the rule calls the Authorized Agent. The unit named here comes from ADH's own ADH_LocalHealthUnits directory service, which is what the Local Health Units map on healthy.arkansas.gov is built from, rather than from a per-county web page, because ADH publishes no page for any individual health unit. · Baxter County page
BentonBenton County Health Unit - Rogers opens in a new tabBenton County Health Unit - Rogers is at 1200 W Walnut St Suite 2200, Rogers 72756, phone 479-986-1300. This office is an Arkansas Department of Health county health unit, not a county government department: the permit is issued by the ADH Environmental Health Specialist assigned to the county, whom the rule calls the Authorized Agent. The unit named here comes from ADH's own ADH_LocalHealthUnits directory service, which is what the Local Health Units map on healthy.arkansas.gov is built from, rather than from a per-county web page, because ADH publishes no page for any individual health unit. ADH runs two Benton County units and both list septic tanks among their environmental services; the other is the Benton County Health Unit - Siloam Springs at 101 W University, Siloam Springs 72761, phone 479-549-3794. · Benton County page
ClarkClark County Health Unit - Arkadelphia opens in a new tabClark County Health Unit - Arkadelphia is at 605 S 10th St, Arkadelphia 71923, phone 870-246-4471. This office is an Arkansas Department of Health county health unit, not a county government department: the permit is issued by the ADH Environmental Health Specialist assigned to the county, whom the rule calls the Authorized Agent. The unit named here comes from ADH's own ADH_LocalHealthUnits directory service, which is what the Local Health Units map on healthy.arkansas.gov is built from, rather than from a per-county web page, because ADH publishes no page for any individual health unit. The county government site clarkcountyar.gov still links a County Health Unit menu item, but that URL is a retired ADH address that now redirects to the statewide Local Health Units page. · Clark County page
CraigheadCraighead County Health Unit - Jonesboro opens in a new tabCraighead County Health Unit - Jonesboro is at 611 E Washington Ave Suite B, Jonesboro 72401, phone 870-933-4585. This office is an Arkansas Department of Health county health unit, not a county government department: the permit is issued by the ADH Environmental Health Specialist assigned to the county, whom the rule calls the Authorized Agent. The unit named here comes from ADH's own ADH_LocalHealthUnits directory service, which is what the Local Health Units map on healthy.arkansas.gov is built from, rather than from a per-county web page, because ADH publishes no page for any individual health unit. · Craighead County page
CrawfordCrawford County Health Unit - Van Buren opens in a new tabCrawford County Health Unit - Van Buren is at 2040 Chestnut Ave, Van Buren 72956, phone 479-474-6391. This office is an Arkansas Department of Health county health unit, not a county government department: the permit is issued by the ADH Environmental Health Specialist assigned to the county, whom the rule calls the Authorized Agent. The unit named here comes from ADH's own ADH_LocalHealthUnits directory service, which is what the Local Health Units map on healthy.arkansas.gov is built from, rather than from a per-county web page, because ADH publishes no page for any individual health unit. · Crawford County page
FaulknerFaulkner County Health Unit - Conway opens in a new tabFaulkner County Health Unit - Conway is at 811 N Creek Dr, Conway 72032, phone 501-450-4941. This office is an Arkansas Department of Health county health unit, not a county government department: the permit is issued by the ADH Environmental Health Specialist assigned to the county, whom the rule calls the Authorized Agent. The unit named here comes from ADH's own ADH_LocalHealthUnits directory service, which is what the Local Health Units map on healthy.arkansas.gov is built from, rather than from a per-county web page, because ADH publishes no page for any individual health unit. The county government site links its Health Department nav item straight to the statewide ADH Local Health Units page, which is consistent with county government having no role in septic permitting here. · Faulkner County page
GarlandGarland County Health Unit - Hot Springs opens in a new tabGarland County Health Unit - Hot Springs is at 1425 Malvern Ave, Hot Springs 71901, phone 501-624-3394. This office is an Arkansas Department of Health county health unit, not a county government department: the permit is issued by the ADH Environmental Health Specialist assigned to the county, whom the rule calls the Authorized Agent. The unit named here comes from ADH's own ADH_LocalHealthUnits directory service, which is what the Local Health Units map on healthy.arkansas.gov is built from, rather than from a per-county web page, because ADH publishes no page for any individual health unit. Garland County is the only one of these sixteen counties whose own site publishes a page for its health unit, at www.garlandcounty.org/514/Garland-County-Health-Unit, and that page's director, address and phone match ADH's directory record exactly. · Garland County page
GreeneGreene County Health Unit - Paragould opens in a new tabGreene County Health Unit - Paragould is at 801 Goldsmith Rd, Paragould 72450, phone 870-236-7782. This office is an Arkansas Department of Health county health unit, not a county government department: the permit is issued by the ADH Environmental Health Specialist assigned to the county, whom the rule calls the Authorized Agent. The unit named here comes from ADH's own ADH_LocalHealthUnits directory service, which is what the Local Health Units map on healthy.arkansas.gov is built from, rather than from a per-county web page, because ADH publishes no page for any individual health unit. · Greene County page
