Pump-out in California
Holding tank pump-out in California: mobile boat-to-boat service versus stations, discharge rules, the $5 cap at grant-funded stations, and hauler permits.
What it involves
A pump-out empties a boat's sewage holding tank. You can take the boat to a pump-out station, or a mobile pump-out boat comes to your slip and pumps the tank boat to boat.
Mobile service suits liveaboards, boats that rarely leave the slip and owners who are away.
Who does it: Mobile pump-out businesses with a pump-out boat, and marinas or harbors that run stations.
How often, in California
- It depends on tank size and how the boat is used. Some marinas set a minimum for liveaboards: Delta Bay Marina requires liveaboards to pump out at least every 30 days and sign the office log.[1]
What affects the cost
- Mobile service versus a station visit.
- Tank size, and whether pricing is per visit or per gallon.
- Recurring schedule versus on-call.
- Where the operator can offload, and what that costs them.
For published price ranges and the businesses they come from, see the pump-out cost guide.
California rules that apply
- All California marine waters are a federal no-discharge zone for large passenger vessels and large oceangoing vessels (since 2012). That rule does not cover small recreational boats, but local and harbor rules may.[2][3]
- Pump-out stations built or run with federal Clean Vessel Act grants must be open to the public and may charge no more than $5 per pump-out.[4]
- Station fees elsewhere vary. The Port of San Diego lists one marina's public pump-out at $25 (free for members).[5]
- Counties regulate liquid waste haulers. Orange County's program registers vehicles and vessels that collect nonhazardous liquid waste, including from boats.[6]
What to tell a provider
A request with these details gets a more accurate quote and fewer follow-up calls:
- Holding tank size and where the deck fitting is
- How often you need service, and whether anyone lives aboard
- Marina, slip and access for a pump-out boat
- Whether you need a record of each pump-out for your marina
The free service request brief puts all of this on one page you can print or send.
Related guides and tools
Sources
- Delta Bay Marina. Delta Bay Marina rules.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Federal Register). California No-Discharge Zone final rule, 77 FR 11401 (February 27, 2012).
- U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (via Cornell LII). 40 CFR 140.4 (complete prohibition of vessel sewage discharge in listed waters).
- U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (via Cornell LII). 50 CFR 85.11 (Clean Vessel Act grant: pumpout fees).
- Port of San Diego. Sanitary Stations and Fuel Docks.
- Orange County Health Care Agency. Liquid Waste Hauling FAQs.