Septic permits & records
Coweta County Environmental Health (District 4 Public Health)
- Address
- 22 E. Broad Street, Newnan, GA 30263
- Phone
- 770-683-7345
- Hours
- Mon–Fri 8–5, closed 12–1
Coweta County · Septic & sewer rules
Septic service in Coweta County, Georgia, where the county's own septic code asks more than the state minimum.
Newnan is the county seat. Septic permits and records: Coweta County Environmental Health (District 4 Public Health), part of District 4 Public Health — Coweta County Environmental Health.
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- Residential & commercial
- Local shop in Oxford, GA
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or call (678) 863-5620The short answer
Who permits septic systems in Coweta County, GA?
Coweta County Environmental Health, a District 4 Public Health office at 22 E. Broad Street in Newnan, issues septic permits. The county adds its own rules on top of the state's: a full replacement area, 100 feet of line per bedroom and an outlet filter on every tank. Newnan itself is sewered.↗↗↗
Reviewed by Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions · Last updated
Local facts
Coweta at a glance
Each row links to the agency, code or publisher it comes from. Tap a source to check it yourself.
| Topic | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| County authority customers | 31,000+ water, about 3,500 sewer | About Us | Coweta County Water and Sewerage Authority |
| Replacement area | 100% of the system, required on every new permit | Coweta County Code Ch. 78, Art. II — Septic Tanks (Municode, Supp. 41) |
| Outlet filters | Required on all septic tanks in the county | Coweta County Code Ch. 78, Art. II — Septic Tanks (Municode, Supp. 41) |
| Water-supply setback | 150 ft from drinking-water impoundments and designated supply streams | Coweta County Zoning and Development Ordinance Sec. 246.9 — Water and sewer (Municode, Supp. 41) |
| Residential sewer connection (CCWSA) | $1,350, schedule effective Sept. 15, 2026 | CCWSA Rates and Fees (September 15, 2026) |
| Median year built | 1999 (ACS 2020-2024) | Census Reporter: Coweta County, GA (ACS 2024 5-year) |
The Coweta County story
Nine water taps for every sewer tap
The clearest picture of Coweta's wastewater comes from its own water authority. CCWSA counts more than 31,000 active water customers and roughly 3,500 on its sewer. Newnan runs a separate utility, so the comparison leaves the city out, but for the rest of the county the arithmetic is plain: a home on county water most likely sends its wastewater to a tank in the yard.↗
The authority itself is young. The legislature created it in 2001, and it took over the county's water and sewer systems on June 6, 2007. Its wastewater runs to three plants, Arnco, Sargent and Shenandoah, while drinking water comes from the B.T. Brown plant on a reservoir of more than 300 acres, topped up with water bought from Atlanta, Griffin and Newnan.↗↗
Shenandoah has its own history. It began in the early 1970s as one of the federally backed new towns, planned on 7,400 acres, and was foreclosed on in 1981 with only 170 families and 108 lots in place.↗
Permits · Coweta County Environmental Health, District 4 Public Health
Coweta's septic code, step by step
Chapter 78 of the county code adopts the state manual and then adds several requirements of its own.
- 01
Apply to Coweta County Environmental Health, which issues every septic permit in the county, including repairs.↗
- 02
Lay out a full replacement area next to the primary field; the county requires 100% on all new systems.↗
- 03
Size the field at no less than 100 feet of nitrification line per bedroom, and run at least 10 feet of solid pipe out of the tank first.↗
- 04
Fit an approved outlet filter with a flow reducer plate; every tank in the county needs one.↗
- 05
For a failing system, use District 4's Residential Repair Permit Application and mark the reason and the symptoms.↗
Georgia rule Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 511-3-1-.03
“…available within two hundred feet (200') of the property line”
More about Coweta County
What happens when a Coweta system is ignored
Most counties can order a repair. Coweta's code goes a step further: when an owner lets a septic system become a threat to public health, the health department can invoke the county's unsafe-conditions ordinance, have the county fix it, and put a lien on the property for the cost.↗
That makes a quiet failure expensive. Surfacing effluent or a backed-up tank is cheaper to deal with on your schedule, with your contractor, than on the county's. Subdivision-scale shared systems are limited too: since 1993 a multi-user system is allowed only where at least 80 percent of the lots could have taken a conventional field on their own.↗
- Coweta can have a neglected septic system repaired and lien the property to recover the cost (Sec. 78-38(b)).↗
Most counties can order a repair.
Sewer or septic?
Newnan is the exception
Newnan has had public sewer since early 1900, when a system surveyed in 1895 was finished, and its code today allows no on-site sewage systems inside the city. Newnan Utilities, not the county authority, runs it.↗↗
Beyond Newnan, the county's development rules leave the call to its water and sewer department: where public sewer is available, developers must build it to every lot; where it isn't, each lot may use a septic system approved by environmental health.↗
How to tell which one you have
- A CCWSA bill with only water charges points to septic.
- Inside Newnan city limits, you're on Newnan Utilities sewer.
- Environmental Health on East Broad Street can look up a septic permit for the address.
