Septic permits & records
Putnam County Environmental Health (North Central Health District)
- Address
- 117 Putnam Drive, Suite C, Eatonton, GA 31024
- Phone
- (706) 485-8591
- Hours
- Weekdays 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Eatonton, GA · Putnam County
Eatonton sewer and septic service for homes on the Eatonton-Putnam Water and Sewer Authority lines and the septic lots toward Lake Sinclair and Lake Oconee.
Eatonton, Putnam County · about 70 min / 51.6 mi by road from our Oxford shop. ZIP codes 31024, 31026.
- Georgia DPH-certified installer & pumper
- Residential & commercial
- Local shop in Oxford, GA
Get a free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620The short answer
Is Eatonton, GA on sewer or septic?
Both. The Eatonton-Putnam Water and Sewer Authority, not the city, runs Eatonton's water and sewer, treating wastewater at two small plants on creeks that feed Lake Sinclair. Homes past its lines, including most lake lots, use septic permitted by Putnam County Environmental Health. We repair and install sewer lines, septic systems and water lines here.↗↗↗
Reviewed by Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions · Last updated
At a glance
- County
- Putnam County
Sewer or septic?
Authority lines in town, tanks toward the water
Eatonton splits its utilities in an unusual way. The city sells natural gas, while an authority shared with the county owns the water mains, the sewer mains and both treatment plants. EPWSA on Godfrey Road answers for the mains. It has not published exactly where its side ends and the homeowner's pipe begins, so ask before a dig near the street.↗↗
Drive out GA 16 toward Monticello or GA 44 toward Greensboro and the mains thin out. Past them, each house treats its own wastewater, and the county health department on Putnam Drive keeps the permits.↗↗
How to tell which one you have
- An EPWSA bill with a sewer base charge means you are on the authority's sewer.
- A water-only bill, or a subdivision well, points to septic.
- A cleanout near the foundation that runs toward the street suggests a sewer lateral.
- Putnam County EH can look up a septic permit by address.
The Eatonton story
A dairy-country seat whose sewage flows to Lake Sinclair
Eatonton has been the county seat since Putnam's founding, chartered as a town in 1809 and as a city seventy years later. It still calls itself Georgia's dairy capital, and its streets are a mix of older in-town houses, 1970s ranches and manufactured homes on the edges.↗
The treatment side is small and close to home. One EPWSA plant sits out on Monticello Highway and sends treated water down a tributary of the Little River; the other, the Eastside plant, discharges to Rooty Creek. Both creeks run into Lake Sinclair, which is why the lake's water quality shapes the authority's permits.↗↗
Town infrastructure gets steady attention. In 2020 the city landed a federal block grant for drainage along South Jefferson Street, and the joint plan still lists repairing the sewer system as ongoing city work.↗
On the record
- EPWSA's Westside plant at 743 Monticello Highway may release up to 0.55 million gallons a day of treated wastewater into an unnamed Little River tributary.↗
- A $750,000 Community Development Block Grant, awarded in October 2020, paid for street and drainage improvements in the South Jefferson Street neighborhood.↗
Local facts
Eatonton 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Founded / incorporated | Seat since 1807; town charter 1809, city charter 1879 | Wikipedia: Eatonton, Georgia |
| Median year built / pre-1940 homes | 1975 / 351 of 2,755 units (ACS 2020-2024) | Census Reporter: Eatonton, GA (ACS 2024 5-year) |
| Soil under downtown | Davidson-Urban land complex, 2 to 10 percent slopes | USDA NRCS Soil Data Access: map unit at Eatonton city center (33.3258, -83.3889) |
| Who issues city building permits | Putnam County Planning and Development, under the service delivery agreement | Putnam County, GA: Planning and Development |
| City size and highways | 20.7 square miles; US 129 and US 441 meet in town and form its western edge | Wikipedia: Eatonton, Georgia |
| ZIP codes | 31024 and 31026 | Wikidata: Eatonton (Q1010015), postal codes |
On the map
Eatonton from our Oxford shop
About 70 min / 51.6 mi by road from our Oxford shop
Routed south through Newton and Jasper; GA 16 brings you in from Monticello, 18 miles west.
Route sourceSoil & terrain
Dark red Davidson clay under the courthouse
Downtown sits on a Davidson and urban-land mix, meaning much of the original soil has been graded, paved or filled. Where it is intact, Davidson is deep and well drained, with a dark red subsoil that can be more than half clay.↗↗
For a sewer repair, that clay holds a trench wall well but clings to pipe and shovel after rain. For a septic field outside town, it means the health department will size trenches carefully and may push them longer than a sandier lot would need.
