Find a licensed cesspool and septic company in Riverhead, NY

Who licenses cesspool and septic companies in Riverhead

• Septic work in Suffolk falls under the county's Liquid Waste license, which covers residential and septic tank work along with commercial, industrial and sewer drain treatment work.
• Suffolk's Liquid Waste license comes with endorsements for specific work, such as septic tank pumping and conventional septic system installation, and county law sets out ten of them.
• For the septic tank pumping endorsement, Suffolk requires proof that the company owns a dedicated pump or vacuum truck, among other items.
• Applicants for Suffolk's Liquid Waste license must document 5 of the last 10 years of employment with a licensed employer.
• The Suffolk Liquid Waste license fee of $400 includes one endorsement, each additional endorsement adds $200, and the application fee of $200.00 is non-refundable.
• Under Article 5 of Suffolk's Sanitary Code, no business other than a municipality may remove, collect, transport or dispose of sewage or other offensive material without a permit.

State rules and the lookup steps: how to check a cesspool and septic company's license.

What the Town of Riverhead requires

• Riverhead's residential packet calls for three plot plans or surveys showing the existing and proposed sanitary facilities, one carrying Health Department approval when required.
• Where Suffolk County Health Department approval is required, Riverhead lists it among the papers needed for the certificate of occupancy.
• Riverhead's scavenger waste plant treats waste from private and commercial septic systems or cesspools, and a hauler needs a town Scavenger Waste License, backed by a Suffolk County Liquid Waste Haulers License, to dump there.

The Town of Riverhead Building Department handles permits (631-727-3200 ext. 213). Our Town of Riverhead permit guide covers how to apply, inspections and certificates.

Homes in Riverhead: what the Census shows

Across the Town of Riverhead, the median home was built in 1984, and 26% of homes were built before 1960, 11% before 1940. 69% of the 16,498 homes here are single-family detached houses, and 80% are owner-occupied.

What cesspool and septic work costs here

Labor is a large part of any price. Long Island septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners earn a median $58,380 a year, from about $43,701 at entry level to $68,510 with experience. (New York State Department of Labor, wages updated to the first quarter of 2026.) Prices come from written estimates; more in the cesspool and septic cost guide.

• New York's State Septic System Replacement Fund can reimburse property owners up to 50% of the eligible costs of a septic system project, with no more than $10,000 paid per property.
• Official pages give different amounts for Suffolk County's Septic Improvement Program grant. The county's own program page says it provides installation grants of up to $20,000 per property, depending on whether the project qualifies.
• The state Environmental Facilities Corporation describes the Suffolk grant differently: a base of up to $10,000, plus up to $10,000 more for a pressurized shallow drain field ($5,000), for eligible low to moderate income applicants ($5,000), or both.
• Suffolk's septic grants page says owners in the Towns of East Hampton, Shelter Island and Southampton may be eligible for additional funding to replace an existing septic system with an I/A system.

Before you hire in Riverhead

• Ask for the license number the work needs here (see who licenses cesspool and septic companies above), and check it before you sign.
• Ask who files with the Town of Riverhead Building Department, and who books the inspections.
• What did you find, in writing: the type of system, its condition and the water level?
• If I replace the system, does the design qualify for the grant programs that apply here?