Oklahoma Aerobic Guide is a directory of Department of Environmental Quality certified-installer rows with an aerobic spray flag. It does not design, install, or repair systems, and it does not publish a repair price. How we check the list explains the roster method. The rule text below is quoted from the DEQ-hosted Chapter 641 PDF, which includes amendments effective September 15, 2024, and the same sections on Cornell’s Legal Information Institute.
What DEQ counts as a repair
OAC 252:641-1-2 defines three different jobs. Only one of them is a repair.
- Repair
- “Repair” means the repair of any part of an existing on-site sewage treatment system, or the replacement of any part, “as long as the replacement part is placed in the exact same location that the original part had been located.” The definition also says: “Repair does not include excavation and replacement of a subsurface absorption trench.”
- Modification
- “Modification” means “the expansion or relocation of any part of an existing on-site sewage treatment system, which does not fall under the definition of new installation.”
- New installation
- “New installation” means the installation of a new on-site sewage treatment system. The definition says this includes “the replacement of an existing lagoon, aerobic treatment unit and/or dispersal field, even when the existing septic tank is not replaced.”
A part put back in the same place can be a repair. Moving or expanding a part is a modification, unless the job is a new installation. Replacing the aerobic treatment unit, the dispersal field, or both is a new installation even if the septic tank stays. Source: OAC 252:641 (DEQ PDF) and Cornell LII, 252:641-1-2.
Authorization comes before a new system or a modification
OAC 252:641-1-2.1(a) says: “Before installing a new or modifying an existing on-site sewage treatment system, the installer shall first obtain either” DEQ authorization to construct under the general permit, “or an individual permit to construct an alternative on-site sewage treatment system.”
For an authorization, the installer submits a completed and signed DEQ Form 641-575, “Request for Authorization/Permit to Construct an On-Site Sewage Treatment System,” with the appropriate fee, and either DEQ Form 641-581, “Report for On-Site Sewage,” or DEQ Form 641-581 Design, “Design Documentation Form.” Cornell prints a space in “641-581 Design.” The DEQ PDF text extraction joins that space. Both copies use the title “Design Documentation Form.” The fee amounts are on state fees for a new or replaced system. This page does not copy that schedule.
That authorization sentence is for a new installation or a modification. It does not say a same-location repair starts with Form 641-575. A repair still has to be inspected. OAC 252:641-1-3(a) says all new installations of, modifications to, and/or repairs to on-site sewage treatment systems shall be inspected and approved by DEQ, or installed, self-inspected, and approved by a certified installer, before they can be backfilled and before the system may be placed into operation. The installer requests any required DEQ inspection.
The owner has to stop a malfunction
OAC 252:641-1-4(a) says the owner shall keep the system maintained and operated so that sewage or effluent “does not surface, pool, flow across the ground or discharge to surface waters,” and so that aerobic treatment units and the other listed tanks do not leak or overflow. Lids and covers that the rule requires have to stay secured.
Subsection (b) says: if the system malfunctions, “the person owning or otherwise responsible for the system shall take prompt action to repair the malfunctioning system, prevent further violations and remediate the site.” The rule does not set a number of hours. This directory does not add one.
Alarm on, or spray going the wrong way
Two checks on this site already describe those symptoms. Use them, then come back here for who may do the work. aerobic septic alarm going off / spray-head problems.
The alarm guide says an alarm often signals a high water level in the pump tank, an aeration problem, or another control-panel fault. Safe checks named there: confirm the system has power, note which light or message is on, and look for obvious flooded lids after heavy rain. Do not disable the alarm and walk away. Do not open electrical panels if you are not qualified, and do not bypass floats or unplug equipment just to silence the sound.
The spray-head guide says spray dispersal needs clear heads, correct pressure, and a spray pattern that stays on your property. Heads that stick up can be damaged by mowers. Clogs can push water the wrong direction. If spray drifts onto a neighbor’s yard or a public area, that guide says to shut off the pump if you can do so safely and call for repair. It also says not to cap a broken head or improvise dispersal.
OAC 252:641-10-2 is the design rule behind those symptoms. When a pressurized dispersal method is used, the pump tank has “a high-water alarm set to activate and alert the owner/operator if the pump tank becomes more than one-half (1/2) full.” If spray irrigation is the dispersal method, there shall be a certified method to disinfect the effluent. “If chlorination is used as the disinfection method, a free chlorine residual of two tenths of a milligram per liter (0.2 mg/l) must be maintained in the pump tank.”
The first two years include repairs
OAC 252:641-10-3(a) states: “The installer of any aerobic treatment system including those providing nitrogen reduction shall maintain the aerobic treatment system for a period of two years following the date the system was installed at no additional cost to the owner.” During that period the installer is responsible for “repairing, adjusting or replacing any broken or malfunctioning parts.”
The same subsection sets checks at least once every six months:
- when spray dispersal is used, testing and recording the free chlorine residual of the effluent in the pump tank;
- measuring and recording the depth of the sludge in the trash tank;
- measuring and recording the volume of the sludge in forced-air aerobic treatment units;
- when pump tanks are used, a clarity test recorded as passing or failing;
- notifying the owner in writing of the maintenance provided during each site visit;
- keeping those records at the business for three years after the service date.
