Long Island Cesspool Pages

Cesspool Companies in Suffolk County

Most Suffolk homes outside the sewer districts still run on a cesspool, and since 2019 the county has set firm rules on what replaces one. The companies below are based here, from Deer Park to East Hampton.

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Cesspool, side viewHouseSewer lineCesspool ringSandGroundwater
Cesspool, side viewA cesspool is a precast ring with open sides and no tank in front of it. Heavy waste stays in the ring while the liquid seeps into the sand around it.

Out here a cesspool in the yard is ordinary, and the county’s own count shows it. A 2024 Suffolk Times report, using figures from the county’s 2020 wastewater plan, counted about 365,000 home onsite systems in the county, and 252,530 of them were cesspools with no septic tank in front.

All that wastewater soaks down toward the same groundwater people drink. The U.S. Geological Survey says that in Suffolk, the return of household wastewater to the groundwater through septic systems is a particular concern for the aquifer.

What Suffolk lets you put in

Swapping a dead cesspool for a fresh one has been off the table in Suffolk since July 2019, when the county closed the old in-kind loophole, per The East Hampton Star. Any replacement now goes through the health department first, and it has to include a septic tank. New houses, and the biggest renovations, have needed a nitrogen-reducing unit since July 2021. The installation page lays out each rule and its date.

For permitting questions, the county’s Office of Wastewater Management is at 631-852-5700.

The license to look for

Suffolk licenses cesspool and septic work through its Department of Consumer Affairs under Chapter 563 of the county code. Every company should hold a liquid waste license with the endorsement for your job. Search any company below on the Suffolk license search by choosing “Liquid Waste License.”

Grants and town rebates

Between the county program and the state fund, a qualifying Suffolk homeowner can get as much as $45,000 toward a nitrogen-reducing system, the figure county officials gave when the new online application opened in August 2026. The work has to be done by a company from the county’s own installer list. Three East End towns add rebates of their own; the questions below have the county’s phone numbers for each.

The companies below are grouped by the town their office is in.

Suffolk companies by town

Grouped by the town each company's office is in.

Town of Riverhead4 companies

Town of Brookhaven3 companies

Town of Southampton3 companies

Town of East Hampton2 companies

Town of Babylon1 company

Town of Huntington1 company

Town of Islip1 company

Suffolk questions

How many homes in Suffolk use cesspools?

A 2024 Suffolk Times report, citing the county's 2020 wastewater plan, put the number of home onsite systems at about 365,000, with 252,530 of them cesspools only. In August 2026 county officials said nearly 70% of Suffolk homes use cesspools and septic systems.

Who approves a new or replacement system in Suffolk?

The Suffolk County Department of Health Services, through its Office of Wastewater Management, at 631-852-5700. Approval has been required to replace or retrofit a cesspool or septic system since July 1, 2019.

Do I qualify for a Suffolk septic grant?

The county's eligibility rules include an existing single-family or two-family home, a cesspool or septic system being replaced, no sewer connection, a valid certificate of occupancy and current property taxes. The county has an online eligibility check, and questions go to 631-852-5811.

Does my town add money too?

Some East End towns run their own programs. The county lists the Town of East Hampton Septic Incentive Program at (631) 324-0496, Shelter Island's Water Quality Improvement Rebate at (631) 749-0758, and the Town of Southampton I/A OWTS Rebate Program at (631) 287-5720.

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