Septic permits & records
DeKalb Public Health — Environmental Health Division
- Address
- 445 Winn Way, Suite 320, Decatur, GA 30030
- Phone
- 404-508-7900
Ellenwood, GA · DeKalb County
Ellenwood sewer and water line service, starting with which county and utility serves your lot.
Ellenwood, DeKalb County · about 49 min / 31.5 mi by road from our Oxford shop. ZIP code 30294.
- Georgia DPH-certified installer & pumper
- Residential & commercial
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Get a free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620The short answer
Who owns the sewer and water lines in Ellenwood, GA?
It depends on the county. Ellenwood's ZIP 30294 is split almost evenly among DeKalb, Clayton and Henry, so DeKalb Watershed Management, the Clayton County Water Authority or the Henry County Water Authority owns your public main. In all three, the private lateral on your lot is yours, and we repair it.↗↗↗↗
Reviewed by Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions · Last updated
At a glance
Sewer or septic?
One ZIP code, three county lines
Ellenwood has no city hall. It is an unincorporated community spread across Clayton, Henry, Rockdale and DeKalb counties along I-675 and State Route 42, and the mailing address says nothing about which county a house is actually in.↗
The census relationship file shows how even the split is. Of ZIP 30294's land, DeKalb holds about 36 percent, Clayton 35 and Henry 27, with a sliver in Rockdale. Two neighbors a mile apart can pay different water bills to different authorities.↗
Septic is the smaller part of the story here, and we have not found a count of Ellenwood tanks. Henry County Water Authority reminds owners that it maintains only public sewer pipes, not septic tanks; an owner with a tank is on their own for its upkeep.↗
How to tell which one you have
- Check your property tax bill: it names the county.
- Your water bill comes from DeKalb Watershed, CCWA or HCWA.
- No sewer charge on that bill usually means a septic tank.
Local facts
Ellenwood 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Land in each county | DeKalb 30.7 km², Clayton 29.9 km², Henry 23.2 km², Rockdale 1.0 km² | U.S. Census Bureau 2020 ZCTA-to-County Relationship File |
| Status | Unincorporated; along I-675 and SR 42 | Ellenwood, Georgia - Wikipedia |
| Median year built | 1999, with 37% of homes built 2000–2009 | Census Reporter: ZCTA 30294 (ACS 2024 5-year, tables B01003, B25035, B25034, B25024) |
| Population (ZIP 30294) | 41,983 (ACS 2020-2024) | Census Reporter: ZCTA 30294 (ACS 2024 5-year, tables B01003, B25035, B25034, B25024) |
| Soil, DeKalb side | Wilkes sandy loam, 10–25% slopes; soft bedrock 10–20 inches down | Official Series Description — WILKES Series (USDA NRCS) |
| Soil at the mapped center | Appling sandy loam, 2–6% slopes, very deep | USDA NRCS Soil Data Access — point queries in ZCTA 30294 (surveys GA089 DeKalb and GA625 Clayton, Fayette & Henry) |
| Henry-side septic | HCWA maintains public sewer pipes only, not septic tanks | Henry County Water Authority — Customer Care FAQs |
Who owns what
How each utility draws the line
The three authorities word it differently, but the private lateral is always the owner's.
DeKalb County Watershed Managementsewer lateral
Owner on private property; county inside rights-of-way and sewer easements↗
Where the line sits: Right-of-way / easement edge
Clayton County Water Authoritysewer lateral
Owner owns the 4-inch lateral up to CCWA's main; CCWA owns the 6-inch pipe in the right-of-way or its easement↗
Where the line sits: Cleanout near the right-of-way
Henry County Water Authoritysewer lateral
Owner hires a plumber for private sewer pipes on the property; HCWA maintains the public sewer↗
Clayton adds one rule worth knowing: if your lowest fixture sits below the next manhole upstream, CCWA requires a sanitary backflow device, and without one the owner carries the cleanup cost of a backup.↗
The Ellenwood story
A 2000s suburb growing into its first repairs
Most of Ellenwood is young. More than a third of the homes in 30294 went up between 2000 and 2009, and the median build year is 1999. That puts the typical lateral in its twenties, old enough for settled trenches, root intrusion at joints and cleanout caps lost under two decades of landscaping.↗
Installation quality varied from one subdivision to the next, and the ground under some of these streets is not forgiving. When a line backs up, the first job is to find the cleanout, run a camera and confirm whether the fault is on your side of the county's pipe.
Creeks run all through the area, including Big Cotton Indian, Little Cotton Indian and Conley creeks, along with small lakes such as Ward Lake and Joy Lake. Lots that slope toward them carry storm runoff over the sewer path, and saturated clay is where a marginal joint gives up.↗
Most of Ellenwood is young.