OAC 252:641-10-3(b) says the installer is not responsible when the owner or operator is the sole cause of the damage or the malfunction. The rule’s examples are “sprinkler heads that properly retract into the ground but are nevertheless damaged by careless actions of the homeowner, excessive water usage, introduction of harmful items into septic system.” Subsection (c) says that after the two years, “the owner of the aerobic treatment system shall be solely responsible for maintaining or hiring someone to maintain the system so that it operates as designed.”
If the system is still inside those two years, the alarm guide says to start with the original installer. After that, the owner does the work or hires someone. The statewide list of roster matches is aerobic septic repair across Oklahoma. A mailing city on that list is not a promise to cover your street.
Who may self-inspect the repair
OAC 252:641-21-1(b) says: “Certified installers may self-inspect and approve only systems they install, modify, or repair within the category(ies) for which they are certified.” They may also self-inspect lift stations or flow equalization tanks they install. They may not self-inspect and approve a small public sewage system with design flow greater than 1,500 gallons per day, or an alternative system.
OAC 252:641-21-1(g) names the categories. The “Aerobic-Spray” category “includes all aerobic treatment systems, which are described in Subchapter 10 of this Chapter, that utilize a spray irrigation field.” The “Aerobic-Drip” category is the separate category for a drip irrigation field. This page does not print a category code for any company. Ask which category covers your system, and check the current row on the DEQ certified installer roster.
Notice and Form 641-576AS
OAC 252:641-21-12(a) applies to each new installation, modification, or repair that a certified installer self-inspects and approves. The certified installer “shall notify the local DEQ office, before construction begins, of the time, date and location that an on-site sewage treatment system will be installed, modified or repaired.”
The same paragraph sets a Department of Environmental Quality fee on the installer: “The installer shall pay DEQ a Fifty-Dollar ($50.00) fee each time the installer fails to notify the DEQ prior to commencing construction.”
After the work, the rule says: “Within fifteen (15) working days after the work has been completed, the certified installer shall submit an accurate, completed DEQ Form 641-576AS to the local DEQ office.” The next sentence sets another installer fee: “The installer shall pay DEQ a Thirty Dollar ($30.00) fee each time the installer fails to submit a completed DEQ Form 641-576AS or within fifteen (15) days of completing the work.” The filing sentence says 15 working days. The fee sentence says 15 days. Both are copied from the rule. Neither figure is a price for the repair itself. This directory does not publish a repair price.
For the house, the city page is aerobic septic system Oklahoma City. It covers the city directory. It is not this repair page.
Quick answers
What does DEQ count as an aerobic septic repair?
OAC 252:641-1-2 defines Repair as the repair of any part of an existing on-site sewage treatment system, or the replacement of any part, as long as the replacement part is placed in the exact same location. Repair does not include excavation and replacement of a subsurface absorption trench.
When is the work a modification or a new installation?
Modification means the expansion or relocation of any part of an existing system, when that work is not a new installation. New installation includes replacing an existing aerobic treatment unit and/or dispersal field, even when the existing septic tank is not replaced. Before a new installation or a modification, OAC 252:641-1-2.1 says the installer shall first obtain DEQ authorization to construct or an individual permit.
Who has to act when an aerobic system malfunctions?
OAC 252:641-1-4 says the person owning or otherwise responsible for the system shall take prompt action to repair the malfunctioning system, prevent further violations, and remediate the site. The owner also keeps sewage from surfacing, pooling, flowing across the ground, or discharging to surface waters.
Who repairs a new aerobic system for the first two years?
OAC 252:641-10-3 says the installer maintains the aerobic treatment system for two years after the installation date at no additional cost to the owner. That duty includes repairing, adjusting, or replacing any broken or malfunctioning parts, and checks at least once every six months. The installer is not responsible when the owner or operator is the sole cause of the damage. After two years, the owner maintains the system or hires someone.
What must a certified installer file after a repair?
OAC 252:641-21-12 says the certified installer notifies the local DEQ office before construction begins of the time, date, and location. Within 15 working days after the work has been completed, the certified installer submits an accurate, completed DEQ Form 641-576AS to the local DEQ office. The rule sets a $50.00 fee when the installer fails to notify DEQ before construction, and a $30.00 fee when the installer fails to submit the completed form or within 15 days of completing the work. Those are DEQ fees on the installer. This directory does not price the repair.
Do the Oklahoma City roster records prove a company does repairs?
No. The home page and the companies hub of this directory each list 136 company cards, recounted on October 20, 2026. The repair tag is on all 136 cards. Three cards use Oklahoma City as the mailing city: Foster Septic Tank Cleaning, Randy's Skyline Construction, and Vet's Septic Service Inc. A mailing city is not proof the company repairs your unit. Ask whether they service your system at your address, and confirm the current row on the DEQ certified installer roster.
Sources
- OAC 252:641, DEQ PDF, including 252:641-1-2, 252:641-1-2.1, 252:641-1-3, 252:641-1-4, 252:641-10-2, 252:641-10-3, 252:641-21-1, and 252:641-21-12. The file includes amendments effective September 15, 2024.
- Cornell LII, 252:641-1-2, 252:641-1-2.1, 252:641-1-4, 252:641-10-2, 252:641-10-3, 252:641-21-1, and 252:641-21-12
- DEQ certified installer roster
- This directory’s home page and companies hub, recounted October 20, 2026: 136 cards, repair tag on every card, three Oklahoma City mailing cities
- Aerobic septic alarm going off and spray-head problems on this site