Septic permits & records
City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management — Customer Care
- Address
- 72 Marietta Street NE, Atlanta, GA 30303
- Phone
- 404-546-0311
Atlanta, GA · Fulton County
Atlanta sewer and water line service for the private pipe that runs between an Atlanta home or business and the city's mains.
Atlanta, Fulton County · about 49 min / 37.9 mi by road from our Oxford shop. ZIP codes 30318, 30331, 30311, 30315, 30327, 30310, 30354, 30305, 30314, 30342, 30324, 30316, 30306, 30312, 30309, 30317, 30307, 30308, 30313, 30319, 30303, 30326, 30329, 30322.
- Georgia DPH-certified installer & pumper
- Residential & commercial
- Local shop in Oxford, GA
Get a free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620The short answer
Who fixes sewer and water lines in Atlanta, GA?
Atlanta's Department of Watershed Management owns the public sewers and the water main up to your meter. Everything on the owner's side is private: ATL311 says the entire sewer service lateral is the property owner's to maintain, and the water line past the meter is too. Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions repairs and replaces both.↗↗
Reviewed by Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions · Last updated
At a glance
Sewer or septic?
Is Atlanta on sewer? Almost entirely — which puts the focus on your lateral
The city's own utility carries wastewater through more than 1,500 miles of sanitary and combined sewers. With a network that dense, the question an Atlanta owner usually faces isn't sewer or septic. It's whose pipe failed.↗
Septic isn't entirely absent: ATL311 still lists a billing contact for septic tanks inside the city's wastewater service area, and any on-site system in Fulton is permitted by the county Board of Health. Those cases are rare enough that we don't build Atlanta septic pages; call and we'll talk it through.↗↗
Shared private treatment isn't an option either. City code bans private decentralized wastewater systems, the kind that serve several lots or top 2,000 gallons a day.↗
How to tell which one you have
- Your city water and sewer bill carries a sewer charge.
- A cleanout cap near the front of the house or in the yard points toward the street.
- ATL311 (404-546-0311) can confirm the service address.
The Atlanta story
The city that went to federal court over its sewers
Atlanta's modern sewer story starts with a lawsuit. Federal and state regulators sued, and in 1998 the city signed a consent decree that carried $2.5 million in civil penalties and ordered an end to unpermitted discharges from its combined sewer system.↗
The problem was frequency. The city's own 2002 remedial plan counted combined-sewer overflow events roughly 50 to 70 times a year; the decree capped them at four. A later amendment gave Atlanta until 2027 to finish its collection and transmission projects.↗
Clean Water Atlanta put the full program near $4 billion, funded through the 1% MOST sales tax. That money rebuilt tunnels, mains and treatment. It did not touch private laterals, which still connect a 1920s bungalow to a rebuilt public system through whatever pipe the builder laid.↗
Local facts
Atlanta's pipes, by the numbers
Each row links to the agency, code or publisher it comes from. Tap a source to check it yourself.
| Topic | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Public sewer | More than 1,500 miles of sanitary and combined sewers; 2,500+ miles of water mains | Office of Linear Infrastructure Operations | City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management |
| Treatment | 3 wastewater plants, 7 combined sewer overflow facilities, 16 sewage pump stations | Office of Water Treatment and Reclamation | City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management |
| Homes built before 1940 | 30,913 of 284,949 units — about one in nine | Census Reporter API — ACS 2020-2024 table B25034 (year structure built), Atlanta city |
| Median year built | 1989, pulled forward by recent apartment construction | Census Reporter: Atlanta, GA (ACS 2024 5-year) |
| Counties | About 90% Fulton, the rest DeKalb | Fulton County, Georgia - Wikipedia |
| Sewer emergencies | DWM customer care, 404-546-0311, 24/7 | Report A Problem | City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management |
Median year homes were built
1989
Typical house here is about 37 years old — and so is its original sewer or septic line.
ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B25035 · Census Reporter: Atlanta, GA (ACS 2024 5-year)
Housing era
Bungalows, trees and a median that hides the old stock
A 1989 median undersells how old in-town Atlanta is. Tens of thousands of units went up after 2000, which drags the middle forward, while 66,922 homes predate 1960. Across 242 official neighborhoods, the craftsman bungalow dominates the low- and medium-density streets.↗↗
Those older houses sit under the densest urban tree cover of any major American city. Mature roots chase moisture, and a lateral with loose joints is an easy target. When we camera an in-town line and find roots, the pipe's age and the canopy overhead usually explain it.↗
The ground drains two ways, too. Atlanta straddles the Eastern Continental Divide at about 1,050 feet, and its creeks — Peachtree, Nancy, Proctor — cut ravines that sewer lines follow downhill.↗↗
Who owns what
Where the city's pipe ends and yours begins
Atlanta splits the two utilities differently, so it helps to see them side by side.
Atlanta DWMmain
City: public sanitary and combined sewers in the street and easements↗
Atlanta DWMsewer lateral
Property owner: the entire service lateral from the building to the city sewer↗
Where the line sits: Connection at the city sewer
Atlanta DWMwater service line
City from the main to the meter; owner from the meter to the building↗
Where the line sits: Meter
In new developments the code places a city standard cleanout at the property line, but ATL311's answer on older lots is blunt: the lateral is yours, end to end.↗↗
Services here
What we do in Atlanta
Four services built around a sewered city.
