Water Line Repair & Installation · Decatur, GA
Decatur water line repair and installation on the homeowner's side of DeKalb County's meter.
- 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 a water line leak at a Decatur, GA house?
DeKalb County owns Decatur's water system up to and including the meter. The pipe from the meter to your house is yours, so a leak in the yard, low pressure from an undersized old line, or a new service for an addition is a private repair or replacement that a contractor like us handles.↗↗
Reviewed by Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions · Last updated
The Decatur story
Decatur's water has come from somewhere else since 1941
Decatur once filtered its own water from Peachtree and Burnt Fork creeks at a plant that is now Mason Mill Park. When demand outgrew it, DeKalb County took the plant over and began selling water to the city. The revenue helped build a countywide treatment plant in Dunwoody drawing from the Chattahoochee River, the plant later named for Scott Candler.↗
So today a Decatur faucet runs on Chattahoochee water pushed through DeKalb mains. Customers set up and pay for service through the county's Utility Customer Operations office, and the county handles breaks on its side of the meter.↗
Those breaks can be large. In February 2020 a 20-inch main burst at 920 Clairemont Avenue, closing Clairemont between Scott Boulevard and North Decatur Road and flooding Westchester Drive until DeKalb crews finished at 4 a.m. A break that size is the county's problem. The much smaller line from your meter to the house is yours.↗
Who owns what
The meter is the dividing line
DeKalb County Watershed Managementwater service line
DeKalb owns everything up to and including the meter; the homeowner owns the pipe from the meter to the house↗
Where the line sits: Meter
DeKalb County Watershed Managementmain
DeKalb County; only the county may tap it↗
Where the line sits: Street
No plumber may tap a DeKalb main without written permission. Where no service line exists, the county installs the tap, meter and box, and the customer connects at the meter.↗
Warning signs
When the leak is between the meter and the house
Seeing two or more of these? Call before it gets worse.
- 1. The meter's leak indicator spins with every fixture off
- 2. A patch of lawn between the sidewalk and porch stays green or soft in dry weather
- 3. Water bills from DeKalb climb with no change in use
- 4. Pressure drops when a second tap opens
- 5. You hear running water at the foundation where the line enters
- 6. Rusty or discolored water only at your house, not the neighbors'
Local facts
Decatur water line 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Where accounts are handled | DeKalb Utility Customer Operations, 404-378-4475 | Rough Draft Atlanta — Just moved to Decatur? Here's how to set up your utilities (Feb. 23, 2023) |
| New 3/4-inch meter tap | $1,100, plus a $2,000 water access fee (2022 sheet) | DeKalb County 2022 Current Rates — Water and Sewer Rates and Service Charges (via Wayback) |
| Replacing an existing service | DeKalb treats it as a new service connection application | DeKalb County Code Ch. 25, Art. II, Div. 3 — Secs. 25-83, 25-84 Service connections (Municode, Supp. 72) |
| County emergency line | 770-270-6243, 24 hours | Watershed Management | DeKalb County, GA |
More about Decatur
Repair or replace the service line?
A single leak on a line that is otherwise sound is a repair: expose the spot, cut in a new section, pressure-test and backfill. If the line has leaked more than once, is visibly corroded where we expose it, or is too small for a house that has doubled in bathrooms, replacing it from the meter to the house is the better spend.
On Decatur's narrow lots the run is usually short, but it tends to pass under walks, steps and old tree roots. Once the line is located, we plan a route that disturbs as little brick and stone as possible.
If the house needs a bigger meter or the lot has no service at all, that part goes through DeKalb, which installs the tap and meter. We connect the house side once the county has set the meter.↗
A single leak on a line that is otherwise sound is a repair: expose the spot, cut in a new section, pressure-test and backfill.
What it costs
Typical water line costs
Short leak repair
$400–$1,500
Typical market range — HomeGuide — Water Line Replacement Cost (updated December 2025), 2025
Main water line replacement
$2,000–$5,000
Typical market range — HomeGuide — Water Line Replacement Cost (updated December 2025), 2025
Trenched line, per foot
$50–$200
Typical market range — HomeGuide — Water Line Replacement Cost (updated December 2025), 2025
DeKalb 1-inch meter tap (new service)
$1,300
Typical market range — DeKalb County 2022 Current Rates — Water and Sewer Rates and Service Charges (via Wayback), 2022
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- 01Brick walks, steps and retaining walls over the route
- 02Roots from mature street trees
- 03Upsizing the line for added bathrooms
- 04Whether DeKalb must set a new meter
FAQ
Decatur water line FAQ
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620Is the pipe between the meter and my house my responsibility?
Yes. DeKalb County owns the system up to and including the meter; the line from the meter to the house belongs to the property owner.
Who do I call about a water main break on my street?
DeKalb Watershed Management's 24-hour line at 770-270-6243. County crews handled the 2020 Clairemont Avenue break, for example.
Can a contractor connect my new line straight to the main?
No. DeKalb forbids tapping a county main without written permission; the county installs taps and meters.
What does a new meter cost in Decatur?
DeKalb's 2022 rate sheet lists $1,100 for a 3/4-inch tap and $1,300 for 1-inch, plus a $2,000 water access fee. Replacing your own service line behind an existing meter doesn't trigger those.
Source: DeKalb County 2022 Current Rates — Water and Sewer Rates and Service Charges (via Wayback)
Where does Decatur's water come from?
From DeKalb County's system, which draws Chattahoochee River water. Decatur's own creek-fed waterworks stopped supplying the city in the 1940s.
Source: Decatur Waterworks - Wikipedia
How do I set up water service after buying a Decatur house?
Through DeKalb County's Utility Customer Operations Service Center, 404-378-4475; new accounts carry a $20 application fee.
Source: Rough Draft Atlanta — Just moved to Decatur? Here's how to set up your utilities (Feb. 23, 2023)
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. II, Div. 1 — Sec. 25-43 Location, ownership of facilities (Municode, Supp. 72)
- 2Rough Draft Atlanta — Just moved to Decatur? Here's how to set up your utilities (Feb. 23, 2023)
- 3Decatur Waterworks - Wikipedia
- 4Decaturish — Water main break on Clairemont Avenue closes roads, disrupts water service (Feb. 2020)
- 5DeKalb County Code Ch. 25, Art. II, Div. 3 — Secs. 25-83, 25-84 Service connections (Municode, Supp. 72)
- 6DeKalb County 2022 Current Rates — Water and Sewer Rates and Service Charges (via Wayback)
- 7Watershed Management | DeKalb County, GA
- 8HomeGuide — Water Line Replacement Cost (updated December 2025)
Ready when you are
Green stripe in a dry Decatur lawn? That's probably your service line.
Call (678) 863-5620. We find the leak between DeKalb's meter and your house and fix or replace the line.
(678) 863-5620- Georgia DPH-certified installer & pumper
- Residential & commercial
- Oxford, GA
Free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620