Sewer Line Repair · Brookhaven, GA
Brookhaven sewer line repair for the private building sewer between the house and DeKalb's right-of-way.
- Georgia DPH-certified installer & pumper
- Residential & commercial
- Local shop in Oxford, GA
Get a free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620The short answer
How is a sewer line repaired in Brookhaven, GA?
A Brookhaven repair starts at your cleanout with a camera, which shows whether the fault sits in your building sewer or in DeKalb's pipe. Private-side breaks, sags and root-packed joints are ours to fix by spot repair or section replacement; anything in the right-of-way goes to DeKalb Watershed Management at 770-270-6243.↗↗
Reviewed by Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions · Last updated
Warning signs
When a Brookhaven backup is the lateral
Seeing two or more of these? Call before it gets worse.
- 1. Toilets gurgle when the washing machine drains
- 2. Water backs up in a floor drain or lower-level shower first
- 3. The cleanout cap near the front walk is wet or leaking
- 4. A strip of lawn between the house and street stays greener or softer than the rest
- 5. A plumber's snake comes back with roots
- 6. The backup returns a few months after every cleaning
The Brookhaven story
Old ground under a new city
Brookhaven has only been a city since 2012, but its housing is not new. The census counts 5,495 homes built before 1970, about one in five, and 2,435 of them date from the 1950s. The laterals under those houses have carried waste for sixty to seventy years, through decades of tree growth and repaving.↗
The public side shows its age too. In August 2017 a 10-inch DeKalb sewer broke in the woods near a Nancy Creek tributary and ran for nine days, releasing about 3.9 million gallons, the county's largest spill in more than a decade. Erosion of the creek bank supporting the pipe caused it.↗
That spill was DeKalb's to fix. What sits on your lot is not, and it rarely fails that dramatically. Private laterals fail quietly: a root finds a joint, a section settles and holds water, and the house backs up a little more often each season.↗
Who owns what
Where the repair bill changes hands
DeKalb County Watershed Managementsewer lateral
Owner on private property; DeKalb within rights-of-way and sanitary sewer easements (Sec. 25-220)↗
Where the line sits: Right-of-way edge
DeKalb County Watershed Managementmain
DeKalb County only; the City of Brookhaven has no authority to repair it↗
Where the line sits: Under the street
DeKalb's code also puts the cost of installing and connecting a building sewer on the owner and makes the owner answer for damage to the public sewer during that work.↗
Local facts
Brookhaven records that shape a sewer repair
Each row links to the agency, code or publisher it comes from. Tap a source to check it yourself.
| Topic | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Largest recent spill | 3.9 million gallons, Nancy Creek tributary, August 2017; residents warned off the creek near Peachtree Dunwoody and Johnson Ferry roads | Atlanta Journal-Constitution — Huge 3.9 million gallon sewage spill reported in Brookhaven (Aug. 22, 2017) |
| Who may work on DeKalb pipe | Only DeKalb Watershed or its contractors | City of Brookhaven — DWM Water & Sewer in Brookhaven |
| Grease rule for restaurants | Separators required when wastes exceed 100 mg/l of fat, oil, grease or sand | DeKalb County Code Ch. 25, Art. IV, Div. 5 — Sec. 25-257 Separators and interceptors (Municode, Supp. 72) |
| County fines, 2011–2017 | $924,000 paid to regulators for spills, per the AJC | Atlanta Journal-Constitution — Giant raw sewage spill in Brookhaven pollutes DeKalb creeks (Aug. 23, 2017) |
More about Brookhaven
How we work a Brookhaven lateral
We begin at the outside cleanout, or pull a toilet if the house has none, and run a camera the full length of the building sewer. The monitor shows each joint, the depth and location of the fault, and the point where your pipe meets DeKalb's. You see the footage before any digging starts.
A single cracked joint or a short root-packed section is cut out and replaced with new pipe and shielded couplings through one small excavation. When the camera shows faults along much of the line, replacing the lateral from the foundation to the right-of-way usually costs less than repeated spot repairs over the next few years.
