Septic Tank Pumping in Clackamas County, OR

• Coverage includes Estacada, Molalla, Beavercreek, Boring, Colton, Mulino, Sandy, Canby's rural edge, Welches and Rhododendron.
• Crews run I-205, US 26, Highway 224, Highway 213 and Highway 211 across the county.
• Other Northwest counties on this site: King County, Kitsap County and Grays Harbor County, WA.
• Before you call: know whether the system is standard or has a pump, sand filter or treatment unit, since those carry different permits and service needs.

• Routine pump-outs on rural and foothill homes
• Existing system reports for sales
• Sand filter and treatment unit service
• Locating tanks and adding risers
• Repairs under a minor or major repair permit
• Pump system service on sloped lots

• Pump-out pricing: HomeGuide lists $300 to $700 nationwide, at $0.30 to $0.70 per gallon, and a 1,000-gallon tank on a Beavercreek or Molalla acreage home falls in the middle.
• County fees from the FY 2026–27 schedule: $1,780 for a site evaluation, $1,913 for a standard system, $2,222 for pressure distribution and $2,530 for a sand filter.
• Repairs on the county's schedule: $678 for a minor residential repair, $1,090 for a major repair and $1,347 for a major non-standard repair.
• Method: HomeGuide's per-gallon range scaled to your tank, plus the county fee schedule. Steep foothill driveways and winter rain add local cost.

• Step 1, site evaluation: new systems start with a county site evaluation; the FY 2026–27 schedule lists $1,780.
• Step 2, permit: a standard system construction permit is $1,913, and pressure distribution or alternative treatment is $2,222.
• Step 3, repairs: minor residential repairs are $678 and major repairs $1,090, per the county's schedule.
• Step 4, state rules: Oregon Administrative Rules, Chapter 340, Division 71 (OAR 340-071-0140, Table 9) sets the DEQ surcharge, which the county lists at $159 on each permit.
• Step 5, transfers: an existing system report with a field visit, used in sales, is $1,090 on the schedule.

• Wet silty clay: much of the county's lowland has silty clay loam with a winter perched water table, and Cascade foothills soils are often shallow over basalt bedrock.
• USDA NRCS soil survey data rate 94.3% of the Clackamas County area survey (OR610) as very limited for septic absorption fields, among the highest shares on this site.
• Floodplains along the Clackamas, Molalla and Sandy rivers stay saturated through the rainy season.
• Census ACS counts about 174,323 housing units with a median year built of 1985.
• Steady winter rainfall from October to April is the main stress; pump-outs are easier to schedule in late summer when fields are dry.
• Reading the soil: silty clay near the Molalla and Pudding rivers holds a perched water table from fall to spring, and soils along the Clackamas River terraces near Estacada mix gravel with clay. East, toward Sandy and the Mount Hood corridor, volcanic ash soils drain better but sit on steep slopes and shallow basalt, which push designs toward pressure distribution or sand filters.
• Rural lots in the county often have a second, older tank or a cesspool from before current rules, and finding it during a pump-out can change what a sale inspection reports.

Estacada · Molalla · Beavercreek · Boring · Colton · Mulino · Sandy · Welches