Georgia reference · Updated 2026-08-21
How to Verify a Portable Sanitation Company in Georgia
The short answer
Ask for the company's current Waste Removal and Disposal Permit, then confirm it with the issuing county Health Authority or the Georgia DPH State Environmental Health office at (404) 657-6534. The permit is issued annually by the county where the company is based and is valid statewide, so a local address proves nothing, the permit does.
What should you ask a Georgia porta potty company before booking?
Five questions, in this order: the permit, the servicing definition, the unit count basis, the delivery radius, and what triggers a post-pickup fee.
The permit question comes first because it is binary. Under Rule 511-3-6-.03(2), no person may remove or dispose of the contents of a portable sanitation unit without a current Waste Removal and Disposal Permit from the Health Authority for the county where the business is based. Renewed annually. Valid statewide. Ask for it, check the date, and confirm it independently.
The servicing question exposes the most common way a cheap quote becomes an expensive one. Georgia defines servicing as emptying the waste and cleaning the unit. A monthly rate that includes fewer visits is not a lower price for the same thing, it is a different product. Ask how many visits are included and what an additional visit costs.
The unit count question is a competence check. A vendor who sizes your job from Appendix Table 1 or Table 2, asks about sewered toilets already on site, and asks whether alcohol will be served is applying the rule. One who quotes a number without asking any of that is guessing, and if the guess is low it is your permit and your event that carry the consequence.
- Can you send me your current Waste Removal and Disposal Permit?
- What exactly is included in servicing, and how many visits does this price cover?
- How did you arrive at this unit count, which table, and did you credit sewered toilets?
- What is the standard delivery radius, and what is the per-mile charge beyond it?
- What conditions trigger a damage or excessive-cleaning fee after pickup?
Why does a local address prove nothing in Georgia?
Because the Waste Removal and Disposal Permit is issued by the county where the company is based and is valid in every county throughout the state.
This is a genuinely counterintuitive feature of Georgia's system, and it cuts both ways. A company with an Atlanta address and a current Fulton County permit can lawfully service a job in Savannah. A company with a Savannah phone number and no current permit cannot lawfully service a job anywhere.
It follows that the local-sounding signals people instinctively check, an area code, a city name in the business name, a claimed local yard, carry no regulatory weight at all. Plenty of legitimate operators serve wide areas from a single permitted base.
What a local presence does affect is practical service quality: response time on an emergency pump-out, willingness to make an extra visit, and the per-mile delivery charge. Those are real considerations. They are just separate from the question of whether a company is permitted.
What does certification cover, and who issues it?
The Georgia Department of Public Health certifies both individual portable sanitation contractors and the companies that employ them, under Rule 511-3-6-.06.
The rule distinguishes two things. A Certified Portable Sanitation Contractor is an individual engaged in furnishing, renting, or servicing portable units who has met the certification requirements and is in good standing with the Department. A Certified Portable Sanitation Company is the business entity that has met the requirements and is in good standing.
DPH administers certification with the help of an Advisory Committee that includes at least two currently certified portable sanitation contractors. That committee establishes the written tests, reviews complaints about poor quality of work or unlawful or unethical practices, and recommends action to the Department. There is a formal complaint pathway if a job goes badly.
Certification and permitting are separate. A company can hold certification and still lack a current annual permit. Ask about both.
What in a quote predicts a problem?
A unit count below what the table produces, vague servicing language, no stated delivery radius, and reluctance to put the permit in writing.
Underquoting the unit count is the most consequential. It produces the lowest headline price and the worst outcome, queues at an event, or a site that fails an inspection. If a quoted count is below what Table 1 or Table 2 produces for your inputs, ask specifically which sewered toilets were credited. If the answer is none, the number is simply wrong.
Vague servicing language is the second. Phrases like regular service or as needed are not the definition Georgia uses. Get the visit count in writing.
The third is reluctance to produce the permit. There is no legitimate reason for a permitted company to be cagey about a document it is required to hold and renew annually. Treat hesitation as an answer.
Publishing our own price ranges is the flip side of this. If a quote, including one that comes through us, lands outside the ranges we publish, that is worth a direct question about why.