If the defect is on the county's side, we stop and hand you the video. Brookhaven asks residents to report right-of-way failures through DeKalb's online form or at 770-270-6243, then log the DeKalb work order with Brookhaven Connect so the city can track progress.↗
After the repair we film the line again, backfill in compacted lifts, and restore the yard. Restaurants and shops get the same process, plus a look at the grease interceptor, since DeKalb requires one once fat, oil and grease pass 100 mg/l.↗
We begin at the outside cleanout, or pull a toilet if the house has none, and run a camera the full length of the building sewer.
What it costs
Brookhaven sewer repair cost ranges
Sewer line repair, by method
$150–$3,800
Typical market range — HomeGuide — Sewer Line Repair & Replacement Cost (updated December 2025), 2025
Sewer camera inspection
$125–$500
Typical market range — HomeGuide — Sewer Line Repair & Replacement Cost (updated December 2025), 2025
Partial lateral replacement, Atlanta market
$50–$200 per linear foot
Typical market range — Angi — How Much Does Sewer Line Replacement Cost in Atlanta, GA? (updated April 2026), 2026
What moves the price
These are third-party typical market ranges, not our prices. Every job is quoted after we see it — estimates are free.
Free estimate: (678) 863-5620- 01Depth of the fault below grade on a sloping lot
- 02Driveways, walks and retaining walls over the line
- 03Large oaks whose roots must be cut clear
- 04Whether the job crosses into DeKalb's right-of-way
FAQ
Brookhaven sewer repair FAQ
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620Can I ask the City of Brookhaven to fix my sewer line?
No. The city says it cannot maintain, repair or replace DeKalb's water and sewer assets, and private laterals belong to the owner.
Source: City of Brookhaven — DWM Water & Sewer in Brookhaven
Where does my responsibility end?
At the right-of-way. DeKalb Code Sec. 25-220 has the owner maintaining the building sewer on private property and the county maintaining it inside rights-of-way and sewer easements.
Source: DeKalb County Code Ch. 25, Art. IV, Div. 3 — Building Sewers and Connections (Municode, Supp. 72)
What if the camera shows the break under the street?
That part is DeKalb's. Report it through DeKalb's online form or 770-270-6243 and add the work order number to a Brookhaven Connect request.
Source: City of Brookhaven — DWM Water & Sewer in Brookhaven
Why do older Brookhaven homes have more sewer trouble?
About one Brookhaven home in five was built before 1970, so many laterals are sixty years old or more and have had decades of root growth.
Source: Census Reporter API — ACS 2020-2024 tables B01003, B25035, B25034, B25024 for Brookhaven city
Was the 2017 Nancy Creek spill caused by a homeowner's line?
No. It came from a broken 10-inch county pipe undermined by creek-bank erosion, which DeKalb repaired.
Do I need a camera inspection before buying a Brookhaven house?
It is worth it on any home with a lateral old enough to have roots. The inspection is a small cost next to the repair ranges published for the Atlanta market.
Source: HomeGuide — Sewer Line Repair & Replacement Cost (updated December 2025)
Does my restaurant need a grease trap in Brookhaven?
DeKalb requires grease, oil and sand separators when wastes exceed 100 mg/l of those materials.
Nearby areas
Sewer line repair around Brookhaven
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
- 1DeKalb County Code Ch. 25, Art. IV, Div. 3 — Building Sewers and Connections (Municode, Supp. 72)
- 2City of Brookhaven — DWM Water & Sewer in Brookhaven
- 3Census Reporter API — ACS 2020-2024 tables B01003, B25035, B25034, B25024 for Brookhaven city
- 4Atlanta Journal-Constitution — Giant raw sewage spill in Brookhaven pollutes DeKalb creeks (Aug. 23, 2017)
- 5Atlanta Journal-Constitution — Huge 3.9 million gallon sewage spill reported in Brookhaven (Aug. 22, 2017)
- 6DeKalb County Code Ch. 25, Art. IV, Div. 5 — Sec. 25-257 Separators and interceptors (Municode, Supp. 72)
- 7HomeGuide — Sewer Line Repair & Replacement Cost (updated December 2025)
- 8Angi — How Much Does Sewer Line Replacement Cost in Atlanta, GA? (updated April 2026)
Ready when you are
Backup in a Brookhaven basement? See the fault before you pay for a dig.
We camera the lateral, show you exactly where DeKalb's pipe begins, and quote only the work on your side.
(678) 863-5620- Georgia DPH-certified installer & pumper
- Residential & commercial
- Oxford, GA
Free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620