Requirements by state
Pennsylvania water operator certification
Quick answer
How do I get certified as a water operator in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania certifies water and wastewater operators separately, each on its own Class A to D scale (plus specialized subclasses), through one State Board. Applicants pass a two-part DEP exam, pay $150 for a Class A to D certificate ($100 for the smallest subclasses), and renew every three years for $60, with reciprocity available for out-of-state operators who meet Pennsylvania's own experience thresholds.
See how Pennsylvania compares to every other jurisdiction in the national comparison matrix, or check reciprocity between states if you are moving.
Certifying agency: Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), State Board for Certification of Water and Wastewater Systems Operators
- Be at least a high school graduate, hold a GED, or have been working in a water or wastewater system before February 21, 2002.
- Pass Part I (a general exam) and Part II (technology-specific exams for the applicant's system type), plus any optional stand-alone exams, each carrying a $35 per-session fee.
- Submit a completed application with the appropriate fee, a Pennsylvania State Police criminal history report, and Board approval before a certificate issues.
- Complete Securing Drinking Water and Wastewater Facilities training during the first full three-year renewal cycle, and keep up with the three-year continuing-education cycle after that.
Water treatment
- A: Class A , Systems greater than 5 million gallons per day (MGD). $150 initial certification fee.
- B: Class B , Systems greater than 1 MGD up to 5 MGD. $150 initial certification fee.
- C: Class C , Systems greater than 100,000 gallons per day (gpd) up to 1 MGD. $150 initial certification fee.
- D: Class D , Systems at or below 100,000 gpd. $150 initial certification fee.
- Dc: Class Dc , Serves fewer than 500 people or 150 connections, groundwater-only source, requires only disinfection. $100 initial certification fee.
- Dn: Class Dn , Meets all Dc conditions and has no disinfection at all. $100 initial certification fee.
- Exam
- DEP-administered two-part exam: Part I is a general exam common to the class, Part II is technology-specific to the applicant's system. Examination sessions cost $35 each, a four-hour testing window, separate from the third-party exam provider's own registration fee.
- Education minimum
- At least a high school graduate, hold a GED, or have been working in a water or wastewater system before February 21, 2002.
- Application / certification fee
- $150 for Class A, B, C, or D; $100 for Dc or E standalone certifications, plus any outstanding $35-per-session exam fees.
- Exam fee
- $35 per examination session (a four-hour testing period), separate from any third-party examination provider registration fee.
- Continuing education
- Securing Drinking Water and Wastewater Facilities training required during an operator's first full three-year renewal cycle beginning October 1, 2010 or later. Over 300 DEP-approved online courses are available for continuing education across the three-year training cycle.
- Renewal cycle
- 3 years
- Reciprocity
- The Board may certify an applicant holding a valid certificate from another state, territory, DC, or an Association of Boards of Certification registry (or U.S. military/Coast Guard water/wastewater discharge papers), if they meet Pennsylvania's own experience threshold at the comparable class: 4+ years at Class A, 3+ years at Class B, 2+ years at Class C, and 1+ year at Class D. The out-of-state license must not have expired, and operators who lost a prior reciprocal certification for non-compliance must retest rather than reapply for reciprocity.
Pennsylvania's water classes are based on system size (gallons per day), the same size bands used for wastewater, but the two disciplines are certified as separate credentials, not one combined license.
Water distribution
- E: Class E , Distribution and consecutive water systems. $100 initial certification fee, same reciprocity and renewal rules as treatment.
- Exam
- Same DEP two-part exam structure as water treatment, a distribution-specific Part II.
- Application / certification fee
- $100 for a Class E distribution/consecutive-system certificate.
- Renewal cycle
- 3 years
- Reciprocity
- Class E reciprocity applications carry a $100 fee, requiring at least 1 year of comparable experience, following the same out-of-state-certificate framework as treatment classes.
Pennsylvania's Class E for water covers distribution and consecutive water systems, distinct from the Class E used on the wastewater side below, which covers satellite collection systems with a pump station.
Wastewater treatment
- A: Class A , Systems greater than 5 MGD. $150 initial certification fee.
- B: Class B , Systems greater than 1 MGD up to 5 MGD. $150 initial certification fee.
