What the data says
The useful story is municipal oversight — not invented cesspool counts.
DEM's 2022 summary gives a clear town-level picture of municipal OWTS programs: approved plans, loan-program participation, local inspection or maintenance rules, web inventories, and towns with explicit cesspool phaseout or sewer tie-in signals. It does not publish a verified count of remaining cesspools by town.
So this page does the honest thing: it publishes the sourced municipal-program table, explains what it means for homeowners, and identifies the missing public-records layer needed before anyone can claim exact remaining-cesspool counts.
20
Approved municipal OWMPs
DEM summary count of towns with approved Onsite Wastewater Management Plans.
18
CSSLP participants
Towns DEM says participate in the Community Septic System Loan Program.
10
Primarily sewered/no local OWTS program
Cities/towns DEM lists as primarily served by sewers without local onsite wastewater program efforts.
14
High-signal town program rows
Towns where DEM mentions inspection/maintenance rules, web inventory/tracking, phaseout, or sewer-tie-in signals.
Read this first
Important caveats
- ! This is not a count of remaining cesspools by town.
- ! The source PDF is a September 2022 DEM municipal-program summary, not a live permit database.
- ! FindSepticPro is not a regulator and does not provide legal, engineering, or permitting advice.
- ! Use state, town, and qualified professional sources before making property decisions.
Phaseout signals
Towns where DEM mentions cesspool phaseout, sewer tie-in, or replacement pressure
These are not counts. They are source-backed signals that a homeowner, buyer, agent, inspector, or reporter should investigate before assuming a septic issue is routine.
Charlestown
town-wide phaseout
DEM describes Charlestown as having an approved OWMP, robust municipal program, dedicated staff, inspection ordinance, web-based inventory/tracking, town-wide cesspool phase-out, and CSSLP participation.
Homeowner angle: High-signal town: check town requirements, inspection timing, inventory records, and cesspool phaseout status early.
Coventry
repair-or-replace focus
DEM says Coventry has an approved OWMP, participates in CSSLP, focuses on homeowner awareness, septic inventory, voluntary inspections, and financial assistance to repair or replace failed systems and cesspools.
Homeowner angle: Ask about voluntary inspection, failed-system repair, cesspool replacement, and CSSLP assistance.
New Shoreham
town-wide phaseout
DEM says New Shoreham has an approved OWMP, municipal program, inspection/maintenance ordinance, ongoing town-wide cesspool phase-out, zoning treatment standards, and CSSLP participation.
Homeowner angle: High-signal town: inspection, maintenance, cesspool phaseout, and location/soil treatment standards may all matter.
Portsmouth
priority/area phaseout
DEM says Portsmouth has an approved OWMP, robust program, dedicated manager, periodic inspection ordinance, web-based inventory/tracking, town-wide cesspool phaseout effort, priority neighborhood phaseouts, and CSSLP participation.
Homeowner angle: High-signal town: ask about inspection schedule, inventory records, cesspool/substandard-system phaseout, and neighborhood-specific rules.
South Kingstown
town-wide phaseout
DEM says South Kingstown has an approved OWMP, inspection ordinance, nearly complete town-wide cesspool phaseout with deadlines passed, 5-year upgrade after discovery, 12-month upgrade on sale, web-based inventory/tracking, and CSSLP participation.
Homeowner angle: Highest-signal town: check cesspool status, sale-triggered history, inspection records, and upgrade deadlines early.
Tiverton
point-of-sale/sewer tie-in
DEM says Tiverton has an approved OWMP, management ordinance, CSSLP participation, inspection/maintenance requirements, access riser/filter requirements on repair/upgrade, earlier point-of-sale cesspool requirement superseded by state law, Stafford Pond watershed cesspool removal deadline by 2005, and program reorganization as of 2021.
Homeowner angle: Ask about watershed overlay, repair/upgrade requirements, inspection/maintenance rules, and current town versus wastewater district responsibilities.
Warwick
point-of-sale/sewer tie-in
DEM says much of Warwick is sewered but many onsite systems remain; the city is implementing mandatory sewer tie-in where lots with sewer access must abandon onsite systems and connect upon sale.
Homeowner angle: At sale, confirm whether municipal sewer access triggers abandonment/tie-in obligations.
Town-by-town table
Rhode Island municipal OWTS program table
Source: Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Office of Water Resources, Summary of Rhode Island Municipal Onsite Wastewater Programs (September 2022). Extracted and summarized by FindSepticPro on 2026-07-03.
