In Kingston, a sewage backup, a septic overflow, used needles, rodent droppings or other contaminated material is cleaned up by an independent biohazard cleanup company that you hire directly. First, keep people and pets away from the area, do not sweep or handle anything, and call your insurer. Biohazard Network does not do this work; we can connect you with an independent local company that serves Kingston.
Finding this in your home, a rental you own or a building you manage is upsetting, and wanting it handled quickly is reasonable. Sooner is better for one plain reason: the Washington State Department of Health1 (DOH) says water-damaged carpets, bedding and upholstered furniture should be cleaned and dried within 24 to 48 hours, or replaced. This page explains the work, the first steps and how the waste must leave the property.
What this service covers
A biohazard is any material that can carry germs able to make people sick. Biohazard remediation means removing that material and making the area safe again. This page covers biohazards that are not tied to a death or a crime:
- Sewage backups from drain lines, and overflows from an on-site sewage system, which is a septic system that treats household wastewater on the property instead of sending it to a public sewer.
- Sharps, meaning needles, syringes, lancets and other items that can puncture skin.
- Rodent droppings, nests and urine in attics, crawl spaces and storage areas.
- Contaminated material left in rentals, vacant properties and businesses.
Household cleaning is not enough. Sewage carries bacteria and viruses and soaks into porous materials, which are items like drywall, carpet pad and insulation that absorb liquid and cannot be fully disinfected. Rodent droppings bring a different risk: DOH2 says infected deer mice can shed hantavirus, a virus that can cause serious illness, in their urine, saliva and droppings, and that people are at risk in any part of Washington.
A former drug lab is a separate job, because in Washington drug lab cleanup workers and contractors must be certified through DOH’s Drug Lab Cleanup Program. If the waste is connected to a death in the home, the Kitsap County Medical Examiner’s Office, which investigates all sudden, unexpected, or unnatural deaths in Kitsap County, does its work first; see unattended death cleanup in Kingston.
What to do first
- Keep everyone out, including pets, and close off the area if you can without walking through it.
- Do not sweep or vacuum rodent droppings. DOH2 warns that disturbing droppings raises dust people can breathe in, and that a dust mask does not protect against viruses.
- Do not pick up needles with bare hands. The Kitsap Public Health District3 publishes guidance called Safely Handling Sharps.
- If a septic system is overflowing, use as little water in the home as you can until it is checked.
- Take photos and hold on to damaged belongings for now. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) tells renters not to throw damaged things away yet, because the insurer may want to inspect them.
- Call your insurer. The OIC says you can ask whether a loss is covered without filing a claim, and that most homeowner policies don’t cover gradual leaks.
Usually covered: If your home is on a sewer system, sewer backup coverage can be added to a home policy as an optional endorsement, says the Insurance Commissioner’s flood insurance page4.
Usually not covered: A standard home policy does not cover sewer backup, but it can be added as an optional endorsement, says the Insurance Commissioner’s flood insurance page4. If you rent, your landlord’s or property management company’s policy covers the building but not your belongings, says the Commissioner’s renter insurance page5.
Ask your insurer: “Does my policy include a sewer backup endorsement, and does it cover this backup?” Source: Learn how home insurance works (Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner)
The OIC also says you have the right to choose your own contractor for covered repairs, and it warns that signing a contractor’s assignment of benefit form could affect your rights. Read any form before you sign it.
What to expect from the company you hire
The crew wears protective equipment such as gloves, coveralls and respirators. They set up containment, which means sealing off the work area with plastic sheeting and controlled airflow so contamination does not spread to clean rooms. Soaked porous materials are cut out and bagged, and hard surfaces are cleaned and then disinfected. Disinfection means applying a product that kills germs after the visible material is gone. Odor work comes only after the source is removed; see odor remediation in Kingston. Ask for records you can give your insurer, such as photos, a written scope of work and a list of what was removed.
