Median Pay by Area
- Jacksonville
- $77,150 a year
- Naples–Marco Island
- $63,000 a year
- Miami–Fort Lauderdale–West Palm Beach
- $62,960 a year
- Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater
- $58,590 a year
- Tallahassee
- $55,170 a year
- Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford
- $52,200 a year
Florida wastewater operators
The steps from no license to a Class D wastewater treatment plant operator license in Florida, the FDEP-approved training course each exam needs, how to apply to FDEP and take the exam with PSI, the experience each class needs, how to renew and what operators earn. Every requirement links to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) or the Florida law it follows.
FDEP makes the final eligibility determination. Check with FDEP before you apply.
Why it matters
Under Florida law (s. 403.867, F.S.), no one may perform the duties of an operator of a domestic wastewater treatment plant, a water treatment plant or a water distribution system without an active, valid operator license from FDEP. The licensing rules are in Chapter 62-602, F.A.C.
Wastewater operators are responsible for on-site management of the operation, supervision and maintenance of domestic wastewater treatment plants, including any reuse or disposal systems in their care. The staffing each plant needs is set by a separate rule, Chapter 62-699, F.A.C.
FDEP issues treatment plant operator licenses at Class D, C, B and A, separately for wastewater and drinking water. Class D is the entry license and Class A is the highest. Water distribution system operators have their own, separate licenses.
In Florida you take the exam first and apply for the license afterward. You can take an exam before you have all of your experience, and a passing score counts toward a license for four years.
Step 1
Every class needs a high school diploma or its equivalent. FDEP accepts only a GED issued by the American Council on Education through an approved GED administrator.
To take the Class C, B or A exam, you must finish an FDEP-approved training course for that class no more than five years before the exam. The course is optional for the Class D exam.
Only one approved course is needed for each class, and prep courses from any provider cannot replace it. Courses taken outside Florida must meet FDEP's standards, and you must send a detailed description with your application.
FDEP-approved training includes:
Step 2
Send FDEP the Treatment Plant Operator Examination application with the fee, your approved course certificate, a photo and a copy of your high school diploma. To take the Class B exam you must hold an active Class C license, and to take the Class A exam an active Class B license.
The exam fee is $100 for Class A, B or C and $75 for Class D. There are no application deadlines; you can apply at any time.
FDEP tells you within 30 days if your application is incomplete. If it is approved, FDEP sends an examination approval letter that explains how to schedule your exam.
Need a testing accommodation? Send documentation of the disability or accommodation with your application so FDEP can approve it in advance.
Step 3
All Operator Certification Program exams are computer-based and given through FDEP's testing vendor, PSI. Once you have your approval letter, schedule online with PSI or call 855-557-0617. PSI's candidate handbook has more scheduling details.
Step 4
Class D needs 3 months as an owner, manager, agent or trainee at a plant, or an approved Class D course plus at least one hour of experience under a licensed operator. Class C needs 1 year (2,080 hours) of experience, Class B 3 years (6,240 hours) and Class A 5 years (10,400 hours).
Experience must be hands-on process control work at a domestic wastewater treatment plant: running control tests and reading the results, keeping process records, and handling the plant's product, residuals, hydraulics and chemical adjustments. Treating wastewater for reuse counts.
Experience does not count at systems where septic tanks, filter beds or lagoons are the only treatment, or when the work is only lab work, maintenance, sludge hauling or electronic monitoring. Work as a public works director, utility manager or inspector does not count either.
A Florida licensed operator or your supervisor signs to verify your experience, or you can attach a peer reference letter from a licensed operator. Send the license application within four years of passing the exam.
The license fee is $100 for Class A, B or C and $50 for Class D. Once approved, FDEP sends your license and wall certificate in about four weeks.
Step 5
Florida licenses are renewed every two years, by April 30 of each odd-numbered year. The renewal fee is $75 for Class A, B or C and $50 for Class D.
Each renewal needs continuing education units (CEUs) earned during the two-year cycle: 2.0 CEUs for Class A or B, 1.0 for Class C and 0.5 for Class D. One CEU equals 10 hours of continuing education.
CEUs must be approved by FDEP for credit, and renewal is denied if FDEP cannot confirm them. Finishing an approved training course for the next higher class during the cycle meets the CEU requirement for that cycle.
A license not renewed on time becomes inactive, and you may not work as an operator. Renewing late costs $175 for Class A, B or C and $150 for Class D, and a license not reactivated within two years becomes null and void, so you would start over.
Exam day
FDEP decides what knowledge and skills each exam tests. FDEP's handbook lists the subject areas for each class, and FDEP rules can appear on any licensing exam.
The Class A, B and C exams have 100 multiple-choice questions and a 3-hour time limit. The Class D exam has 50 questions and 2 hours. Exams may include material from the courses for lower classes.
The minimum passing score is 70%. Your exam is graded on site, and you get your grade right after the exam.
Each exam has many math questions. FDEP gives you its Wastewater Treatment Formulas/Conversion Table at the exam site, and you can download the same sheet to practice with.
If you do not pass, apply for a re-exam through FDEP's online portal. A retest application does not need your course certificate again.
FDEP's licensing exams are Florida exams: FDEP sets what they cover and hands out its own Wastewater Treatment Formulas/Conversion Table at the exam. Operator Master's free practice questions, timed practice exam and math help are built on the WPI exam format and the WPI formula table, so they cover general wastewater treatment knowledge and math, not FDEP's exam questions, format, formula sheet or Florida rules. Use FDEP's subject areas and formula sheet and your approved course materials as your main guide. Operator Master is an independent study tool, not the official exam.
Pay
The median pay for water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators in Florida was $59,030 a year ($28.38 an hour) in 2025, compared with $60,020 nationally. One in ten earned $39,630 or less, and one in ten earned $84,280 or more.
These federal figures cover drinking water and wastewater operators together, at every class. Pay for a new operator is usually nearer the low end.
Moving up
These are Florida's wastewater treatment plant operator classes. Every class also needs a high school diploma or its equivalent and a passing FDEP exam, and the Class B and A exams need an active license one class lower.
From another state
FDEP issues a Florida license by reciprocity if you hold an active, valid operator license from another state, the federal government, a territory or an EPA-recognized tribal government and have no pending disciplinary action. Your license must have required a high school diploma, experience that meets Florida's for the class, and a proctored, closed-book exam of at least 50 questions with a passing score of at least 70%.
Apply with FDEP's reciprocity application, a license verification form and a copy of your active out-of-state license. The fees are $50 for the application and $50 for the license.
Service members whose military occupation included water or wastewater treatment plant operator duties can be licensed by reciprocity with no fees; retired or discharged applicants must apply within five years. Other military service of at least six months can earn 500 or 750 hours of experience credit.