MadisonMadison County Health Unit - Huntsville opens in a new tabMadison County Health Unit - Huntsville is at 709 N College Ave, Huntsville 72740, phone 479-738-2612. This office is an Arkansas Department of Health county health unit, not a county government department: the permit is issued by the ADH Environmental Health Specialist assigned to the county, whom the rule calls the Authorized Agent. The unit named here comes from ADH's own ADH_LocalHealthUnits directory service, which is what the Local Health Units map on healthy.arkansas.gov is built from, rather than from a per-county web page, because ADH publishes no page for any individual health unit. · Madison County page
MillerMiller County Health Unit - Texarkana opens in a new tabMiller County Health Unit - Texarkana is at 503 Walnut, Texarkana 71854, phone 870-773-2108. This office is an Arkansas Department of Health county health unit, not a county government department: the permit is issued by the ADH Environmental Health Specialist assigned to the county, whom the rule calls the Authorized Agent. The unit named here comes from ADH's own ADH_LocalHealthUnits directory service, which is what the Local Health Units map on healthy.arkansas.gov is built from, rather than from a per-county web page, because ADH publishes no page for any individual health unit. ADH also records a Miller County regional office at the same address; the health unit is the one that carries environmental services. · Miller County page
PopePope County Health Unit - Russellville opens in a new tabPope County Health Unit - Russellville is at 203 Weir Rd, Russellville 72802, phone 479-968-6004. This office is an Arkansas Department of Health county health unit, not a county government department: the permit is issued by the ADH Environmental Health Specialist assigned to the county, whom the rule calls the Authorized Agent. The unit named here comes from ADH's own ADH_LocalHealthUnits directory service, which is what the Local Health Units map on healthy.arkansas.gov is built from, rather than from a per-county web page, because ADH publishes no page for any individual health unit. · Pope County page
PulaskiPulaski County Health Unit - Little Rock (Central) opens in a new tabPulaski County Health Unit - Little Rock (Central) is at 3915 W 8th St, Little Rock 72204, phone 501-280-3100. This office is an Arkansas Department of Health county health unit, not a county government department: the permit is issued by the ADH Environmental Health Specialist assigned to the county, whom the rule calls the Authorized Agent. The unit named here comes from ADH's own ADH_LocalHealthUnits directory service, which is what the Local Health Units map on healthy.arkansas.gov is built from, rather than from a per-county web page, because ADH publishes no page for any individual health unit. Pulaski has three active health units and they do not all do septic work: Little Rock (Central) and Little Rock (Southwest) at 8901 Dailey Dr, Little Rock 72209, phone 501-565-9311 both list septic tanks, while the Jacksonville unit at 3000 N 1st St, Jacksonville 72076, phone 501-982-7477 does not, so Jacksonville callers should still use a Little Rock unit. · Pulaski County page
SalineSaline County Health Unit - Benton opens in a new tabSaline County Health Unit - Benton is at 1612 Edison Ave, Benton 72015, phone 501-303-5650. This office is an Arkansas Department of Health county health unit, not a county government department: the permit is issued by the ADH Environmental Health Specialist assigned to the county, whom the rule calls the Authorized Agent. The unit named here comes from ADH's own ADH_LocalHealthUnits directory service, which is what the Local Health Units map on healthy.arkansas.gov is built from, rather than from a per-county web page, because ADH publishes no page for any individual health unit. · Saline County page
SebastianSebastian County Health Unit - Fort Smith opens in a new tabSebastian County Health Unit - Fort Smith is at 3112 S 70th St, Fort Smith 72903, phone 479-452-8600. This office is an Arkansas Department of Health county health unit, not a county government department: the permit is issued by the ADH Environmental Health Specialist assigned to the county, whom the rule calls the Authorized Agent. The unit named here comes from ADH's own ADH_LocalHealthUnits directory service, which is what the Local Health Units map on healthy.arkansas.gov is built from, rather than from a per-county web page, because ADH publishes no page for any individual health unit. The separate Sebastian County WIC Clinic in Fort Smith carries no environmental services, so the health unit on South 70th Street is the septic office.
WashingtonWashington County Health Unit - Fayetteville opens in a new tabWashington County Health Unit - Fayetteville is at 3270 Wimberly Dr, Fayetteville 72703, phone 479-521-8181. This office is an Arkansas Department of Health county health unit, not a county government department: the permit is issued by the ADH Environmental Health Specialist assigned to the county, whom the rule calls the Authorized Agent. The unit named here comes from ADH's own ADH_LocalHealthUnits directory service, which is what the Local Health Units map on healthy.arkansas.gov is built from, rather than from a per-county web page, because ADH publishes no page for any individual health unit. The Dr. Joseph H. Bates Outreach and WIC Clinic in Springdale carries no environmental services, so Fayetteville is the septic office for the whole county. · Washington County page
WhiteWhite County Health Unit - Searcy opens in a new tabWhite County Health Unit - Searcy is at 112 Brantly Rd, Searcy 72143, phone 501-268-6102. This office is an Arkansas Department of Health county health unit, not a county government department: the permit is issued by the ADH Environmental Health Specialist assigned to the county, whom the rule calls the Authorized Agent. The unit named here comes from ADH's own ADH_LocalHealthUnits directory service, which is what the Local Health Units map on healthy.arkansas.gov is built from, rather than from a per-county web page, because ADH publishes no page for any individual health unit. White County has two active health units and only one does septic work: the Beebe unit at 306 N Gum St, Beebe 72012, phone 501-882-5128 lists no environmental services at all, so Searcy is the septic office for the whole county. · White County page