Which Health Authority covers your county
Georgia has eighteen public health districts. The Waste Removal and Disposal Permit is issued by the district covering the county where the portable sanitation company is based, and it is valid statewide.
| District | Name | Headquarters | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-1 | Northwest Health District | Rome | Bartow, Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Floyd, Gordon, Haralson, Paulding, Polk, Walker |
| 1-2 | North Georgia Health District | Dalton | Cherokee, Fannin, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens, Whitfield |
| 2 | District 2 Public Health | Gainesville | Banks, Dawson, Forsyth, Franklin, Habersham, Hall, Hart, Lumpkin, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union, White |
| 3-1 | Cobb & Douglas Public Health | Marietta | Cobb, Douglas |
| 3-2 | Fulton County Board of Health | Atlanta | Fulton |
| 3-3 | Clayton County Board of Health | Jonesboro | Clayton |
| 3-4 | GNR Public Health | Lawrenceville | Gwinnett, Newton, Rockdale |
| 3-5 | DeKalb County Board of Health | Decatur | DeKalb |
| 4 | District 4 Public Health | LaGrange | Butts, Carroll, Coweta, Fayette, Heard, Henry, Lamar, Meriwether, Pike, Spalding, Troup, Upson |
| 5-1 | South Central Health District | Dublin | Bleckley, Dodge, Johnson, Laurens, Montgomery, Pulaski, Telfair, Treutlen, Wheeler, Wilcox |
| 5-2 | North Central Health District | Macon | Baldwin, Bibb, Crawford, Hancock, Houston, Jasper, Jones, Monroe, Peach, Putnam, Twiggs, Washington, Wilkinson |
| 6 | East Central Health District | Augusta | Burke, Columbia, Emanuel, Glascock, Jefferson, Jenkins, Lincoln, McDuffie, Richmond, Screven, Taliaferro, Warren, Wilkes |
| 7 | West Central Health District | Columbus | Chattahoochee, Clay, Crisp, Dooly, Harris, Macon, Marion, Muscogee, Quitman, Randolph, Schley, Stewart, Sumter, Talbot, Taylor, Webster |
| 8-1 | South Health District | Valdosta | Ben Hill, Berrien, Brooks, Cook, Echols, Irwin, Lanier, Lowndes, Tift, Turner |
| 8-2 | Southwest Health District | Albany | Baker, Calhoun, Colquitt, Decatur, Dougherty, Early, Grady, Lee, Miller, Mitchell, Seminole, Terrell, Thomas, Worth |
| 9-1 | Coastal Health District | Savannah and Brunswick | Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Long, McIntosh |
| 9-2 | Southeast Health District | Waycross | Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Brantley, Bulloch, Candler, Charlton, Clinch, Coffee, Evans, Jeff Davis, Pierce, Tattnall, Toombs, Ware, Wayne |
| 10 | Northeast Health District | Athens | Barrow, Clarke, Elbert, Greene, Jackson, Madison, Morgan, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Walton |
Source: Georgia Department of Public Health district directory. Verify a company’s standing with the state Environmental Health office at (404) 657-6534.
Frequently asked questions
Questions about this rule
Is there a public list of certified portable sanitation companies in Georgia?
The Georgia Department of Public Health maintains documentation relating to portable sanitation providers and approved pumpers, and county health departments hold the permit records for companies based in their county. The most reliable route is to contact the State Environmental Health office at (404) 657-6534 or the Health Authority for the county where the company is based, and ask them to confirm current standing.
What is a Waste Removal and Disposal Permit in Georgia?
It is the annual permit required under Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 511-3-6-.03(2) before any person may remove or dispose of the contents of a portable sanitation unit. It is issued by the Health Authority for the county where the business is based, must be renewed annually, and is valid in every county throughout the state.
Can I file a complaint about a porta potty company in Georgia?
Yes. The Advisory Committee established under Rule 511-3-6-.06 reviews complaints regarding poor quality of work and unlawful or unethical practices, and recommends appropriate action by the Department. Complaints are raised through the Georgia Department of Public Health or the county Health Authority that issued the company's permit.
Does a porta potty company need to be based in my county to serve me?
No. The Waste Removal and Disposal Permit is issued by the county where the company is based and is expressly valid in every county throughout Georgia. Where the company is based affects practical things like delivery charges and emergency response time, but it has no bearing on whether they may lawfully service your job.
Sources
- Rules of the Georgia Department of Public Health, Chapter 511-3-6 — Portable Sanitation Contractors — Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 511-3-6. Authority: O.C.G.A. §§ 31-2A-6, 31-12-8, 31-27-9, 12-8-1.
- OSHA 29 CFR 1926.51(c)(1) — Sanitation, construction
- Georgia Department of Public Health, State Environmental Health Office — (404) 657-6534
Content on this page reproduces public regulatory text for reference. It is not legal advice. Confirm current requirements with your county Health Authority and permit office before relying on them. Page last reviewed 2026-08-21.
Need units that meet these requirements?
Written quote within 24 hours of a weekday request, or a same-day callback when you call before 3pm Eastern.
Where this applies
Other guides
- Georgia Portable Toilet Regulations (Rule 511-3-6)
- How Many Porta Potties Do I Need? (Georgia Table)
- OSHA Porta Potty Requirements for Georgia Job Sites
- Georgia Special Event Permits & Portable Toilets
Questions about applying this to your job? Call (470) 431-3553