Sewer Line Repair · Dunwoody, GA
Dunwoody sewer line repair for root-damaged and sagging laterals under 1970s homes.
- Georgia DPH-certified installer & pumper
- Residential & commercial
- Local shop in Oxford, GA
Get a free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620The short answer
What does sewer line repair involve in Dunwoody, GA?
Most Dunwoody sewer repairs are root intrusion, sags or cracked joints in private laterals around fifty years old. We camera the line from the cleanout, mark the fault's depth on the slope, then replace the damaged section. DeKalb County owns the pipe in the right-of-way; the building sewer on your lot is yours.↗
Reviewed by Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions · Last updated
The Dunwoody story
Roots are Dunwoody's sewer problem, on record
DeKalb's own spill logs show what grows into Dunwoody pipes. On November 17, 2012, roots blocked a county sewer line at 4709 Olde Village Lane, and 7,210 gallons overflowed toward Nancy Creek before crews pressure-washed the main. When they put a camera in afterward, it found a separate defect that needed a point repair, finished December 26.↗
Private laterals face the same trees with smaller pipe. Dunwoody was built out mostly after suburban development began in the 1960s, so its lines have spent half a century beside growing trees. A root the width of a pencil can enter a joint; in a few years it fills the pipe.↗
The fix is not repeated rodding. Cutting roots clears flow for a while, but the open joint stays open. A lasting repair replaces the failed joint or section so there is nothing left for roots to follow.
On the record
- Roots blocked a DeKalb sewer at 4709 Olde Village Lane on November 17, 2012, spilling 7,210 gallons toward Nancy Creek; a follow-up camera run found a point repair, completed December 26, 2012.↗
Warning signs
Signs the Dunwoody lateral is failing
Seeing two or more of these? Call before it gets worse.
- 1. Drains all over the house slow down together
- 2. The downstairs toilet bubbles when an upstairs tub drains
- 3. Backups come back a few months after a root cutting
- 4. Sewage smell near the cleanout or at the bottom of the slope
- 5. A soft or sunken line across the lawn toward the street
- 6. Water standing in the cleanout when nothing is running
Local facts
What we know about Dunwoody ground and pipe
Each row links to the agency, code or publisher it comes from. Tap a source to check it yourself.
| Topic | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Slope at the city center | Pacolet-Urban land complex, 10 to 25 percent slopes | USDA NRCS Soil Data Access — map unit at Dunwoody city-center coordinates (GA089) |
| Grease blockage, 2012 | Grease and rags at 2311 Dunwoody Club Crossing; 6,705 gallons; 250 feet of line pressure-washed | DeKalb County DWM — Consent Decree SSO Tracking, 4th Quarter 2012 Report |
| Owner's cost | The owner pays to install and connect the building sewer and for any damage to the public sewer | DeKalb County Code Ch. 25, Art. IV, Div. 3 — Building Sewers and Connections (Municode, Supp. 72) |
| County pipe network | DeKalb maintains more than 5,000 miles of water and sewer piping | DeKalb County DWM — Dunwoody Knoll Water Main Replacement Project, community meeting presentation (Sept. 30, 2025) |
More about Dunwoody
Repairing a lateral on a Dunwoody slope
Dunwoody lots fall steeply, and the lateral has to fall with them. That means the same pipe may be two feet down at the foundation and eight feet down at the street, or the reverse on a lot below the road. The camera's locator gives us depth at the fault, so we know before digging whether the job needs shoring, a benched trench or just a shovel.↗
For a single broken joint we open one small hole, cut out the bad section and couple in new pipe. Where roots have entered joint after joint, we price full replacement from the house to the right-of-way next to repeated point repairs, and show you both.
We keep the grade correct through the repair. A new section set too flat on a hillside lot creates a belly that collects solids, which is the very failure many 1970s lines already have. After the fix, we run the camera again and you get the footage.
If the camera shows the blockage past the right-of-way, it belongs to DeKalb. The city's trouble-calls guide sends sewer spills and main problems to DeKalb Water and Sewer at 770-270-6243.↗↗
Dunwoody lots fall steeply, and the lateral has to fall with them.
Who owns what
Owner's side, county's side
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
What it costs
Typical cost ranges for a Dunwoody sewer repair
Sewer line repair, by method
$150–$3,800
Typical market range — HomeGuide — Sewer Line Repair & Replacement Cost (updated December 2025), 2025
Camera inspection
$125–$500
Typical market range — HomeGuide — Sewer Line Repair & Replacement Cost (updated December 2025), 2025
Full lateral replacement, Atlanta market
$55–$250 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- 01Trench depth on a steep lot and whether shoring is needed
- 02How many joints roots have entered
- 03Mature trees, patios and driveways along the pipe path
- 04Restoring sloped lawns and retaining walls afterward
FAQ
Dunwoody sewer repair questions
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620Will DeKalb pay to fix roots in my sewer line?
Not on your property. DeKalb Code Sec. 25-220 makes the owner responsible for the building sewer on private property; the county handles the right-of-way and easements.
Source: DeKalb County Code Ch. 25, Art. IV, Div. 3 — Building Sewers and Connections (Municode, Supp. 72)
Why do roots keep coming back after I have the line cleaned?
Cleaning cuts the roots but leaves the joint they entered. Even DeKalb's 2012 Olde Village Lane root blockage needed a camera check and a separate point repair afterward.
Source: DeKalb County DWM — Consent Decree SSO Tracking, 4th Quarter 2012 Report
Does the steep yard make repair more expensive?
Often. Central Dunwoody is mapped on 10 to 25 percent slopes, so deeper cuts, shoring and yard restoration can add cost.
Source: USDA NRCS Soil Data Access — map unit at Dunwoody city-center coordinates (GA089)
Who do I call if sewage is coming out of a manhole?
DeKalb Water and Sewer emergencies, 770-270-6243, as listed in Dunwoody's trouble-calls guide.
Do I pay if my contractor damages the county sewer?
Yes. DeKalb's code makes the owner bear the cost of installing a building sewer and of any damage to the public sewer caused by it, which is why we locate the county pipe before digging.
Source: DeKalb County Code Ch. 25, Art. IV, Div. 3 — Building Sewers and Connections (Municode, Supp. 72)
Is it better to repair or replace a 1970s lateral?
It depends on what the camera shows. One bad joint is a spot repair; roots in many joints usually favor replacing the line to the right-of-way.
Can grease cause sewer backups in Dunwoody?
Grease does block lines here. DeKalb logged grease and rags stopping a line at 2311 Dunwoody Club Crossing in 2012, spilling 6,705 gallons.
Source: DeKalb County DWM — Consent Decree SSO Tracking, 4th Quarter 2012 Report
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)
- 2DeKalb County DWM — Consent Decree SSO Tracking, 4th Quarter 2012 Report
- 3Dunwoody, Georgia - Wikipedia
- 4USDA NRCS Soil Data Access — map unit at Dunwoody city-center coordinates (GA089)
- 5DeKalb County DWM — Dunwoody Knoll Water Main Replacement Project, community meeting presentation (Sept. 30, 2025)
- 6City of Dunwoody — Trouble Calls Guide
- 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
Roots back in the line again? Fix the joint, not just the clog.
Call (678) 863-5620 and we'll camera your Dunwoody lateral and price a repair that ends the cycle.
(678) 863-5620- Georgia DPH-certified installer & pumper
- Residential & commercial
- Oxford, GA
Free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620