Soil & terrain
Two river basins and a lot of slope
Coweta splits down the middle. The eastern half, from Palmetto through Newnan toward Luthersville, drains to the Upper Flint; the western half drains to the Chattahoochee above Lake Harding.↗
The soil survey that covers Coweta, Heard and Troup is dominated by Cecil on 6–10% slopes, with large areas of eroded Madison gravelly clay loam and steep Pacolet. NRCS rates about 224,000 acres of major components there very limited for absorption fields, which is why Coweta's replacement-area rule bites on hilly lots: you need room for two fields on ground that works.↗↗
- Chattahoochee River
- White Oak Creek
- B.T. Brown Reservoir
Towns we serve
Coweta places we serve
Newnan and Palmetto have their own pages; we work the rest of the county too.
- NewnanThe sewered county seat, with many pre-1940 homes.Newnan septic & sewer
- PalmettoSplit between Fulton and Coweta on the north edge.Palmetto septic & sewer
Also in the county
- Senoia
- Sharpsburg
- Turin
- Haralson
- Moreland
- Grantville
- East Newnan · Unincorporated community south of Newnan
Services here
Coweta County services
- 01Septic RepairRepairs permitted by Coweta Environmental Health, outlet filter included.Septic Repair details
- 02Septic InstallationNew fields laid out with Coweta's 100% reserve and per-bedroom length.Septic Installation details
- 03Drain Field RepairFailing lines on sloped Madison and Cecil ground.Drain Field Repair details
- 04Septic PumpingPump-outs plus outlet filter cleaning.Septic Pumping details
- 05Sewer Line RepairOld building sewers under Newnan's early-1900s homes.Sewer Line Repair details
Also available:Septic InspectionWater Line Repair & Installation
Who to call at the county
Who handles what in Coweta
- Coweta County Water and Sewerage Authority County water and sewer545 Corinth Rd; (770) 254-3710.↗
- Newnan Utilities Water, sewer and electric in NewnanRun by the city's commission since 1904.↗
FAQ
Coweta County septic questions
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620Where do I apply for a septic permit in Coweta County?
Coweta County Environmental Health at 22 E. Broad Street in Newnan, 770-683-7345. It is a District 4 Public Health office and issues both new and repair permits.
Source: District 4 Public Health: Coweta County (Health Department and Environmental Health)
Does my septic tank need a filter in Coweta?
Yes. County code requires an approved outlet filter on all septic tanks, with a flow reducer plate. If yours doesn't have one, a repair or pump-out is a good time to add it.
Source: Coweta County Code Ch. 78, Art. II — Septic Tanks (Municode, Supp. 41)
How long does a drain field have to be for a four-bedroom house?
Coweta requires at least 100 feet of nitrification line per bedroom, so a four-bedroom home starts at 400 feet, before soil conditions are considered.
Source: Coweta County Code Ch. 78, Art. II — Septic Tanks (Municode, Supp. 41)
Why do I need room for two drain fields?
Because the county requires a 100% replacement area on every new system. The reserve has to be suitable ground, set aside for when the first field wears out.
Source: Coweta County Code Ch. 78, Art. II — Septic Tanks (Municode, Supp. 41)
Is there sewer in my part of Coweta?
Probably not outside Newnan. The county authority has about 3,500 sewer customers against more than 31,000 water customers. Inside Newnan, sewer connection is mandatory.
Source: About Us | Coweta County Water and Sewerage Authority
What does it cost to tie into county sewer?
CCWSA's schedule effective September 15, 2026 lists a $1,350 residential sewer connection fee, separate from any capacity charges and the plumbing on your side.
Can a drain field go near a pond or creek?
Not near a water-supply source. No part of a septic drain system may be within 150 feet of a drinking-water impoundment or designated future-supply stream in Coweta.
Source: Coweta County Zoning and Development Ordinance Sec. 246.9 — Water and sewer (Municode, Supp. 41)
How far is Coweta from your shop?
About 1 hour 23 minutes and 68 miles by road from Oxford to the middle of the county, per OSRM routing. We plan Coweta jobs as scheduled trips.
On the map
Coweta County on the map
About 1 hr 23 min / 67.9 mi by road from our Oxford shop
Routed from Oxford to the center of Coweta County; Newnan is a few minutes closer.
Route sourceSources
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
- 1District 4 Public Health: Coweta County (Health Department and Environmental Health)
- 2Coweta County Code Ch. 78, Art. II — Septic Tanks (Municode, Supp. 41)
- 3Newnan Code of Ordinances Sec. 5-38 — Certificates (Municode)
- 4About Us | Coweta County Water and Sewerage Authority
- 5Coweta County Zoning and Development Ordinance Sec. 246.9 — Water and sewer (Municode, Supp. 41)
- 6CCWSA Rates and Fees (September 15, 2026)
- 7Census Reporter: Coweta County, GA (ACS 2024 5-year)
- 8FAQs | Coweta County Water and Sewerage Authority
- 9Coweta County, Georgia - Wikipedia
- 10District 4 Public Health: Residential Repair Permit Application (rev. 2024-08-12)
- 11Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 511-3-1 On-Site Sewage Management Systems
- 12History - Newnan Utilities
- 13USDA NRCS Soil Data Access — survey area GA629 (Coweta, Heard, and Troup Counties, Georgia)
- 14Official Series Description — MADISON Series (USDA NRCS)
Ready when you are
Septic problem on a Coweta lot? We know the county's extra rules.
Call (678) 863-5620. We check the filter, the field and the reserve area, and file the repair permit with Environmental Health.
(678) 863-5620- Georgia DPH-certified installer & pumper
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or call (678) 863-5620