Septic Tank Pumping in Grays Harbor County, WA

• Coverage across Elma, Montesano, McCleary, Oakville, Cosmopolis, Ocean Shores, Westport, Grayland, Copalis Beach, Moclips, Pacific Beach and Amanda Park.
• Main routes are US 12 and SR 8 through the Chehalis Valley, US 101 up the coast and around the harbor, SR 105 to Westport and SR 109 to the north beaches.
• Beach cabins with seasonal use book pump-outs before summer rentals; rural valley homes schedule around winter rain.

• Pump-outs for beach cabins and rentals
• Three-year and annual O&M evaluations
• Repairs on sand-filter and pressure systems
• Conventional and alternative system replacements
• Pre-sale reports requested by lenders
• Emergency backups after winter storms

• HomeGuide's national average for a pump-out is $300 to $700, at $0.30 to $0.70 per gallon of tank size.
• HomeGuide's tank table puts a 1,500-gallon tank at $450 to $1,050 to pump.
• Local permits from the county's 2026 fee schedule: $1,032 for a conventional permit, $1,342 for an alternative system and $176 for a reinspection; a county evaluation runs $181.
• Method: HomeGuide's published per-gallon range applied to your tank size, plus county fee schedule amounts for permits and evaluations. Long drives to the north beaches and sand-filter or pressure systems add local cost.

• Step 1, find the system file: Grays Harbor County Environmental Health keeps permits and records; its public portal lists permitted systems.
• Step 2, keep up with evaluations: under County Code Chapter 8.16 a tank and gravity system is evaluated at least every 3 years and other systems every year, and the county's 2026 fee schedule lists $52 to review a licensed professional's O&M report submitted digitally, or $104 on paper.
• Step 3, repairs and replacements: the county's 2026 fee schedule lists $1,032 for a conventional permit and $1,342 for an alternative system permit, and a permit is valid for 2 years from application.
• Step 4, inspection: work is inspected before cover, and a reinspection costs $176 under the same schedule.

• Dune sand: deep sand along the coast at Ocean Shores and Westport drains fast, with a water table close to the surface in winter.
• Rainfall: winters on the outer coast are very wet, and heavy rainfall saturates fields in low spots near the harbor.
• River floodplain: silty soils along the Chehalis River near Montesano and Elma floods during winter storms.
• Slope: timbered hills north of Aberdeen and Hoquiam are steep, which limits where a field can go on rural lots.
• USDA NRCS soil survey data for the Grays Harbor County Area (survey WA627, which also covers parts of Pacific and Wahkiakum counties) map 161,124 of 1,702,338 acres as poorly drained and 91,620 acres as subject to occasional or frequent flooding.
• Older homes: many houses around Aberdeen and Hoquiam were built before the 1960s, and cabins at the beaches often have small tanks.

Elma · Montesano · McCleary · Oakville · Cosmopolis · Ocean Shores · Westport · Grayland · Copalis Beach · Moclips · Pacific Beach · Amanda Park