On this page we've summarised what Riga City Council Binding Regulations No. 66 require, how to register a system and how to get co-financing for a connection. We've grouped all 58 neighbourhoods and districts by their situation, and each one has its own page covering local conditions.
Why the situation varies so much within one city
Riga's centre, Vecrīga (Old Riga) and the Soviet-era housing estates are connected to the mains sewer. Detached-house neighbourhoods on the edges of the city, by lakes, forests, the Daugava and the sea, often grew up without a street sewer, so septic tanks, holding tanks and BIO plants are still in use there. In recent years, Cohesion Fund projects have been building networks in several of these neighbourhoods, and owners have to choose: put their own system in order or connect.
If the network has been built up to the plot boundary, connecting is mandatory for new builds in Riga. National regulations provided that the owner of a non-compliant system had to connect by the end of 2023 if there was a mains sewer in the adjacent street. If there is no network in the street, the system must meet the requirements and be registered.
Riga Binding Regulations No. 66: what every owner must do
| Topic | Requirement in Riga |
|---|---|
| Register | The Riga Housing and Environment Department keeps both the register of systems and the register of pumping contractors; Rīgas ūdens (Riga's water utility) does not keep a register |
| New system | Registered within one month of construction or being put into service |
| Changes | Reported within a month, including a change in the number of residents |
| Septic tank | Sediment removed at least once a year |
| Holding tank | Frequency based on volume and water consumption; without a meter, 9.125 m³ a year per declared resident |
| BIO plant | Maintenance as often as the manufacturer or installer specifies; treated water tested in an accredited laboratory once every two years, with the results submitted to the department |
| Every year | By 1 May, a declaration of the volume removed in the previous year |
| Pumping contractor | Only one from the department's register (25 companies on 30 October 2026); a document is issued for each pumping |
| Fines | For a private individual, a warning or up to 70 fine units (€350) |
Keep the pumping documents for at least two years. National regulations require this, and without them you can't fill in the annual declaration. What to put in the contract: contract with a pumping contractor.
Sources: Riga City Council Binding Regulations No. 66 of 19.12.2018 (points 3.1, 4, 5.4–5.7, 6, 7–9, 15, 22, 23, 25–27, 28.12 and 30), version of 24.10.2024 (likumi.lv); amendments RD-24-304-sn (likumi.lv); Riga Housing and Environment Department: register of pumping contractors; Cabinet Regulation No. 384, point 9.1 (likumi.lv). Checked on 30 October 2026.
How to register a septic tank or BIO plant in Riga
- Form. The system registration application form is available at mvd.riga.lv and latvija.gov.lv.
- Information. Address, owner, type of system and volume, number of residents. If you don't know the volume, it can be determined during pumping.
- Submission. By post to the Riga Housing and Environment Department, or electronically with a secure e-signature. The neighbourhood residents' centres can also help.
- Afterwards. Pumping at least once a year, keeping the documents and a declaration by 1 May.
More on the deadlines, the information required and other municipalities: registering a decentralised sewage system.
Sources: Riga Housing and Environment Department: registering systems (updated 10.01.2025); Riga Binding Regulations No. 66, points 4 and 6. Checked on 30 October 2026.
Co-financing for a connection: two programmes
If there is a network in the street, Riga covers part of the connection costs. In both programmes the application is submitted to SIA “Rīgas ūdens”, and the money is paid out after construction as one-off support.
| Programme | Where | Amount | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| General (RD-23-207-sn) | In all neighbourhoods; for residential houses, connection built after 08.07.2023 | Service pipe up to 5 m: €1,000; 5–20 m: €1,500; over 20 m: €2,000 | Within 3 years of construction, while the annual budget lasts |
| Cohesion Fund stages 5 and 6 (RD-25-22-sn) | Berģi, Beberbeķi, Imanta, Teika, Ziepniekkalns | Design costs in set amounts and €1,800 for construction work; 100% for certain groups of residents | Construction by 31.12.2026, application by 01.04.2027 |
In the former Cohesion Fund stage 4 areas (Bieriņi, Pleskodāle, Katlakalns, Bišumuiža, Bolderāja), the earlier programme has ended, and the general one now applies. In the stage 5 and 6 neighbourhoods the deadline is 31 December 2026, so before work starts, make sure the service pipe can be finished in time.
