About SEO Continuing Ed

Sewage Enforcement Officers (SEOs) are certified in Pennsylvania by the State Board of Certification of SEOs.  Once an SEO has attended pre-certification training and has successfully passed a state certification exam, he must maintain his certification by obtaining 15 continuing education credits each certification cycle.

A certification cycle is two-years long and generally runs from October 1 to September 30.  The current 2020-2022 cycle runs through September 30, 2022 for those SEO already certified.  Effective December 2020, those newly certified SEOs’ cycle will alternatively be a rolling 2-year cycle based on their initial date of certification.  An SEO must have accrued at least 15 CEUs by that date or else risk losing his certification with the Commonwealth.  Three (3) credits may be rolled-over from the prior cycle (effective Dec 20, 2020).

View the current SEO Certification and Training Program Guidance in DEP’s e-Library (effective Dec 20, 2020).

CEUs can be earned by attending DEP-approved education — like previous PASEO Conferences — or, by attending DEP-approved training courses.  DEP primarily relies on approved third-party providers like PASEO to develop & deliver content to the SEO community.

The PA DEP Bureau of Clean Water has established a Learning Management System (LMS) for SEOs — the Pa. Clean Water Academy.  This LMS provides information on available on-line and in-class courses.  DEP approved training for SEOs can be accessed from the Pa. CWA.  The Pa. CWA houses the SEO database where SEOs can also check the status of their certification, their total earned credits, and their historical record of leaning.  SEOs can also renew their certification on-line.  You can even earn one free SEO credit by completing the “How to Use the CWA for SEOs” on-demand course located in the Pa. CWA.  Visit the the Clean Water Academy.

Find more info on the Department’s webpage for “Sewage Enforcement Officers” on DEP’s website.

December 2020 update:

The SEO Certification and Training Program Guidance (385-2314-002) has been revised. It was published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin on December 12, 2020, as final. The Technical Guidance Document (TGD) and the Comment and Response Document is now posted in the Department’s eLibary.  The TGD provides a framework for the Sewage Enforcement Officer (SEO) certification and training program with the goal of producing a knowledgeable and skilled SEO community to help administer the on-lot sewage program in Pennsylvania.

The program includes criteria for SEO candidates who wish to become certified SEOs, criteria for certified SEOs to maintain their SEO certification, and criteria for lapsed or inactive SEOs who wish to reinstate their SEO certification.

Changes of note:

    • Rollover credits have been reduced from seven (7) to three (3).
    • A Department approved precertification soils course is now required, along with the precertification academy before becoming an SEO. The prospective SEO must pass the precertification soils exam and the precertification academy exam before receiving their certification.
    • All currently certified SEOs who in the past have not successfully completed a Department approved precertification soils course have five (5) years from December 12th, 2020 to complete a Department approved soils course and pass the exam. Currently the Soil Hub precertification soils course is the only approved course to meet this requirement. Please visit the Pa Clean Water Academy for information regarding this course.
    • SEOs’ certification cycles will change to a 2-year rolling certification, based upon their certification date. This will only affect newly certified SEOs and those SEOs changing from a lapsed to an active certification status. All current SEOs will maintain their 2-year certification cycle as October 1 to September 30 of even numbered years.