Sewage cleanup overlaps with water damage restoration. Once the biohazard is out, drying and rebuilding follow, done by the same company or a second one. DOH1’s Mold page says to hire a cleaning professional if a moldy area has been contaminated by sewage, and not to paint or caulk over mold. How biohazard cleanup fits with water, fire and mold restoration explains that handoff.
Before you hire, ask how the company follows OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030, and the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup, a voluntary industry standard from the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC). You can look up the business yourself with the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) tool called Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business, and our certifications guide explains what each of these means.
How the process works, step by step
- Assessment. The company looks at the affected area and the source, such as a broken line, a septic problem or a rodent entry point, and writes a plan. Ask who will fix the source, since that may be a separate trade.
- Containment and removal. The area is sealed, and affected materials are removed and packaged.
- Disposal. Each kind of waste goes out by its own route, as explained below.
- Disinfection and confirmation. Surfaces are disinfected. Ask how the company confirms the area is clean.
- Restoration. Drying and repairs begin.
Where the waste goes
Biomedical waste is a category of waste that Washington defines in one statewide list in RCW 70A.228.010, and that list includes sharps waste such as needles, syringes and lancets. Because the definition is limited to the listed types, ask the company how it sorts each material it removes.
Under Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) rules, a company that collects, transports and disposes of biomedical waste must keep an operating plan that keeps that waste separate from other solid waste until treatment or disposal. That is why needles should never be tossed in with the other bagged items. In Kitsap County, hauling biohazardous or biomedical waste is regulated by the UTC and the Kitsap Public Health District3 (KPHD), and companies need UTC approval and a KPHD Solid Waste Hauling Permit.
Ask the company which hauler takes each kind of waste. The KPHD3 Site Restoration Hauler permit covers cleanup companies hauling site waste in their own equipment, and it is not the biomedical waste hauling permit. You can compare answers with the health district’s list, Permitted Solid Waste Companies in Kitsap County | 2026.
Kingston and Kitsap County offices
Kingston is an unincorporated community, so property concerns go to the county. The Department of Community Development takes code complaints about property in unincorporated Kitsap County, which may matter to a landlord or neighbor dealing with a vacant property.
The Kitsap Public Health District3 can be reached at 360-728-2235. For septic questions, see its Drinking Water & Onsite Sewage program and Ordinance 2025-01 : Onsite Sewage System and General Sewage Sanitation Regulations. For a sewage spill outdoors, it lists a Water Pollution Identification & Correction program, and Waste Handling A to Z and Report a Public Health Concern cover other questions. State law gives the local health officer a duty to prevent, control or abate nuisances that harm public health.
The same offices apply whether the property is a shop in Kingston old town, the small-town commercial core, or a home by Kola Kole Park, the county park on NE Maine Street. When you call a company, ask where its crew is coming from and when it can arrive. A crew from Bainbridge Island reaches the Kitsap Peninsula over the Agate Pass Bridge on SR 305, and a crew crossing Hood Canal uses the Hood Canal Bridge, a floating bridge over saltwater.
For other services, see biohazard and trauma cleanup in Kingston and biohazard and trauma cleanup in Kitsap County.
Who to call first
In an emergency, call 911.These official offices may be part of the first steps. They are government pages, not ours.
- Kitsap County Medical Examiner (opens in a new tab)After a sudden or unexpected death, cleanup waits until this office is done.
- Kitsap Public Health District (opens in a new tab)For local health questions, such as a home that was used as a drug lab.
- Kitsap Public Health: permitted waste haulers (opens in a new tab)Cleanup companies that haul away waste here need this permit.
- Washington Crime Victims Compensation Program (L&I) (opens in a new tab)If a crime happened, it may help with some costs, such as funeral expenses. It doesn't pay for cleanup.
- Verify a contractor (L&I lookup) (opens in a new tab)Look up whether a company is a registered contractor before work starts.
- Washington State Department of Health (opens in a new tab)State health rules, such as for drug lab cleanup and hantavirus.