When Is the Texas Aerobic Maintenance Report Due?

A Texas aerobic maintenance report is due within 14 days after the date the test is performed. The rule is 30 TAC §285.7(e)(1)(B): the report must “be submitted to the permitting authority and the owner within 14 days after the date the test is performed.” The clock starts on the day the technician tests the system, not on the last day of the four-month period.

The report goes to two recipients: the permitting authority (the county, city, or river authority that issued the permit, or the TCEQ regional office where no local program exists) and the system owner. Tests are required at least once every four months under 30 TAC §285.91(4), Table IV, so a typical single-family system generates three reports a year, each with its own 14-day deadline. Systems with qualifying electronic monitoring may be reduced to two tests a year under §285.7(e)(3), which means two reports a year.

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

What does the rule actually say?

The deadline sits inside the testing and reporting subsection of the maintenance rule. 30 TAC §285.7(e)(1) reads, in relevant part:

“Effective September 1, 2009, the maintenance provider shall test and report for each system as required in §285.91(12) of this title … 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 …; and (B) be submitted to the permitting authority and the owner within 14 days after the date the test is performed.”

Three points follow directly from that text:

1. The trigger is the test date. The 14 days run from “the date the test is performed.” A visit on the 1st of the month creates a deadline on the 15th.
2. Two recipients, one deadline. Both the permitting authority copy and the owner copy are due inside the same 14 days. Sending one and not the other does not satisfy the rule.
3. The duty belongs to the maintenance provider. Since September 1, 2009, the licensed maintenance provider, not the company, carries the reporting duty (30 TAC §285.7(b)(2)) and must sign every report (§285.7(b)(3)).

How does the 14-day deadline interact with the 4-month cycle?

The two timelines are independent. The four-month interval in 30 TAC §285.91(4), Table IV governs how often you must test. The 14-day window in §285.7(e)(1)(B) governs how quickly each test must be reported. A provider that tests on time but reports on day 20 has met the testing rule and missed the reporting rule.

Event	Rule	Timing
Routine test and inspection	30 TAC §285.91(4), Table IV	At least once every four months
Reduced testing with electronic monitoring	30 TAC §285.7(e)(3)	May be reduced to two per year
Report to permitting authority	30 TAC §285.7(e)(1)(B)	Within 14 days after the test date
Report to owner	30 TAC §285.7(e)(1)(B)	Within 14 days after the test date
Provider’s own copy retained	30 TAC §285.90(3), Figure 3	Kept by the provider (“One copy shall be retained by the maintenance provider”)
Tag punched or marked on site	30 TAC §285.7(e)(2)(D)	At the time of each maintenance check

Does the deadline change if the owner complained?

No. A complaint visit still produces a record. 30 TAC §285.7(e)(1)(A) requires the report to “include any responses to owner complaints,” and §285.7(e)(2)(D) requires the weather-resistant tag to be marked at “each maintenance check, including any maintenance check in response to owner complaints.” Figure 3 in §285.90(3) carries a line for “Date(s) responded to owner complaints during reporting period (attach copy of complaint and findings).” Most providers fold the complaint response into the next routine report; the rule does not set a separate deadline for complaint-only visits, so confirm local expectations with your permitting authority.

Does the deadline apply to every aerobic system?

It applies to systems that must be tested and reported under 30 TAC §285.91(12), Table XII. That table marks “Test & Report” for secondary treatment with surface application and “Report” for secondary treatment with subsurface disposal (absorptive drainfield, ET, leaching chamber, gravelless pipe, drip emitter, low pressure dosing, mounds). Table XII footnote (4) states the testing and reporting requirement is “Not required if the homeowner maintains the system,” and §285.7(e)(4) confirms that a single-family owner who maintains their own unit under §285.7(d)(4) “is not subject to testing and reporting requirements.”

What counts as “submitted”?

The rule does not define the delivery method. Permitting authorities in Texas accept reports through county portals, file uploads, web forms, email, and paper, and the method varies by county. For how to file with a specific authority and what a receipt should show, see Where and how do maintenance providers file reports in Texas?. Keep proof of the submission date for every report, because the 14-day window is measured against it.

Why the deadline matters for your license

Missed reports are a listed ground for license action. 30 TAC §285.65(a)(1)(B) allows suspension for “failing to properly submit maintenance reports required by §285.7(d) of this title … for an individual OSSF in a 12-month period,” and §285.65(a)(1)(C) for “failing to properly submit four or more required OSSF maintenance reports over any two-year period.” Revocation grounds in §285.65(b)(5)(B) reach “failing to properly submit maintenance reports … for an individual homeowner in any consecutive 12-month period.” Details are on What happens if an aerobic report is late in Texas?.

Sources

• 30 TAC §285.7, Maintenance Requirements: https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/texas/30-Tex-Admin-Code-SS-285-7
• 30 TAC §285.91, Tables (Table IV, Table XII): 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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