Septic permits & records
Cobb & Douglas Public Health — Douglas County Environmental Health
- Address
- 4655 Timber Ridge Drive, Douglasville, GA 30135
- Phone
- 770-920-7311
Douglas County · Septic & sewer rules
Septic and sewer service in Douglas County, Georgia, where the water authority reaches most homes but its sewer reaches far fewer.
Douglasville is the county seat. Septic permits and records: Cobb & Douglas Public Health — Douglas County Environmental Health, part of Cobb & Douglas Public Health — Center for Environmental Health (Douglas County office).
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or call (678) 863-5620The short answer
Is Douglas County, GA on sewer or septic?
Both, and septic is common. The Douglasville-Douglas County Water and Sewer Authority serves nearly every home with water, yet in fiscal 2025 it counted 46,841 water customers and only 21,768 sewer customers. Septic permits and repairs go through Cobb & Douglas Public Health's Douglas office in Douglasville.↗↗
Reviewed by Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions · Last updated
At a glance
Sewer or septic?
One water authority, two kinds of wastewater
The Authority's own annual report tells the story in two lines of a table. At the close of fiscal 2025 it had 46,841 water customers and 21,768 sewer customers. It exclusively provides water, sewer and stormwater service everywhere in the county except Villa Rica and Austell, so most of that gap is households that treat their own wastewater in the yard.↗
WSA builds the difference into its paperwork. New-service deposits are $50 to $125 for a home with water service only, which the Authority labels 'on septic tank,' and $125 to $275 for a home with water and sewer.↗
How to tell which one you have
- Your WSA bill shows a sewer base fee and sewer usage if you're connected; a water-only bill usually means septic.
- A buried tank lid or a mowed rectangle over field lines in the yard.
- Ask WSA Customer Service at (770) 949-7617 whether a sewer tap exists for your address.
The Douglas County story
The Dog River rule: septic owners who protect a drinking-water lake
The Dog River runs south through western Douglas County and ends in the Dog River Reservoir, the county's main source of drinking water. WSA puts the lake at 256 acres and lists it, with Bear Creek Reservoir, as the raw water feeding its Bear Creek treatment plant.↗↗
Because septic systems in that watershed drain toward the reservoir, the Authority writes a pumping requirement into its service agreement: tanks in the Dog River drainage basin must be pumped at least once every five years, and the owner has to show proof when WSA asks. Keep every pumping receipt; it is the proof WSA can request.↗
The same agreement requires tanks and absorption fields to be built to County Health Department standards and to WSA's own Design and Construction Standards, so a repair in Douglas County answers to two agencies.↗
Permits · Cobb & Douglas Public Health — Douglas County Environmental Health, 4655 Timber Ridge Drive, Douglasville (770-920-7311)
Septic permits in Douglas County, step by step
Cobb & Douglas Public Health keeps separate Douglas County requirement sheets for each kind of septic job.
- 01
Pick the right application: repair/modification, new residential construction, subdivision, lot split or new commercial construction.↗
- 02
For a new home, pay the $110 site review; the inspection and permit add $250.↗
- 03
For a failing system, a repair or modification permit is $170, or $85 when the fix doesn't involve the field lines.↗
- 04
The county code adopts the Board of Health's rules, and violations are misdemeanors enforced by the building official, code enforcement and health officers.↗
Georgia rule Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 511-3-1-.03
“Construction permits for on-site systems are valid for up to 12 months.”
Published fees
- Residential repair or modificationEffective current through Dec. 31, 2026$170↗
- Existing system evaluationEffective current through Dec. 31, 2026$150↗
- Commercial repair or modificationEffective current through Dec. 31, 2026$280↗
- Pumper inspectionEffective current through Dec. 31, 2026$100 + $50 per truck↗
Soil & terrain
Hills, rock and shallow soil
Douglas County climbs from about 740 feet at the Chattahoochee to roughly 1,340 feet, with Andy Mountain west of Douglasville the high point and Cedar and Pine mountains not far behind. That relief shows up in the soil survey: most mapped acreage sits on 6–25% slopes.↗↗
Madison soils, gravelly and often severely eroded, cover about 41,450 of the county's 129,700 surveyed acres and are deep enough for conventional trenches. Louisa fine sandy loam is the problem child: about 16,900 acres on steep ground with only 10 to 20 inches of soil over weathered gneiss and schist. A drain field can't be laid where there's no depth, so on Louisa ground a repair may mean relocating lines, not just replacing them.↗↗
- Chattahoochee River
- Dog River and Dog River Reservoir
- Sweetwater Creek
Local facts
Douglas County 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 |
|---|---|---|
| WSA water lines vs. sewer lines | 961 miles vs. 502 miles | Douglasville-Douglas County Water and Sewer Authority — Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, FY ended June 30, 2025 |
| Shallow Louisa soil | About 16,900 acres, 10–20 in. to rock | USDA NRCS Soil Data Access — survey area GA097 (Douglas County, Georgia) |
| Median home built | 1996 | Census Reporter: Douglas County, GA (ACS 2024 5-year) |
| County created | October 1, 1870, from Campbell County | Douglas County, Georgia - Wikipedia |
| Elevation range | About 740 to 1,340 feet | Douglas County, Georgia - Wikipedia |
| Population (ACS 2020-2024) | 147,888 | Census Reporter: Douglas County, GA (ACS 2024 5-year) |
Who owns what
Where WSA's pipe ends and yours begins
WSA draws the line the same way for water and sewer.