Questions People Ask

Who issues my septic permit in Arkansas?

The state, through a person sitting in your county. The rule calls them the Authorized Agent, which is the Environmental Health Specialist the Department assigns to that county. Call the health unit in the county where the property is and ask for the Onsite Environmental Specialist.

Who designs the system, and who installs it?

Two different licences. A Designated Representative makes the percolation tests, the design and the inspections, and must already be a registered professional engineer, land surveyor, licensed master plumber or registered sanitarian. The installer is separately licensed and registered by the Department.

I searched the state register and found nothing. What did I do wrong?

Probably the license type. Arkansas's own instructions say to pick the Designated Representative type for a designer, and the Advanced Septic Installer type when you are looking for a septic system installer.

My land is over ten acres. Do I need a permit?

Only if the second half also fits. The exemption is for a single residence on ten or more acres where every part of the sewage system is more than 200 feet from any property line, roads included. That second condition is the one that usually fails.

Do I need an inspection to sell an Arkansas house?

We found no state rule requiring one. On a new build the developer or builder attests that they will convey all information associated with the system to the buyer before the sale. For an existing home, ask the county health unit for the permit on file.

Sources

Cities in Arkansas

Counties in Arkansas

How these are ranked

By verification score, out of 100, across six checks published in full on how we rank. No company paid to appear and none can pay to rank higher. The score counts records and is not a judgment about workmanship.