The terrain of the ancient Gauja valley, its slopes and protected nature areas affect both where a tank can be buried and where a vacuum tanker can park. We pump out septic tanks and holding tanks, install and maintain BIO plants and build connection pipes to the mains network. In Sigulda Municipality, two dates are worth remembering: 1 February and 1 November.
Terrain: where the tanker can park and where to bury the tank
Sigulda lies in the ancient Gauja valley, and in parts of the town the plots slope, with a significant difference in height between the street and the house. The vacuum pump on a tanker lifts the contents only to a limited height and through a hose of limited length. So in your request, write how far the access lid is from the street and whether it is higher or lower than the spot where the tanker can park.
When installing a new system on a slope, the fall is decisive. If the septic tank or BIO plant sits lower than the house, a gravity pipe works well. If the treated water or the connection pipe to the street network has to be lifted uphill, you need a sewage pump station. A drain field on a slope is laid out so that the water does not come to the surface further down the slope, so we look at the plot before making an offer.
Protected nature and the tourist season
Part of the area around Sigulda is protected nature territory. If your plot lies in such an area, check with the building board which conditions apply before building a new treatment system. This can determine where treated water may be discharged and which system you can choose.
Sigulda is a tourism and sports town with hotels, guest houses and places to eat. On event days, traffic in the valley and near the bridges can be slow, so we plan working hours around it. For guest houses and cafés we offer grease trap cleaning and treatment plants for businesses, which are sized for the peak load of the season.
Sigulda Municipality rules: Saltavots, frequency and norms
In Sigulda Municipality, decentralised sewage systems are governed by Binding Regulations No. 14 (version of 31 May 2024). The register of systems is kept by SIA Saltavots. It covers the town of Sigulda and the villages of Jūdaži, More and Allaži, and since 1 January 2024 also the territory of the former Mālpils and Krimulda municipalities. The registration declaration (Annex 3 to the regulations) is submitted at the Saltavots customer service office, by post or by e-mail, and the company sends the registration number within a month.
| System | Requirement in Sigulda Municipality |
|---|---|
| Septic tank | Pump out at least once a year |
| Holding tank | Frequency: annual water consumption divided by the tank volume; water used for watering the garden is deducted only with a separate meter |
| Holding tank without a meter | 54 m³ per person per year if the water comes from the mains water supply; 18 m³ per declared resident per year if the water comes from your own well or borehole |
| BIO plant | According to the manufacturer's documentation; a maintenance certificate from a qualified company must be submitted by 1 February each year |
| Changes | Report a sale, reconstruction, change of type or volume and changes in the number of residents within a month |
The pumping contractor must be registered with Sigulda Municipality; the register on sigulda.lv was updated on 19 February 2026. Saltavots itself signs pumping contracts only with owners of registered systems, and both the company and the municipality advise keeping your pumping documents for two years.
The regulations do not apply to single farmsteads outside villages or to several villages listed in point 2 of the regulations, for example Inciems, Lode, Sidgunda and Egļupe. For violations, a private individual may receive a warning or a fine of up to 70 penalty units.
Sources: Sigulda Municipality Council Binding Regulations No. 14 (points 2, 5, 6.1, 8–12, 15, 16, 30–32, 35), version of 31.05.2024 (likumi.lv); Saltavots: registration of decentralised sewage systems; Saltavots: pumping services; sigulda.lv: register of pumping contractors. Checked on 30 October 2026.
Co-financing for a connection: apply before construction
Sigulda Municipality co-finances the connection of residential houses to the mains water supply and sewer (Binding Regulations No. 17). Usually it reimburses 50% of the actual costs, but no more than €60 per metre. For priority groups (needy and low-income households, large families, pensioners living alone, persons with disabilities, etc.) it reimburses 100%, up to €120 per metre. In both cases the cap for one connection is €2,500.
The procedure differs from Riga and Mārupe. The application is submitted to the municipality by 1 November each year, and approved connections are funded from the next year's budget in the order the applications were received. Connections that have already been built do not receive support. The order is: application, decision, and only then construction work.
If your application needs a cost estimate, we can prepare one (connection pipe from €25/m). After the decision, we build the connection, install a pump station if needed and take the old septic tank out of use. The steps: connecting to the mains sewer.
Source: Sigulda Municipality Council Binding Regulations No. 17 (points 8–12), in force since 31.05.2024 (likumi.lv). Checked on 30 October 2026.
Services in Sigulda
- Septic tank pumping in Sigulda, including with extra hoses if the lid is on a slope.
- BIO plant maintenance and the certificate to submit to Saltavots by 1 February.
- BIO plant installation on plots where infiltration on a slope is not safe.
- BIO plant alarm: what to do if the plant reports a fault.
- Sewer installation and the connection pipe to the street network.
Prices in Sigulda
We charge for work in Sigulda according to our published price list: pumping from €75 (up to 4 m³), from €90 (up to 6 m³) and from €110 (up to 10 m³), BIO plant maintenance from €160, a plant for 4–6 people from €1,750. Outside Riga we add a travel charge of ~€1/km. Difficult access on a slope can take more hoses and more time, and we confirm this before the job, not after. All prices: prices.
Nearby places
Nearby places where we work: Vangaži, Ādaži, Saulkrasti and Ķegums. All places: where we work.