What Must a Texas Aerobic Maintenance Report Include?

A Texas aerobic maintenance report must include three groups of content, set by 30 TAC §285.7(e)(1)(A): any responses to owner complaints, the maintenance provider’s findings as described in Figure 3 (§285.90(3)), and the test results required by Table IV (§285.91(4)), “including procedures for the maintenance of the unit approved by the executive director.”

Figure 3 is the state’s Sample Testing and Reporting Record. It calls for the test date and frequency, property address, permit number, person performing the inspection, signature of the licensed maintenance provider, company details, an operational/inoperative check of each component (aerators, filters, pumps, sludge, disinfection device, chlorine supply, electrical circuits, distribution system, sprayfield vegetation), repairs, access ports secured, test results, complaint dates, and comments.

The licensed maintenance provider must sign every report (30 TAC §285.7(b)(3), effective September 1, 2009), and the report is due within 14 days of the test (§285.7(e)(1)(B)).

Summarizes public rules as of Oct 5, 2026; not legal advice; verify with your permitting authority.

What does 30 TAC §285.7(e)(1) require?

The text:

“The report must: (A) include any responses to owner complaints; the results of the maintenance provider’s findings as described in §285.90(3) of this title (relating to Figures) and the test results as required in §285.91(4) of this title, including procedures for the maintenance of the unit approved by the executive director; and (B) be submitted to the permitting authority and the owner within 14 days after the date the test is performed.”

“Procedures for the maintenance of the unit approved by the executive director” refers to the manufacturer’s maintenance procedures accepted when TCEQ approved the proprietary unit. Where the manufacturer’s checklist adds items beyond Figure 3, include them.

What is on Figure 3, the Sample Testing and Reporting Record?

Figure 3 in 30 TAC §285.90(3) opens with: “This testing and reporting record shall be completed, signed, and dated after each maintenance check and test. One copy shall be retained by the maintenance provider performing the maintenance. The second copy shall be sent to the local permitting authority and the third copy shall be sent to the system owner.”

Figure 3 section	What it records
1. Frequency and date	Required frequency of maintenance check and tests (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, every 4 months); actual date of test
2. System inspection header	Property address; permit number; person performing inspection; signature of licensed maintenance provider; company name; company physical address; company telephone
2. Inspection items (operational / inoperative)	Aerators; filters; irrigation pumps; recirculation pumps; sludge condition; disinfection device; chlorine supply; electrical circuits; distribution system; sprayfield vegetation/seeding (if applicable); other as noted
3. Repairs	Repairs to system, listing all components replaced
4. Access ports	Secured after maintenance and inspection, yes or no; if not, explain
5. Tests required and results	BOD (grab), TSS (grab), Cl2 (grab), fecal coliform: required yes/no, results in mg/l, MPN/100 ml, or trace; test method
6. Complaints	Date(s) responded to owner complaints during reporting period, with copy of complaint and findings attached
7. Comments	General comments or recommendations

The two signature-related lines are “Person Performing Inspection” and “Signature of Licensed Maintenance Provider.” They may be different people. A registered maintenance technician can be the person performing the inspection; the signature line belongs to the provider.

Which test results go on the report?

Table IV in 30 TAC §285.91(4) sets the tests by system type:

• Surface application (spray) systems: “Total Chlorine Residual or Fecal Coliform at Each Required Test,” with a minimum acceptable result of “0.1 mg/l Residual in Pump Tank or Fecal Coliform Not To Exceed 200 MPN/100 ml (CFU/100 ml).” Non-single-family systems also need “One BOD5 and TSS Grab Sample Per Year,” with results “Not To Exceed 65 mg/l.”
• Secondary treatment with subsurface disposal: required tests “None,” minimum acceptable results “None.” The inspection and report still occur every four months.
• Non-standard systems: “Permit Specific” in all three columns. Read the permit.

Record the number, the unit (mg/l or MPN/100 ml), and the method. Figure 3 provides a column for each. For how the residual relates to the disinfection requirement, see Disinfection and chlorine residual rules.

Who signs, and what changed on September 1, 2009?

30 TAC §285.7(b) sets the signature rule:

“(3) Effective September 1, 2009, the maintenance provider must sign all maintenance reports.”

Before that date the “maintenance company” carried the testing and reporting duty (§285.7(e)(1)). Since then, the individual licensed maintenance provider is “responsible for fulfilling the requirements of the maintenance contract” and “for the work performed by registered maintenance technicians under their direct supervision” (§285.7(b)(2)). A technician’s signature alone does not satisfy §285.7(b)(3). For role boundaries, see Maintenance provider vs maintenance technician.

Does the report have to use Figure 3 exactly?

Figure 3 is labelled a “Sample” record, and §285.7(e)(1)(A) requires the report to include the findings “as described in” it. Many permitting authorities publish their own form or portal fields. The practical test is coverage: the local form or portal entry should capture every Figure 3 item and the Table IV results. Where a county form omits an item (for example, access ports secured), record it in the comments field or attach the Figure 3 record.

What else should accompany the report?

• Complaint documentation. Figure 3 asks you to “attach copy of complaint and findings.”
• Repair detail. List “all components replaced.” If a disinfection device was replaced as an emergency repair, 30 TAC §285.35(c) separately requires written notice to the permitting authority within 72 hours after starting the repair.
• Proof of delivery to both recipients. The rule requires delivery to the permitting authority and the owner within 14 days (§285.7(e)(1)(B)).

Sources

• 30 TAC §285.7, Maintenance Requirements: https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/texas/30-Tex-Admin-Code-SS-285-7
• 30 TAC §285.90, Figures (Figure 3): https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/texas/30-Tex-Admin-Code-SS-285-90
• 30 TAC §285.91, Tables (Table IV): https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/texas/30-Tex-Admin-Code-SS-285-91
• TCEQ, Maintenance of On-Site Sewage Facilities: https://www.tceq.texas.gov/permitting/ossf/ossfmaintenance.html

Last verified: 2026-10-05. Summarizes public rules as of Oct 5, 2026; not legal advice; verify with your permitting authority.

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