| Town / city | Approved OWMP | CSSLP | Inspection / maintenance rule | Inventory | Cesspool / sewer signal | Homeowner next step |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barrington | No | No | Not stated | Not stated | none stated | Start with property records and local sewer/septic context before assuming an onsite system is active. |
| Bristol | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | none stated | If the property is in an unsewered area, ask about voluntary inspection and CSSLP repair/upgrade assistance. |
| Burrillville | No | No | Not stated | Not stated | none stated | Use state OWTS records and provider/inspector verification; do not expect a town program to be the first stop. |
| Central Falls | No | No | Not stated | Not stated | none stated | Verify sewer connection and property records if an onsite system question appears in a transaction. |
| Charlestown | Yes | Yes | Yes / stated | Web inventory/tracking stated | town-wide phaseout | High-signal town: check town requirements, inspection timing, inventory records, and cesspool phaseout status early. |
| Coventry | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Web inventory/tracking stated | repair-or-replace focus | Ask about voluntary inspection, failed-system repair, cesspool replacement, and CSSLP assistance. |
| Cranston | No | No | Not stated | Not stated | none stated | Confirm sewer versus onsite status before hiring; use state records for older OWTS questions. |
| Cumberland | No | No | Not stated | Not stated | none stated | Rely on state record search and qualified professionals for property-specific OWTS questions. |
| East Greenwich | No | No | Not stated | Not stated | none stated | First determine whether the property is east or west of the sewered area and whether onsite records exist. |
| East Providence | No | No | Not stated | Not stated | none stated | Confirm sewer connection; older onsite records may still matter in property history. |
| Exeter | Yes | No | Not stated | Not stated | none stated | Ask about voluntary inspection guidance, but do not assume CSSLP repair loans are available through town participation. |
| Foster | Yes | No | Not stated | Web inventory/tracking stated | none stated | Ask whether inventory records exist and whether voluntary inspection history is available. |
| Glocester | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | none stated | Ask about voluntary inspection and CSSLP repair/upgrade options. |
| Hopkinton | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | none stated | Use town/state records plus provider inspection before repair or sale decisions. |
| Jamestown | Yes | Yes | Yes / stated | Web inventory/tracking stated | none stated | High-signal town: inspection interval, groundwater overlay, inventory records, and CSSLP can all matter. |
| Johnston | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | none stated | Ask about voluntary inspection guidance and CSSLP support for repairs/upgrades. |
| Lincoln | No | No | Not stated | Not stated | none stated | Verify sewer status and old permit records where relevant. |
| Little Compton | No | No | Not stated | Not stated | none stated | Use state records and qualified inspection/provider guidance. |
| Middletown | No | No | Not stated | Not stated | none stated | Use state records and property-specific inspection, especially for older/coastal properties. |
| Narragansett | Yes | Yes | Yes / stated | Not stated | none stated | Ask for pumping record history and whether the 4-year pumping requirement applies to the property. |
| New Shoreham | Yes | Yes | Yes / stated | Not stated | town-wide phaseout | High-signal town: inspection, maintenance, cesspool phaseout, and location/soil treatment standards may all matter. |
| Newport | No | No | Not stated | Not stated | none stated | Confirm sewer connection and use state records for unusual onsite history. |
| North Kingstown | Yes | Yes | Yes / stated | Not stated | none stated | Ask about inspection/maintenance interval and Water Department-administered CSSLP loan support. |
| North Providence | No | No | Not stated | Not stated | none stated | Verify sewer connection and old records if an onsite issue surfaces. |
| North Smithfield | No | No | Not stated | Not stated | none stated | Use state records and professional inspection/provider guidance. |
| Pawtucket | No | No | Not stated | Not stated | none stated | Confirm sewer status before assuming an onsite system needs service. |
| Portsmouth | Yes | Yes | Yes / stated | Web inventory/tracking stated | priority/area phaseout | High-signal town: ask about inspection schedule, inventory records, cesspool/substandard-system phaseout, and neighborhood-specific rules. |
| Providence | No | No | Not stated | Not stated | none stated | Most properties are sewer-context first, but old OWTS records may matter in property history. |
| Richmond | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | none stated | Ask about voluntary inspection and loan assistance for repair/upgrade needs. |
| Scituate | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Web inventory/tracking stated | none stated | Ask whether inventory records and voluntary inspection history are available. |
| Smithfield | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | none stated | Ask about voluntary inspections and CSSLP repair/upgrade assistance. |
| South Kingstown | Yes | Yes | Yes / stated | Web inventory/tracking stated | town-wide phaseout | Highest-signal town: check cesspool status, sale-triggered history, inspection records, and upgrade deadlines early. |
| Tiverton | Yes | Yes | Yes / stated | Not stated | point-of-sale/sewer tie-in | Ask about watershed overlay, repair/upgrade requirements, inspection/maintenance rules, and current town versus wastewater district responsibilities. |
| Warren | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Web inventory/tracking stated | none stated | For Touisset Neck/unsewered areas, ask about pumpout support, advanced treatment O&M reimbursement, and inventory records. |
| Warwick | No | No | Not stated | Not stated | point-of-sale/sewer tie-in | At sale, confirm whether municipal sewer access triggers abandonment/tie-in obligations. |
| West Greenwich | No | No | Not stated | Not stated | none stated | Use state records and qualified inspection/provider guidance. |
| West Warwick | No | No | Not stated | Not stated | none stated | Confirm sewer connection and property record history. |
| Westerly | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Web inventory/tracking stated | none stated | Determine whether the property is in the unsewered wastewater management district and ask about voluntary inspection records. |
| Woonsocket | No | No | Not stated | Not stated | none stated | Confirm sewer connection and old records if an onsite system question appears. |
Methodology
How this table was built
- Downloaded DEM's Summary of Rhode Island Municipal Onsite Wastewater Programs.
- Extracted the four-page PDF text locally and converted each municipality into structured fields.
- Kept source language conservative: approved OWMP, CSSLP participation, inspection/maintenance requirement, inventory/tracking, and phaseout/sewer tie-in signals.
- Did not infer remaining cesspool counts, permit counts, or property-level status where the PDF did not provide them.
What is still missing
The next data layer is a records request, not guesswork.
To publish a stronger headline like “how many RI homes are still on cesspools, town by town,” FindSepticPro needs verified counts from DEM or towns: remaining cesspools, known cesspool upgrades, OWTS permits, inspection records, or phaseout compliance fields by municipality.
Until then, this page is the honest public data story: where municipal oversight signals exist and what homeowners should check next.
Press angles
Why local outlets might care
EcoRI News
Environmental accountability angle: which towns have inspection ordinances, inventories, and cesspool phaseout signals versus no active local program.
The Providence Journal
Consumer/homeowner angle: what RI buyers should check before a septic inspection or point-of-sale transaction.
RI Monthly
Evergreen homeowner guide: how coastal, island, and rural towns handle septic oversight differently.