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How to use an RV dump station

Updated 2026-10-22 · Sources cited inline

A dump station is where you empty your RV's black tank (toilet) and gray tank (sinks and shower) into a sewer inlet. It takes about ten minutes once you've done it a few times. The steps below come from RV LIFE's guide and National Park Service campground rules.123

Before you pull in

  • Check that it's open, and whether you can use it. Many stations are for registered campers only. Pinnacles Campground in California says its dump station "is available for registered guests"4. Others close in winter: at Bandelier's Juniper Campground in New Mexico, water at the station is "completely turned off from mid-October to mid-April (campers will not be able to fill water tanks or dump)."5
  • Know the fee (see below), and carry a card. Liberty Hill Park in Texas (Army Corps of Engineers) says its day-use fee is "CARD ONLY."6
  • Line up your RV's dump port near the station inlet. Use a spotter if you need one.1

Step by step

  1. Put on disposable gloves.1
  2. Remove the sewer cap and connect your sewer hose to the RV. Put the other end into the station's inlet. RV LIFE notes that the large rocks found at many stations are there to wedge against the hose so it doesn't jump out of the inlet.1
  3. Open the black tank valve first. When it's empty, close it.1
  4. Open the gray tank valve last. The soapy gray water rinses the hose, which helps if the station's rinse water is turned off.1
  5. Rinse the hose (and any spills) into the inlet with the station's non-potable rinse hose. Then disconnect, stow the hose and put the cap back on.1
  6. Fill your fresh water tank only from a potable water spigot. Never use the rinse hose.1 Some stations have a potable fill next to the dump. Twin Peaks Campground in Arizona says "Fresh potable water is available at the dump station to fill RV water tanks."7

Etiquette

  • Use a hose. Wastewater never goes on the ground. Glacier National Park requires RVs to "use drain hoses at dump stations"2. Mount Rainier says RV sink drains "must be emptied into a container, not onto the ground," and emptied only at the dump station, service sinks or toilets.3
  • Gray water counts too. At Watsadler Campground in Georgia, gray water "must be disposed of properly at campground dump station."8
  • Be quick when there's a line, and clear the station promptly.1
  • Leave it cleaner than you found it, and take your used gloves with you.1

What it costs: typical fees (estimates)

Fees vary by operator. Here's what some official sources publish:

Operator Fee for non-campers Source
New Mexico State Parks $10 per use 9
Virginia State Parks Free to state park campers during their stay; $10 per use for everyone else 10
Oregon State Parks (19 stations, from Mar 30, 2026) $10 per use, paid by QR code 11
Nevada State Parks The park entrance fee 12
Liberty Hill Park, Navarro Mills Lake, TX (Army Corps) $5 day-use fee per vehicle, which covers the dump station 6
Potwisha, Sequoia National Park, CA Free 13
Ortona South & St. Lucie South, FL (Army Corps) $20 for waste generated before camping; campers get one free dump per week or per stay 14

Our estimate: the official examples above run from free to $20, and $10 per use for non-campers is the most common state-park price. Registered campers often get free use during their stay. This is a rough guide from a handful of examples, not a national survey, so always check the posted fee.

Gear checklist

These are the basics from the steps above.1

  • A sewer hose that doesn't leak, plus your sewer termination cap
  • Disposable gloves and a trash bag for them
  • A way to fill your fresh tank from a potable spigot. Never use the station's sewer rinse hose for this.

Find a station

  1. RV LIFE, "How To Empty RV Waste Tanks At A Dump Station," https://rvlife.com/dump-station-etiquette/ (accessed 2026-10-22). ↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩

  2. National Park Service, Glacier National Park, "Camping Regulations," https://www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/upload/Camping-Regulations-2017-web.pdf (accessed 2026-10-22). ↩↩

  3. National Park Service, Mount Rainier National Park, "Campground Regulations," https://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/upload/Campground-Regulations-Dec18.pdf (accessed 2026-10-22). ↩↩

  4. Recreation.gov, Pinnacles Campground, https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/234015 (accessed 2026-10-22). ↩

  5. Recreation.gov, Juniper Campground (NM), Bandelier National Monument, https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/233395 (accessed 2026-10-22). ↩

  6. Recreation.gov, Liberty Hill (Navarro Mills Lake), https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/232622 (accessed 2026-10-22). ↩↩

  7. Recreation.gov, Twin Peaks Campground, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/270816 (accessed 2026-10-22). ↩

  8. Recreation.gov, Watsadler, Hartwell Lake, https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/232735 (accessed 2026-10-22). ↩

  9. New Mexico State Parks, "Know Before You Go - FAQs" (fee table effective Jan 1, 2025), https://www.emnrd.nm.gov/spd/know-before-you-go-faqs/ (accessed 2026-10-22). ↩

  10. Virginia DCR, "Camping Rental Fees," https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/camping-fees (accessed 2026-10-22). ↩

  11. Oregon State Parks, "Oregon State Parks offers a new way to pay," https://stateparks.oregon.gov/index.cfm?articleId=368&do=v.feature-article (accessed 2026-10-22). ↩

  12. Nevada State Parks, "Discounts and Special Fees," https://parks.nv.gov/fees/discounts-special-fees (accessed 2026-10-22). ↩

  13. Recreation.gov, Potwisha Campground, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/249979 (accessed 2026-10-22). ↩

  14. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, "Ortona South," https://www.saj.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Recreation/Camping/Ortona-South/ (accessed 2026-10-22). ↩