Soil & terrain
Deep clay on one side, shallow rock on the other
Soil changes across Ellenwood as quickly as the county line does. At the mapped center, on the Clayton side, the USDA shows Appling sandy loam, a very deep, well-drained soil that is easy to trench. At a sample point on the DeKalb side the map switches to Wilkes sandy loam on 10 to 25 percent slopes.↗↗
Wilkes is a shallow soil, with soft weathered bedrock only 10 to 20 inches below the surface. A sewer lateral or water line has to be bedded properly in that material, and replacement trenches take more time to cut. Knowing which ground a house sits on shapes the estimate before we start digging.↗
- South River
- Big Cotton Indian, Little Cotton Indian and Conley creeks
- Ward, Joy, Louise, Lonnie and Howell lakes
Who to call at the county
Who to call in Ellenwood
- DeKalb County Watershed Management Water and sewer, DeKalb side24-hour emergency line 770-270-6243.↗
- Clayton County Water Authority Water and sewer, Clayton side↗
- Henry County Water Authority Water and sewer, Henry side1695 Highway 20 West, McDonough; (770) 957-6659.↗
Services here
Ellenwood services
Built around the pipes every Ellenwood home has, whichever county it sits in.
- 01Sewer Line RepairBackups and broken joints in 1990s–2000s subdivision laterals.Sewer Line Repair details
- 02Sewer Line Installation & ReplacementNew or replacement laterals to DeKalb, CCWA or HCWA mains.Sewer Line Installation & Replacement details
- 03Water Line Repair & InstallationLeaks and replacements between the meter and the house.Water Line Repair & Installation details
Also available:Septic RepairSewer Camera Inspection
On the map
Ellenwood from Oxford
About 49 min / 31.5 mi by road from our Oxford shop
Routed from Oxford to Ellenwood's mapped center (Wikidata).
Route sourceFAQ
Ellenwood questions
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620Is Ellenwood in DeKalb, Clayton or Henry County?
All three, plus a sliver of Rockdale. ZIP 30294's land is roughly 36% DeKalb, 35% Clayton and 27% Henry, so check your tax bill for your county.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau 2020 ZCTA-to-County Relationship File
Who owns the sewer pipe between my house and the street in Clayton County?
You do, up to where it meets the authority's main. CCWA calls it the four-inch private lateral and owns only the six-inch pipe in the right-of-way or its easement.
Source: Preventing Costly Sewer Backups | Clayton County Water Authority
Does Henry County Water Authority fix septic tanks?
No. HCWA says it maintains only pipes in the public sewer system, not septic tanks, and that owners need a plumber for private sewer pipes on their property.
Do I need a backflow device on my lateral?
In Clayton, yes if your lowest fixture, such as a basement toilet, is below the next upstream manhole. Without one, CCWA holds the owner responsible for backup damage and cleanup.
Source: Preventing Costly Sewer Backups | Clayton County Water Authority
How old are Ellenwood homes?
Fairly new: the median build year in 30294 is 1999, and 37% of homes date to 2000–2009. Lines of that age still fail, mostly from settling and roots.
Source: Census Reporter: ZCTA 30294 (ACS 2024 5-year, tables B01003, B25035, B25034, B25024)
Is there rock under Ellenwood yards?
On parts of the DeKalb side, yes. The USDA maps Wilkes soil there, with soft bedrock 10 to 20 inches down. The Clayton-side center is deep Appling soil.
Source: Official Series Description — WILKES Series (USDA NRCS)
Who handles a water main break on a DeKalb-side Ellenwood street?
DeKalb Watershed Management, whose 24-hour emergency line is 770-270-6243. Leaks on the house side of the meter are the owner's to repair.
Nearby areas
Near Ellenwood
- Rex septic & sewerRex sewer and septic, next door in Clayton.
- Stonecrest septic & sewerStonecrest sewer and septic to the northeast.
- Redan septic & sewerRedan in unincorporated south DeKalb.
- Jonesboro septic & sewerJonesboro sewer lines, the Clayton seat.
- Decatur septic & sewerDecatur laterals inside I-285.
- Stockbridge septic & sewerStockbridge sewer and septic in Henry.
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
- 1U.S. Census Bureau 2020 ZCTA-to-County Relationship File
- 2DeKalb County Code Ch. 25, Art. IV, Div. 3 — Building Sewers and Connections (Municode, Supp. 72)
- 3Preventing Costly Sewer Backups | Clayton County Water Authority
- 4Henry County Water Authority — Customer Care FAQs
- 5Ellenwood, Georgia - Wikipedia
- 6Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 511-3-1 On-Site Sewage Management Systems
- 7Census Reporter: ZCTA 30294 (ACS 2024 5-year, tables B01003, B25035, B25034, B25024)
- 8Official Series Description — WILKES Series (USDA NRCS)
- 9USDA NRCS Soil Data Access — point queries in ZCTA 30294 (surveys GA089 DeKalb and GA625 Clayton, Fayette & Henry)
- 10Census TIGERweb Hydro MapServer — hydrography within ~3 miles of Ellenwood's mapped center
- 11Official Series Description — APPLING Series (USDA NRCS)
- 12DeKalb Public Health Environmental Health Division Fee Schedule (effective January 1, 2024)
- 13Watershed Management | DeKalb County, GA
Ready when you are
Not sure whose pipe it is? We'll trace it to the main.
Call (678) 863-5620. We locate the cleanout, camera the lateral and tell you whether it's yours, DeKalb's, CCWA's or HCWA's.
(678) 863-5620- Georgia DPH-certified installer & pumper
- Residential & commercial
- Oxford, GA
Free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620