Brookhaven, GA · DeKalb County
Brookhaven sewer line service where DeKalb owns the street pipes and the homeowner owns the lateral.
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- Residential & commercial
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or call (678) 863-5620The short answer
Who fixes a sewer line problem in Brookhaven, GA?
In Brookhaven the public sewer and water pipes belong to DeKalb County Watershed Management, not the city. DeKalb handles mains and anything in the right-of-way; the building sewer across your own lot is yours. Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions cameras, repairs and replaces that private lateral for Brookhaven homes and businesses.↗↗
Reviewed by Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions · Last updated
The Brookhaven story
A young city sitting on someone else's pipes
Brookhaven is new on paper and old in the ground. The city was incorporated on December 17, 2012, but the same area had already been a city once: it incorporated as North Atlanta in 1924 and gave that charter up in 1965. The streets, lots and much of the plumbing predate the current government by decades.↗
When the new city formed, it did not take over the water and sewer system. Brookhaven's own public works page is blunt about it: DeKalb County's pipes, manholes, valves, hydrants and meters run under every street, and the city has no authority to maintain, repair or replace them. Only DeKalb Watershed Management or its contractors may touch that infrastructure.↗
That leaves homeowners with three parties and one pipe. DeKalb owns the main and the connection inside the right-of-way, the city owns the pavement above it, and you own the building sewer running from your foundation to that line. Knowing which segment failed decides who pays and how fast it gets fixed.↗
Brookhaven is new on paper and old in the ground.
Local facts
Brookhaven 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Incorporated | December 17, 2012; about 12 square miles; 55,161 residents in 2020 | Brookhaven, Georgia - Wikipedia |
| Earlier charter | City of North Atlanta, 1924 to 1965 | Brookhaven, Georgia - Wikipedia |
| Median year built | 1994, with 6,124 units in buildings of 50+ apartments | Census Reporter API — ACS 2020-2024 tables B01003, B25035, B25034, B25024 for Brookhaven city |
| Soil at the center | Mapped simply as Urban land: no natural soil series left to name | USDA NRCS Soil Data Access — map unit at Brookhaven city-center coordinates (GA089) |
| Main ZIP | 30319 covers most of the city; 30329, 30341 and 30324 take the edges | U.S. Census Bureau 2020 ZCTA-to-Place Relationship File |
| Streams | Nancy Creek and a fork of Peachtree Creek | Census TIGERweb Hydro MapServer — hydrography around central Brookhaven |
Who owns what
Three owners along one sewer line
DeKalb County Watershed Managementmain
DeKalb County; the City of Brookhaven cannot repair it↗
Where the line sits: Under the street
DeKalb County Watershed Managementsewer lateral
Owner on private property; DeKalb inside the right-of-way and sewer easements (Sec. 25-220)↗
Where the line sits: Right-of-way edge
DeKalb County Watershed Managementwater service line
DeKalb up to and including the meter; owner past it↗
Where the line sits: Meter
The city keeps its own list of DeKalb repair sites left unfinished for more than 30 days and pictures sanitary sewer repairs on Ellijay Drive and Grant Drive that sat open from 2022 into 2023. If the failure is on the county side, report it to DeKalb at 770-270-6243 and log the work order with the city.↗
Median year homes were built
1994
Typical house here is about 32 years old — and so is its original sewer or septic line.
ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B25035 · Census Reporter API — ACS 2020-2024 tables B01003, B25035, B25034, B25024 for Brookhaven city
Housing era
Ranch houses and towers on the same trunk lines
A 1994 median makes Brookhaven sound recent, but it is an average of opposites. Roughly one home in five went up before 1970, and the 1950s alone account for 2,435 of them. Meanwhile about 22 percent of all units now sit in buildings of 50 or more apartments.↗
Those two groups call us for different reasons. The older houses bring root intrusion, sags and cracked joints in laterals that have carried waste for sixty years or more. Newer multifamily and townhome sites bring construction damage, shallow cleanouts buried under hardscape, and lines serving many units through a single connection.
Ground conditions add little help. The USDA soil map labels central Brookhaven simply as Urban land, meaning grading and fill have replaced the native profile. Expect compacted backfill, old utility trenches and tree roots in every dig.↗
Sewer or septic?