We build service pipes from €25/m and take the old septic tank out of use. All the steps: connecting to the mains sewer.
Sources: Riga City Council Binding Regulations No. RD-23-207-sn, points 7 and 11 (likumi.lv), with amendments RD-25-20-sn (likumi.lv); No. RD-25-22-sn, points 4, 13 and 17 (likumi.lv); “Rīgas ūdens” announcement, 06.05.2026. The conditions and the budget may change. Checked on 30 October 2026.
Private-house neighbourhoods: septic tanks, holding tanks and BIO plants
In these neighbourhoods most of the buildings are detached houses, and some of them have no connection to the street network. The work here is pumping, BIO plant maintenance, replacing old septic tanks and connections where the network has already been built. Local conditions vary:
- By the sea and the dunes: Vecāķi, Mangaļsala. Sandy ground and summer houses used seasonally.
- By lakes, forests and wet lowlands: Berģi, Brekši, Suži, Trīsciems, Aplokciems, Bukulti, Kleisti, Mežaparks, Vecdaugava. The groundwater must be checked before choosing a system, and in Mežaparks and near the Vecdaugava nature reserve there may be additional restrictions.
- By the Daugava and the Mārupīte: Katlakalns, Dārziņi, Rumbula, Voleri, Bieriņi, Torņakalns. Lower-lying spots can flood, so tanks need to be watertight and anchored.
- Towards the airport: Beberbeķi, Šampēteris. Forest and a sparser street network in Beberbeķi; commercial areas next to detached houses in Šampēteris.
Mixed neighbourhoods: streets of private houses next to apartment blocks
Within one neighbourhood there are both apartment blocks and shops connected to the network, and blocks of detached houses that may still have a septic tank. So the needs vary too, from septic tank pumping to grease traps and pump stations.
- With €1,800 co-financing (stages 5 and 6): Imanta, Teika, Ziepniekkalns. The connection must be built by the end of 2026.
- Former stage 4 areas: Bišumuiža, Bolderāja. The general programme now applies, €1,000–2,000.
- By the water and the port: Daugavgrīva, Jaunciems, Jaunmīlgrāvis, Vecmīlgrāvis, Mangaļi, Ķīpsala. Wet, low-lying areas; for businesses, grease traps and pump stations are relevant.
- Other mixed neighbourhoods: Āgenskalns, Atgāzene, Čiekurkalns, Dārzciems, Dreiliņi, Dzirciems, Iļģuciems, Jugla, Mežciems, Zasulauks.
Neighbourhoods with mains sewers: grease traps, pumps and basements
Septic tanks are rare here. The work is grease traps at food outlets, sewage pump stations in buildings, basement pumping after heavy rain and pumping services for businesses, as well as the odd allotment garden or private house on the edges of these areas.
- The centre and historic quarters: Centrs, Vecrīga, Avoti, Grīziņkalns, Maskavas forštate, Brasa. Narrow courtyards and parking restrictions, so we agree access in advance.
- Housing estates: Ķengarags, Pļavnieki, Purvciems, Zolitūde. Shops and cafés with grease traps, access inside the residential blocks.
- Islands, port and industrial areas: Klīversala, Zaķusala, Lucavsala, Kundziņsala, Krasta rajons, Sarkandaugava, Šķirotava, Spilve. Warehouses and production sites, but also allotment gardens on Lucavsala.
Prices in Riga
In Riga there is no travel surcharge. You pay the price-list price: septic tank or holding tank pumping up to 4 m³ from €75, up to 6 m³ from €90, up to 10 m³ from €110; BIO plant maintenance from €160; grease trap cleaning from €90; sewer service pipe from €25/m. The price depends on the distance from the truck to the lid and on access, which we confirm before the job in the centre and in inner courtyards. All prices: prices.
The Riga region
Beyond the Riga city boundary, the regulations of the respective municipality apply. In Mārupe, for example, a septic tank usually has to be pumped twice a year, while Jūrmala, Ķekava and Salaspils have their own registers and deadlines. All locations: where we work.