Douglasville-Douglas County WSAsewer lateral
Property owner, on the property up to the home↗
Where the line sits: Road right-of-way
Douglasville-Douglas County WSAwater service line
Property owner, from the meter to the home↗
Where the line sits: Meter
Douglasville-Douglas County WSAmain
WSA, including lines parallel to the home in the right-of-way↗
Where the line sits: Right-of-way
For a brand-new sewer connection, WSA's 5/8-inch tap-on fee is $4,500 plus a $100 inspection, a real number to weigh against a septic repair when the sewer is close.↗
More about Douglas County
Where Douglas County's sewage actually goes
WSA was created by the Legislature in 1985, after it bought the water and sewer systems of Douglasville and the county, and it added stormwater in 2004. Its collection lines and force mains, 502 miles of them, run to two major treatment plants and one smaller one.↗↗
One detail is unusual for a suburban utility: effluent from the Sweetwater Creek plant gets extra treatment in a 3.0 MGD side-stream facility and becomes cooling-tower make-up water for a large data center in the county.↗
- Sweetwater Creek plant effluent is reused as data-center cooling water after 3.0 MGD side-stream treatment.↗
WSA was created by the Legislature in 1985, after it bought the water and sewer systems of Douglasville and the county, and it added stormwater in 2004.
Services here
What we do in Douglas County
Douglasville has its own pages; the rest of the county is covered from the same crews.
- 01Septic RepairWater-only WSA homes around Douglasville with failing tanks or field lines.Septic Repair details
- 02Sewer Line RepairThe owner's lateral from the house to WSA's line in the right-of-way.Sewer Line Repair details
Also available:Septic PumpingDrain Field RepairSeptic InspectionWater Line Repair
Towns we serve
Douglas County places we cover
WSA serves the whole county except Villa Rica and Austell, which run their own systems.
Also in the county
- Lithia Springs · Sweetwater Creek side
- Winston
- Fairplay
- Chapel Hill
- Villa Rica · Partly in Douglas; city utility
- Austell · Small Douglas portion; city utility
Who to call at the county
Who to call in Douglas County
- Douglasville-Douglas County Water and Sewer Authority Water, sewer, stormwater8763 Hospital Drive; (770) 949-7617, after-hours dispatch (770) 942-6633.↗
FAQ
Douglas County septic and sewer questions
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620Who issues septic permits in Douglas County?
Cobb & Douglas Public Health, through its Douglas County Environmental Health office at 4655 Timber Ridge Drive in Douglasville (770-920-7311).
How much is a septic repair permit here?
$170 for a residential repair or modification and $85 for a minor repair that doesn't involve the field lines, on the fee table current through December 31, 2026.
Source: Septic System Applications and Requirements | Cobb & Douglas Public Health
Do I have to pump my septic tank on a schedule?
If the house is in the Dog River drainage basin, yes: WSA requires pumping at least every five years and can ask for proof. Elsewhere, pumping is still the owner's maintenance job.
Source: Douglasville-Douglas County Water and Sewer Authority — New Service Packet (2024)
How can I tell if WSA thinks my home is on septic?
WSA sets up homes with water service only as septic accounts, with a smaller deposit than homes with water and sewer. A bill without sewer charges is the giveaway.
Source: Douglasville-Douglas County Water and Sewer Authority — New Service Packet (2024)
Who fixes a broken sewer line in my yard?
You do. WSA says lines on your property from the meter to the house are the owner's, while lines along the road right-of-way and the meter are WSA's.
Source: Customer Services | Douglasville-Douglas County Water and Sewer Authority
What does it cost to tap into WSA sewer?
WSA's tap-on fee for a 5/8-inch residential meter is $4,500 plus a $100 inspection, effective December 1, 2025, before any plumbing work on your side.
Source: WSA Water and Sewer Rates and Charges and Impact Fee Chart (effective December 1, 2025)
Why do drain fields fail on some Douglas County hillsides?
Part of the county is mapped as Louisa soil, which has only 10 to 20 inches over weathered rock. There's little room for a trench to treat effluent.
Source: Official Series Description — LOUISA Series (USDA NRCS)
How far is Douglas County from your shop?
Downtown Douglasville is about 1 hour 11 minutes and 56 miles by road from our Oxford shop, so we schedule Douglas County work ahead rather than promising a quick drop-in.
Guides
Guides for Douglas County owners
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
- 1Douglasville-Douglas County Water and Sewer Authority — Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, FY ended June 30, 2025
- 2Locations | Cobb & Douglas Public Health
- 3Douglasville-Douglas County Water and Sewer Authority — New Service Packet (2024)
- 4Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 511-3-1 On-Site Sewage Management Systems
- 5Douglas County, Georgia - Wikipedia
- 6Septic System Applications and Requirements | Cobb & Douglas Public Health
- 7Douglas County Code Ch. 11, Art. III — On-Site Sewage Management Rules of County Board of Health (Municode, Supp. 54)
- 8USDA NRCS Soil Data Access — survey area GA097 (Douglas County, Georgia)
- 9Official Series Description — MADISON Series (USDA NRCS)
- 10Official Series Description — LOUISA Series (USDA NRCS)
- 11Census Reporter: Douglas County, GA (ACS 2024 5-year)
- 12Customer Services | Douglasville-Douglas County Water and Sewer Authority
- 13WSA Water and Sewer Rates and Charges and Impact Fee Chart (effective December 1, 2025)
- 14About | Douglasville-Douglas County Water and Sewer Authority
Ready when you are
Water-only bill and a soggy yard? Let's find out which system is failing.
Call (678) 863-5620. We'll book a Douglas County visit, check the tank and field, and tell you whether a repair or a WSA connection makes more sense.
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