- 01Sewer Line RepairRoot-cracked and sagging laterals under old in-town yards.Sewer Line Repair details
- 02Sewer Line Installation & ReplacementNew building sewers for infill homes and full lateral replacements.Sewer Line Installation & Replacement details
- 03Water Line Repair & InstallationLeaks and failing service lines on the owner's side of the DWM meter.Water Line Repair & Installation details
- 04Commercial Sewer RepairRestaurant grease lines and trap connections under Atlanta's grease ordinance.Commercial Sewer Repair details
Also available:Sewer Camera InspectionEmergency Sewer ServiceExcavation, Grading & Drainage
Who to call at the county
Who to call on the public side
- Atlanta DWM water, sewer, stormwaterCrews respond to sewer calls around the clock.↗
On the map
Atlanta from our Oxford shop
About 49 min / 37.9 mi by road from our Oxford shop
Routed to a point just west of downtown; Buckhead and the south side add time.
Route sourceFAQ
Atlanta sewer and water questions
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620Does the City of Atlanta repair my sewer lateral?
No. ATL311 defines the service lateral as the extension of the house building sewer that connects the structure to the city sewer, and says the property owner is responsible for maintaining and repairing all of it. DWM handles the public sewer itself.
Who owns the water line between the street and my house?
It's split at the meter. DWM is responsible from the water main to the meter; the property owner is responsible from the meter to the home or building.
Source: Service Line Information | City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management
Why do so many older Atlanta sewer lines have roots in them?
Two reasons stack up. About one Atlanta home in nine was built before 1940, and the city has the densest urban tree canopy of any major U.S. city. Old joints plus big roots is the usual combination we find on camera.
Source: Census Reporter API — ACS 2020-2024 table B25034 (year structure built), Atlanta city
What was the Atlanta sewer consent decree?
A 1998 federal agreement, after regulators sued over overflows, that fined the city $2.5 million and required it to stop unpermitted combined-sewer discharges. A 2012 amendment extended construction deadlines to 2027.
Who do I call for a sewer backup in Atlanta?
If sewage is coming from the public side, DWM's customer care center takes sewer calls 24/7 at 404-546-0311. If the backup is in your own lateral, it's a private repair — call us at (678) 863-5620.
Source: Report A Problem | City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management
Can I put in a septic system inside Atlanta?
Practically, almost never: Georgia's rule requires connection when sewer is within 200 feet, and city code bans private shared wastewater systems. Any on-site system in Fulton would be permitted by the county Board of Health.
Source: Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 511-3-1 On-Site Sewage Management Systems
Is part of Atlanta in DeKalb County?
Yes. About 90% of the city is in Fulton County and the rest in DeKalb. Inside the city limits, the city's Watershed Management runs water and sewer either way.
Nearby areas
Close to Atlanta
- Decatur septic & sewerDecatur sewer and water lines just east of the city line.
- College Park septic & sewerCollege Park sewer service near the airport.
- Tucker septic & sewerTucker sewer lines in north DeKalb.
- Stone Mountain septic & sewerStone Mountain sewer and septic service.
- Ellenwood septic & sewerEllenwood sewer and septic to the southeast.
- Jonesboro septic & sewerJonesboro sewer service in Clayton County.
Sources
Where these facts come from
Rules, costs and local facts on this page link to the agency, code or publisher that states them. Cost figures are third-party market ranges, not our prices — estimates are free.
Reviewed by Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions · Last updated
- 1ATL311 — What is a Sewer Service Lateral?
- 2Service Line Information | City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management
- 3Office of Linear Infrastructure Operations | City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management
- 4ATL311 — Information Regarding Septic Tanks and Related Billing
- 5Land-use - Fulton County Board of Health
- 6Atlanta Code Ch. 154, Art. IV, Div. 1 — Sewer Construction, Generally (Secs. 154-141–154-155) (Municode, Supp. 107)
- 7Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 511-3-1 On-Site Sewage Management Systems
- 8EPA OIG Report 18-P-0206 — Atlanta Is Largely in Compliance with Its Combined Sewer Overflow Consent Decree (May 30, 2018)
- 9Frequently Asked Questions - Consent Decree | Clean Water Atlanta
- 10Office of Water Treatment and Reclamation | City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management
- 11Census Reporter API — ACS 2020-2024 table B25034 (year structure built), Atlanta city
- 12Census Reporter: Atlanta, GA (ACS 2024 5-year)
- 13Fulton County, Georgia - Wikipedia
- 14Report A Problem | City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management
- 15Atlanta - Wikipedia
- 16Peachtree Creek - Wikipedia
Ready when you are
Old lateral, big tree, slow drains? Let's find out what's down there.
Call (678) 863-5620 for an on-site estimate on an Atlanta sewer lateral, water service line or restaurant drain.
(678) 863-5620- Georgia DPH-certified installer & pumper
- Residential & commercial
- Oxford, GA
Free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620