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: Eatonton, GA (ACS 2024 5-year)
Housing era
Houses from the 1930s to the 1970s, and what that means underground
Half of Eatonton's homes predate 1975, and roughly one in eight was standing before World War II. Private sewer laterals from those decades are often older than the authority that now treats what flows through them.↗
The town also has more than 500 manufactured homes. When one of those sits on a tank rather than a lateral, a replacement unit can change what the system has to handle.↗
Services here
What we fix and install in Eatonton
- 01Sewer Line RepairOlder private laterals between Eatonton houses and EPWSA mains.Sewer Line Repair details
- 02Sewer Line Installation & ReplacementNew connections after the authority's full-cost connection fee is paid.Sewer Line Installation & Replacement details
- 03Septic RepairTanks and lines on lots the authority's sewer does not reach.Septic Repair details
- 04Septic InstallationNew homes toward the lakes, laid out around shoreline setbacks.Septic Installation details
- 05Water Line Repair & InstallationLeaks and replacements from the EPWSA meter to the house.Water Line Repair & Installation details
Also available:Septic PumpingSewer Camera InspectionEmergency Septic & Sewer Service
Who to call at the county
Eatonton's utility and permit contacts
- Eatonton-Putnam Water & Sewer Authority Water and sewer663 Godfrey Road; (706) 485-5252; lobby open 8 a.m.-5 p.m.↗
FAQ
Eatonton sewer and septic questions
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620Who runs sewer service in Eatonton?
The Eatonton-Putnam Water and Sewer Authority, based at 663 Godfrey Road. The city itself provides natural gas. EPWSA owns the mains and both treatment plants. It has not posted where its responsibility for the service connection stops, so confirm that with the authority before a repair near the street.
Source: Joint Comprehensive Plan, Putnam County and the City of Eatonton (adopted October 2022), GA DCA
Where does Eatonton's sewage go after it leaves my house?
To one of two EPWSA plants. The Westside plant on Monticello Highway discharges to a Little River tributary and the Eastside plant to Rooty Creek, each permitted for up to 0.55 million gallons a day. Both streams reach Lake Sinclair.
Source: Georgia EPD Public Notice No. 2017-06 ML (March 15, 2017): NPDES applications
Who issues septic permits for an Eatonton address?
Putnam County Environmental Health, run by the North Central Health District at 117 Putnam Drive, Suite C. The number is (706) 485-8591. We can file the application as your agent when we take the job.
Source: North Central Health District: Putnam County Environmental Health Department
Does the City of Eatonton issue its own building permits?
No. Putnam County Planning and Development handles permitting for the city under a service delivery agreement, from Suite B at 117 Putnam Drive.
My Eatonton house is from the 1940s. Should I worry about the sewer line?
It is worth a camera look. Census estimates put 351 Eatonton homes at 1939 or older and the median at 1975, so many laterals are 50 years old or more. Roots, offset joints and sags show up clearly on camera before they cause a backup.
What kind of soil will a crew dig through in Eatonton?
Downtown is mapped as Davidson-Urban land complex. Davidson is a deep, dark red clay-rich soil that drains well but sticks heavily when wet, so digging and backfill go slower after rain.
Source: USDA NRCS Soil Data Access: map unit at Eatonton city center (33.3258, -83.3889)
How far is Eatonton from your shop?
About 70 minutes and 51.6 miles by road from our Oxford location. We schedule Eatonton work with that drive in mind and give free on-site estimates.
Nearby areas
Around Eatonton
- Monticello septic & sewerMonticello sewer & septic, 18 miles west on GA 16.
- Madison septic & sewerMadison sewer & septic, 22 miles north on US 129/441.
- Shady Dale septic & sewerShady Dale septic service in northern Jasper.
- Newborn septic & sewerNewborn septic service in east Newton.
- Mansfield septic & sewerMansfield septic service near Lake Jackson.
- Rutledge septic & sewerRutledge sewer & septic by Hard Labor Creek.
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
- 1Joint Comprehensive Plan, Putnam County and the City of Eatonton (adopted October 2022), GA DCA
- 2Georgia EPD Public Notice No. 2017-06 ML (March 15, 2017): NPDES applications
- 3North Central Health District: Putnam County Environmental Health Department
- 4Eatonton-Putnam Water & Sewer Authority (official site)
- 5Wikipedia: Eatonton, Georgia
- 6Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 511-3-1 (On-Site Sewage Management Systems)
- 7Wikipedia: Lake Sinclair
- 8Census Reporter: Eatonton, GA (ACS 2024 5-year)
- 9USDA NRCS Soil Data Access: map unit at Eatonton city center (33.3258, -83.3889)
- 10Putnam County, GA: Planning and Development
- 11Wikidata: Eatonton (Q1010015), postal codes
- 12USDA NRCS Official Series Description: Davidson series
- 13Census Reporter: Eatonton, GA (ACS 2024 5-year)
- 14OSRM route, Oxford HQ to Eatonton
Ready when you are
On EPWSA sewer or a lake-lot tank? Either way, call us.
We come to Eatonton for a free on-site estimate, tell you which system you have and handle the permit when the job needs one.
(678) 863-5620- Georgia DPH-certified installer & pumper
- Residential & commercial
- Oxford, GA
Free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620