Is any of Brookhaven on septic?
The city describes DeKalb's sewer as running under every street, so this page is about laterals and water lines, not tanks. If an old deed or inspection hints at a buried tank, a camera run from the cleanout answers the question in minutes.↗
How to tell which one you have
- Your DeKalb bill includes a sewer charge.
- A cleanout cap sits between the house and the street.
- Plumbing exits the front of the foundation, not toward the back yard.
Services here
Our Brookhaven work
Also available:Sewer Line ReplacementWater Line RepairSewer Camera InspectionEmergency Sewer Service
On the map
Brookhaven from Oxford
About 57 min / 39.5 mi by road from our Oxford shop
Routed from our Oxford shop to central Brookhaven.
Route sourceFAQ
Brookhaven sewer questions
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620Can the City of Brookhaven fix a broken sewer or water pipe?
No. The city says it has no authority to maintain, repair or replace DeKalb's water and sewer assets; only DeKalb Watershed Management or its contractors may work on them.
Source: City of Brookhaven — DWM Water & Sewer in Brookhaven
How do I report a sewer problem in the street?
Use DeKalb Watershed's online repair form or call 770-270-6243, then file a Brookhaven Connect request with the DeKalb work order number so the city can track it.
Source: City of Brookhaven — DWM Water & Sewer in Brookhaven
Which part of the sewer line am I responsible for?
The building sewer on your property. DeKalb Code Sec. 25-220 has the county maintaining the connection only inside rights-of-way and sanitary sewer easements.
Source: DeKalb County Code Ch. 25, Art. IV, Div. 3 — Building Sewers and Connections (Municode, Supp. 72)
Why is a DeKalb repair hole still open on my street?
Brookhaven says DeKalb uses one crew for underground work and another for surface restoration, and it keeps a public list of DeKalb sites left unfinished for more than 30 days.
Source: City of Brookhaven — DWM Water & Sewer in Brookhaven
Was Brookhaven ever a city before 2012?
Yes. The area incorporated as North Atlanta in 1924 and disincorporated in 1965, so many lots and lines are far older than today's city.
Source: Brookhaven, Georgia - Wikipedia
Do Brookhaven homes have septic tanks?
We found no source showing septic inside the city, and Georgia's rule points buildings to public sewer within 200 feet. Treat a Brookhaven property as sewered unless a locate shows otherwise.
Source: Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 511-3-1 On-Site Sewage Management Systems
How far is Brookhaven from your shop?
About 39.5 miles and just under an hour by road from Oxford, routed with OSRM to the city center.
Nearby areas
Near Brookhaven
- Dunwoody septic & sewerDunwoody sewer lines, north past I-285 on the same DeKalb system.
- Sandy Springs septic & sewerSandy Springs sewer, where Fulton County owns the mains.
- Atlanta septic & sewerAtlanta sewer and water lines under the city's own watershed department.
- Decatur septic & sewerDecatur sewer and water lines for older in-town homes.
- Tucker septic & sewerTucker sewer service east along the Perimeter.
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
- 1City of Brookhaven — DWM Water & Sewer in Brookhaven
- 2DeKalb County Code Ch. 25, Art. IV, Div. 3 — Building Sewers and Connections (Municode, Supp. 72)
- 3Brookhaven, Georgia - Wikipedia
- 4Census Reporter API — ACS 2020-2024 tables B01003, B25035, B25034, B25024 for Brookhaven city
- 5USDA NRCS Soil Data Access — map unit at Brookhaven city-center coordinates (GA089)
- 6U.S. Census Bureau 2020 ZCTA-to-Place Relationship File
- 7Census TIGERweb Hydro MapServer — hydrography around central Brookhaven
- 8DeKalb County Code Ch. 25, Art. II, Div. 1 — Sec. 25-43 Location, ownership of facilities (Municode, Supp. 72)
- 9Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 511-3-1 On-Site Sewage Management Systems
- 10OSRM route, Oxford shop to central Brookhaven
Ready when you are
Brookhaven drains backing up? Find out whose pipe it is.
Call (678) 863-5620. We camera the line, mark where DeKalb's responsibility starts, and quote the repair on your side.
(678) 863-5620- Georgia DPH-certified installer & pumper
- Residential & commercial
- Oxford, GA
Free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620