Decatur, GA · DeKalb County
Decatur sewer and water line service for a dense, older city split between two watersheds.
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Is Decatur, GA on sewer or septic, and who fixes what?
Decatur is a sewered city. DeKalb County Watershed Management owns the public sewer and water mains and bills every account, while the homeowner owns the building sewer on private property and the water pipe past the meter. Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions repairs and replaces those private laterals and service lines in Decatur.↗↗↗
Reviewed by Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions · Last updated
Local facts
Decatur, measured
Each row links to the agency, code or publisher it comes from. Tap a source to check it yourself.
| Topic | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | Incorporated December 10, 1823; seat of DeKalb County | Decatur, Georgia - Wikipedia |
| Size | 4.60 square miles, 24,928 residents in 2020 (about 5,423 per square mile) | Decatur, Georgia - Wikipedia |
| Drainage divide | The Eastern Continental Divide follows the CSX rail line through town | Decatur, Georgia - Wikipedia |
| Median year built | 1975 (ACS 2020-2024) | Census Reporter: Decatur, GA (ACS 2024 5-year, tables B01003, B25035, B25034, B25024) |
| Soil at the center | Cecil-Urban land complex, 2–10% slopes — roughly two-thirds Cecil, one-third paved or built over | USDA NRCS Soil Data Access — map unit at Decatur city-center coordinates (GA089) |
| Water and sewer billing | DeKalb County Utility Customer Operations, 404-378-4475 | Rough Draft Atlanta — Just moved to Decatur? Here's how to set up your utilities (Feb. 23, 2023) |
| Creeks near downtown | Peavine, Shoal and Wolfpack creeks | Census TIGERweb Hydro MapServer — linear hydrography around downtown Decatur |
The Decatur story
A town that once pumped its own water
Decatur ran its own waterworks for a generation. The plant in what is now Mason Mill Park was finished in December 1907 and pulled water from Peachtree and Burnt Fork creeks, about 1.8 million gallons a day. By 1941 that was no longer enough. DeKalb County took over the plant and began selling water to the city, and that arrangement grew into the county system that serves Decatur today.↗
The practical result for a homeowner is simple: there is no separate city utility to call. Accounts are opened and paid through DeKalb's Utility Customer Operations office, and DeKalb crews answer for the pipes under the street.↗
Geography adds a twist most residents never notice. The Eastern Continental Divide runs through Decatur along the old Georgia Railroad corridor, now CSX. Rain on one side heads for the Chattahoochee and the Gulf; rain on the other drains toward the Atlantic. Sewer follows gravity too, so the fall of a lateral, and the direction the main carries it, depends on which side of the tracks the house sits.↗
Decatur ran its own waterworks for a generation.
Median year homes were built
1975
Typical house here is about 51 years old — and so is its original sewer or septic line.
ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B25035 · Census Reporter: Decatur, GA (ACS 2024 5-year, tables B01003, B25035, B25034, B25024)
Housing era
Two housing stocks sharing one sewer
A median build year of 1975 hides how split Decatur really is. The census counts a large block of homes from before 1940 and another large block from the 2010s, with comparatively little in between. Bungalow streets such as Oakhurst, Winnona Park and the MAK Historic District sit a few blocks from new apartment and condo buildings.↗↗
Those groups fail differently. On a century-old house the lateral may have been repaired piecemeal over decades, and nobody alive knows what it is made of until a camera goes in. On a new building the risk is construction damage, a poorly bedded joint or a cleanout buried under landscaping.
Underneath both is the same ground. The USDA maps the center of town as Cecil soil mixed with urban land. Cecil is very deep red clay, so trenches here rarely hit rock; the harder part is working around porches, retaining walls, old trees and neighbors a few feet away.↗↗
Sewer or septic?
Septic in Decatur? We haven't found any
That is why this page covers sewer laterals and water lines, not tanks and drain fields. If you have an older property that you believe still has a tank, a camera and a locate will settle it, and DeKalb Public Health handles any septic permitting in the county.
How to tell which one you have
- Your DeKalb bill carries a sewer charge.
- A cleanout near the sidewalk or front walk points toward the street.
- The house plumbing exits toward the street rather than into the back yard.
