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The economics literature suggests that national agreement on standards is one of the most important needs to stimulate market growth in an emerging industry. High national effluent standards for on-site or cluster wastewater systems for all lots requiring advanced treatment would stimulate product innovation and investment in low-cost production and distribution facilities, particularly if no existing technologies could meet those standards at this time. Some industry professionals have proposed that on-site performance standards be set after treatment in the soils and that these standards should vary with density of development, use of ground or surface water, and other risk-related factors. However, from a market development perspective, the best approach is a simplified set of effluent standards prior to release into the soils, coupled with prescriptive requirements for where these standards should be mandated and for the design of soil-absorption systems. Agreement on these and related management standards should be facilitated by regulatory-industry-academic partnerships and should be informed by increased research into fate and transport and relative risks from nutrient and pathogen releases into the environment.