- C: Class C , Systems greater than 100,000 gpd up to 1 MGD. $150 initial certification fee.
- D: Class D , Systems at or below 100,000 gpd. $150 initial certification fee.
- Exam
- Same DEP two-part exam structure as water treatment, a wastewater-specific Part II, $35 per session.
- Education minimum
- Same minimum as water treatment: high school graduate, GED, or working in a water or wastewater system before February 21, 2002.
- Application / certification fee
- $150 for Class A, B, C, or D.
- Exam fee
- $35 per examination session, same as water treatment.
- Renewal cycle
- 3 years
- Reciprocity
- Same reciprocity framework as water treatment: 4+ years at Class A, 3+ years at Class B, 2+ at Class C, 1+ at Class D of comparable experience, and up to 50 percent experience credit for biosolids operations.
Water-system experience can substitute for up to 50 percent of the wastewater experience requirement when applying for a wastewater certificate, and vice versa.
Wastewater collection
- E: Class E , Satellite collection system with a pump station. $100 initial certification fee.
- Exam
- Same DEP two-part exam structure, a collection-specific Part II.
- Application / certification fee
- $100 for a Class E satellite collection system certificate.
- Renewal cycle
- 3 years
- Reciprocity
- Same $100 reciprocity fee and comparable-experience framework as the water-side Class E.
Pennsylvania's Class E wastewater certificate specifically covers a satellite collection system with a pump station; a collection system without a pump station is not described as its own certified class in DEP's published class definitions.
Pennsylvania runs water and wastewater certification through one State Board, but keeps the two disciplines as separate credentials, each on its own Class A to D scale sized by system flow, plus specialized subclasses for the smallest systems and for distribution and collection networks.
Classes A to D, sized by flow, plus small-system subclasses
Both water and wastewater use the same size bands: Class A above 5 million gallons per day (MGD), Class B from 1 to 5 MGD, Class C from 100,000 gallons per day (gpd) to 1 MGD, and Class D at or below 100,000 gpd. Water systems add two further subclasses for the smallest groundwater-only systems, Dc (disinfection only) and Dn (no disinfection at all), that wastewater does not have. Both disciplines also carry a Class E, but it means something different on each side: Class E water covers distribution and consecutive water systems, while Class E wastewater covers a satellite collection system with a pump station specifically, not collection systems in general.
A two-part exam, then a criminal history check
Every applicant passes a two-part DEP exam: Part I is a general exam, Part II is specific to the applicant’s system technology, and each session costs $35, a separate charge from any third-party exam provider registration fee. After passing, the applicant submits a full application with the appropriate certification fee, a Pennsylvania State Police criminal history report, and gets Board approval before the certificate issues.
| Class | Initial certification fee | Renewal (3-year cycle) |
|---|---|---|
| A, B, C, D | $150 | $60 |
| Dc, Dn, E | $100 | $60 |
Upgrading from a smaller subclass to A, B, C, or D costs $50, and every certificate must complete Securing Drinking Water and Wastewater Facilities training during its first full three-year cycle after October 1, 2010.
Reciprocity by class-specific experience
Pennsylvania will certify an operator holding a valid out-of-state, territorial, DC, or ABC-registry certificate (or qualifying military/Coast Guard water experience) if they document experience at the comparable Pennsylvania class: 4 or more years at Class A, 3 at Class B, 2 at Class C, and 1 at Class D, with up to 50 percent credit available for biosolids operations. The out-of-state certificate must be current, not expired, and an operator who previously lost a Pennsylvania reciprocal certificate for non-compliance must retest rather than reapply through reciprocity. See reciprocity between states for how this generally compares to other states.
Where to go from here
Practice the pounds formula, CT disinfection, and loading-rate math Pennsylvania’s technology-specific Part II exams draw on with the operator-math trainer, and use the process calculator for the same formulas on the job. Not sure which discipline to start in? Water treatment vs wastewater operator walks through the day-to-day difference. See your state’s page once more states are verified.
Sources: Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Safe Drinking Water, Operator Certification program pages including initial certification, definitions of classes and subclasses, and reciprocity (pa.gov/agencies/dep, retrieved 2026-07-29). Authored by the Water Cert Prep editorial team. Not legal advice. Reviewed 2026-07-29.