Who owns what
Where DeKalb's pipe ends and yours begins
DeKalb County Watershed Managementsewer lateral
Homeowner on private property; DeKalb inside the right-of-way or a sewer easement↗
Where the line sits: Property line / right-of-way edge
DeKalb County Watershed Managementwater service line
DeKalb through the meter; homeowner from the meter to the house↗
Where the line sits: Meter
DeKalb's own spill records from Decatur show both halves of this rule at work: county crews clearing the public main, and blockages in private laterals that the property side had to clear.↗
Services here
What we do in Decatur
- 01Sewer Line RepairBackups, roots and broken joints in laterals under older yards.Sewer Line Repair details
- 02Sewer Line Installation & ReplacementFull lateral replacement for renovations, additions and new builds.Sewer Line Installation & Replacement details
- 03Water Line Repair & InstallationLeaks and replacements on the owner's side of DeKalb's meter.Water Line Repair & Installation details
Also available:Sewer Camera InspectionEmergency Sewer Service
On the map
Decatur from our shop
About 42 min / 30.8 mi by road from our Oxford shop
Routed from Oxford to the center of Decatur.
Route sourceFAQ
Decatur homeowners ask
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620Does the City of Decatur run its own water and sewer utility?
No. Water and sewer service in Decatur is set up and paid through DeKalb County's Utility Customer Operations office at 404-378-4475, and DeKalb Watershed Management maintains the public mains.
Source: Rough Draft Atlanta — Just moved to Decatur? Here's how to set up your utilities (Feb. 23, 2023)
When did DeKalb start supplying Decatur's water?
Around 1941. Decatur's 1907 waterworks produced about 1.8 million gallons a day, which became insufficient; DeKalb County then operated the plant and sold water to the city.
Source: Decatur Waterworks - Wikipedia
Which part of my sewer line do I have to pay to fix?
The building sewer on your own property. Under DeKalb County Code Sec. 25-220 the county maintains the connection only inside street rights-of-way and sanitary sewer easements.
Source: DeKalb County Code Ch. 25, Art. IV, Div. 3 — Building Sewers and Connections (Municode, Supp. 72)
Do Decatur houses have septic tanks?
We found no source showing septic inside city limits, and Georgia's rule directs buildings to public sewer when it is within 200 feet. Treat a Decatur home as sewered unless a locate proves otherwise.
Source: Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 511-3-1 On-Site Sewage Management Systems
How old are Decatur's homes?
The median build year is 1975, but that averages two extremes: a big share of pre-1940 houses and a wave of 2010s construction. Lateral problems look different in each.
Source: Census Reporter: Decatur, GA (ACS 2024 5-year, tables B01003, B25035, B25034, B25024)
Does the continental divide affect my sewer?
Indirectly. The Eastern Continental Divide runs through Decatur along the CSX line, so the ground falls in different directions on each side, and the lateral has to slope toward whichever main serves your block.
Source: Decatur, Georgia - Wikipedia
Will you hit rock digging a Decatur sewer trench?
Rarely. The soil mapped at the city center is Cecil, a very deep clay with bedrock more than 60 inches down. Tight lots and old trees are the usual obstacles.
Source: Official Series Description — CECIL Series (USDA NRCS)
Nearby areas
Around Decatur
- Atlanta septic & sewerAtlanta sewer and water lines just west, under the city's own watershed department.
- Tucker septic & sewerTucker sewer service up Lawrenceville Highway.
- Stone Mountain septic & sewerStone Mountain sewer and septic east on US 78.
- Redan septic & sewerRedan sewer and septic in south DeKalb.
- Ellenwood septic & sewerEllenwood sewer and water lines where three counties meet.
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
- 1Rough Draft Atlanta — Just moved to Decatur? Here's how to set up your utilities (Feb. 23, 2023)
- 2DeKalb County Code Ch. 25, Art. IV, Div. 3 — Building Sewers and Connections (Municode, Supp. 72)
- 3DeKalb County Code Ch. 25, Art. II, Div. 1 — Sec. 25-43 Location, ownership of facilities (Municode, Supp. 72)
- 4Decatur, Georgia - Wikipedia
- 5Census Reporter: Decatur, GA (ACS 2024 5-year, tables B01003, B25035, B25034, B25024)
- 6USDA NRCS Soil Data Access — map unit at Decatur city-center coordinates (GA089)
- 7Census TIGERweb Hydro MapServer — linear hydrography around downtown Decatur
- 8Decatur Waterworks - Wikipedia
- 9Official Series Description — CECIL Series (USDA NRCS)
- 10Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 511-3-1 On-Site Sewage Management Systems
- 11DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management — Consent Decree SSO Tracking Sheet, 1st Quarter Report 2020
Ready when you are
Old Decatur house, slow drains? Let's see the lateral.
Call (678) 863-5620. We camera the line, show you where DeKalb's pipe ends and yours starts, and quote the repair.
(678) 863-5620- Georgia DPH-certified installer & pumper
- Residential & commercial
- Oxford, GA
Free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620