Septic Pumping, Inspections and Repair for Massachusetts and New Hampshire Homes
A tank that hasn't been pumped in years, a house sale that needs a Title 5 inspection, drains that gurgle and back up, or a lot that needs a brand-new system? New England Septic Pros is a free referral service for homeowners in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Call (978) 486-7980 or send the form. A person reads every request and replies with what happens next.
- Free for homeowners
- Permits checked first
- One company per area
Ask About Septic Service in Your Area
Tell us what the system is doing, or what the sale or the project needs. A person reads it and replies with what happens next.
Please add your name, a 10-digit phone number and a valid email.
Your request didn't go through on our end. Please call (978) 486-7980 so it isn't lost.
Too many requests have come from this connection in a short time. Please call (978) 486-7980 and we'll take it from there.
We couldn't finish the spam check. Wait a moment and send it again, or call (978) 486-7980.
What we refer
What does your system need?
Pumping & Maintenance
Routine tank pumping, filter cleaning and the records your board of health or town may ask for.
Septic Inspections
Title 5 inspections before a Massachusetts sale, and system evaluations for New Hampshire buyers and owners.
Repair & Leach Field Replacement
Broken baffles, failed pumps, backups and leach fields that no longer take water, permitted the way your town requires.
New System Design & Installation
A licensed designer or engineer draws the plan, the town or state approves it, and a permitted installer builds it.
Not sure what it needs?
(978) 486-7980A soggy patch over the leach field, a sewage smell in the yard, toilets that gurgle when the washer drains, a buyer asking for paperwork you can't find: tell us what you're seeing and we'll help you work out which kind of job it is.
How it works
One request, not a morning of voicemails
Septic companies are busiest when everyone needs them at once: spring thaw, closing season, the week before a holiday crowd. Most homeowners end up calling around until someone answers. Tell us your town and what the system needs, and the request comes to us. No septic contractors are participating yet; we're signing them up one area at a time, and until then we reply to every request ourselves.
Each area has one participating company at most. We don't pump, inspect, design or dig anything, and we don't sign contracts. The price, the schedule and the agreement are between you and the contractor.
- Tell us about the system. Your town, when the tank was last pumped if you know, what you're noticing, and whether a sale, an addition or a failed inspection is behind the request.
- A person reads it and answers. Every request is read by a person, who writes back with what to do next.
- Most septic work starts with a permit. In Massachusetts your local Board of Health approves upgrades and most repairs; in New Hampshire, NHDES approves system designs before anything is built. The contractor handles the paperwork, and it takes time.
Service area
The towns we cover
Each town page covers who permits septic work there, any local septic rules stricter than the state's, where public sewer reaches and where homes still rely on septic, and the ponds, wells and wetlands the town protects. Towns with a local guide so far: Greater Lowell, MA (Lowell, Chelmsford, Dracut, Tewksbury, Billerica, Westford, Tyngsborough and Pepperell), Andover, Lawrence & Haverhill, MA (Methuen, Lawrence, Andover, North Andover and Haverhill), Woburn, Reading & Melrose, MA (Woburn, Lexington, Burlington, Wilmington, North Reading, Reading, Wakefield, Melrose, Stoneham and Winchester), Nashua Region, NH (Nashua, Hudson and Merrimack), Salem, Derry & Londonderry, NH (Pelham, Salem, Windham, Derry and Londonderry), Manchester & Bedford, NH (Manchester and Bedford) and Portsmouth, Dover & Rochester, NH (Portsmouth, Dover and Rochester). We add towns across New England as we can cover them properly.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts septic rules and every town we cover →
New Hampshire
State rules
How the two states handle septic
Massachusetts: Title 5 and your Board of Health
Selling means an inspection. A Title 5 inspection is generally required within two years before a sale, or within three years if the system has been pumped every year and the records are available. If bad weather prevents it, the inspection can wait until up to six months after the sale, and then the seller must tell the buyer in writing (MassDEP: buying or selling).
Only an approved inspector counts. Inspections by anyone other than a MassDEP-approved System Inspector are not valid for Title 5, and the approved names are listed by NEIWPCC (approved inspector lists). You are under no obligation to hire the inspector to do any repair (MassDEP consumer tips).
A failed system has a clock. MassDEP says a failed system must be upgraded within two years unless the Board of Health or MassDEP approves a different schedule, whether or not the house is being sold (MassDEP: buying or selling), and even replacing a single tank or distribution box needs a construction permit and a Certificate of Compliance (Title 5 repairs FAQ).
A tax credit helps pay for it. For a principal residence, the state credit is 60% of qualifying costs up to $30,000, up to $4,000 a year and $18,000 in total, with any excess carried forward up to five years, under the law as amended for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2024 (M.G.L. c.62 §6(i), DOR).
New Hampshire: NHDES approvals
Two state approvals. NHDES says that before you use a septic system you need both an Approval for Construction and an Approval for Operation (NHDES septic systems). The system must be built to the approved plans and inspected before it is covered or put into use (RSA 485-A:29).
Permitted designers and installers. Plans must be prepared and signed by someone holding an NHDES permit for the work, and anyone in the business of installing septic systems needs an NHDES installer's permit (RSA 485-A:35, RSA 485-A:36). Septage haulers need their own NHDES permit (Env-Wq 1600).
Sales. New Hampshire has no statewide septic inspection at sale apart from the developed-waterfront rule in RSA 485-A:39.
Massachusetts septic rules in full · New Hampshire septic rules in full
Last verified November 2026. Fees, restrictions and deadlines on this page are due for re-checking by January 2027.
FAQ
Common questions
Does it cost anything to use New England Septic Pros?
No. Asking is free for homeowners. The contractor prices the job, and the price and the contract are between you and that company.
Sewage is backing up into the house. Can you send someone tonight?
We are not an emergency service. We review it and reply by the next business day. If sewage is backing up into the house, stop using water and keep people and pets away from it. If anyone falls into or is overcome at an open septic tank, call 911 and do not climb in after them; tank gases can kill.
Will a bunch of contractors start calling me?
No. Your request goes to one company at most, the one that covers your town. We never send it out to a list.
What septic work do you refer?
Work at homes on private septic systems: routine pumping, Title 5 inspections and pre-sale evaluations, repairs such as tanks, pipes, pumps and distribution boxes, leach field replacement, and new system design and installation. Commercial systems and public sewer work are outside what we refer.
Do I need a septic inspection to sell my house?
In Massachusetts, generally yes: MassDEP requires a Title 5 inspection within two years before the sale, or three years if the system has been pumped every year and the records are available, with exemptions such as some family transfers and refinancing. New Hampshire has no statewide inspection at sale apart from the developed-waterfront rule in RSA 485-A:39.