Fulton County · Septic & sewer rules
Fulton County sewer and septic service across an 80-mile county where Atlanta's utility, Fulton County Public Works and the Board of Health each set different rules.
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Who handles sewer and septic in Fulton County, GA?
Inside Atlanta, the city's Watershed Management runs the sewers; Fulton County Public Works serves the north Fulton cities and much of south Fulton. Where no public sewer reaches, the Fulton County Board of Health permits septic systems. In every case, the private lateral from building to public line is the owner's responsibility.↗↗↗
Reviewed by Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions · Last updated
At a glance
The Fulton County story
A sword-shaped county built out of three
Fulton's odd outline is a Depression artifact. In 1932, to save money, it absorbed bankrupt Campbell County to the southwest and Milton County to the north, and Cobb ceded Roswell a few months later. The result runs about 80 miles along the Chattahoochee, and people compare its shape to a sword.↗
That history still shows in the pipes. The old Fulton core became Atlanta's dense, sewered city. The Milton end grew up on large lots, and the Campbell end is where the county's own capacity study still finds unsewered ground. Same county, three different questions when a drain backs up.↗↗
Even the drainage divides. Northern Milton and Alpharetta sit in the Etowah basin, most of north and central Fulton drains to the Upper Chattahoochee, and south Fulton splits between the Middle Chattahoochee and a thin Upper Flint strip along its eastern edge.↗
Sewer or septic?
Sewer in the middle, septic at both tips
Fulton County Public Works delivers water and wastewater in the North Fulton cities and wastewater in many South Fulton cities, through plants like Big Creek, Camp Creek, Little River and Little Bear. Inside Atlanta, the city's own utility takes over.↗↗
Septic survives where zoning or distance kept sewer out. In Milton, zoning that favored larger, septic-dependent lots helped protect the horse-farm landscape. At the south tip, the county's February 2021 capacity study says Chattahoochee Hills is not currently sewered and that some areas of South Fulton weren't either.↗↗
How to tell which one you have
- Use Fulton County's water and sewer map viewer to see if a parcel is in the county service area.
- Inside Atlanta, a sewer charge on the city bill means you're connected.
- The Board of Health keeps septic permit records for systems it inspected.
Local facts
Fulton County 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Septic permits | Fulton County Board of Health, Environmental Health (Land Use) | Land-use - Fulton County Board of Health |
| EH offices | 10 Park Place S.E., Atlanta · 1920 John Wesley Ave., College Park · 4700 North Point Pkwy., Alpharetta | Land-use - Fulton County Board of Health |
| Residential septic fees | $220 plan review · $293 construction · $366 repair (schedule eff. April 1, 2015) | Fulton County Board of Health Environmental Health Services — Current Fee Schedule (effective April 1, 2015) |
| Sewer in Atlanta | City DWM: 1,500+ miles of sanitary and combined sewers | Office of Linear Infrastructure Operations | City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management |
| Sewer outside Atlanta | Fulton County Public Works (north and much of south Fulton) | Public Works | Fulton County, GA |
| South Fulton treatment | Camp Creek WRF expanded from 11 to 24 million gallons a day (2005) | Fulton County DPW — South Fulton Wastewater Capacity Study (Gresham Smith, Feb. 2021, v6) |
| Unsewered areas named | Chattahoochee Hills; parts of the City of South Fulton | Fulton County DPW — South Fulton Wastewater Capacity Study (Gresham Smith, Feb. 2021, v6) |
| Median home built | 1993 | Census Reporter: Fulton County, GA (ACS 2024 5-year) |
Permits · Fulton County Board of Health — Environmental Health Services
Getting a septic permit from the Fulton Board of Health
- 01
Confirm the lot is outside public sewer. The Board permits on-site systems only where sanitary sewer doesn't serve the property.↗
- 02
Submit plans first. Environmental Health reviews development plans to make sure the lot is big enough and the design meets the rules; a review and inspection comes before any tank or private well goes in.↗
- 03
Pay the plan review, then the construction or repair permit. Commercial systems are charged by daily flow, with a 2,000-gallon-per-day break.↗
- 04
Don't grade first. A system on a lot that has already been graded costs 165% of the normal permit fee.↗
- 05
Renovating a septic lot? The Board's renovation form has owner and builder agree that if the system is disturbed, all work stops until a repair permit is issued.↗
Georgia rule Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 511-3-1-.03
“Connection shall be made to a public or community sewage treatment system if such system is available within two hundred feet”
Published fees
- Residential plan reviewEffective April 1, 2015$220↗
- Residential construction permitEffective April 1, 2015$293↗
- Residential repair permitEffective April 1, 2015$366↗
- Commercial construction, up to 2,000 gal/dayEffective April 1, 2015$658↗
- Commercial construction, over 2,001 gal/dayEffective April 1, 2015$888↗
- Subdivision lot, under / over one acreEffective April 1, 2015$195 / $242 per lot↗
Who owns what
Lateral rules differ by utility — here's each one
City of Atlanta DWMsewer lateral
Property owner, the entire lateral from the structure to the city sewer↗
City of Atlanta DWMwater service line
City to the meter; owner from the meter to the building↗
Where the line sits: Meter
Fulton County Public Workssewer lateral
Owner between the building and the property line, even if the clog is in the right-of-way↗
Where the line sits: Property line / right-of-way edge
Fulton County Public Workswater service line
Owner from the building to the meter; county from the meter to the main↗
Where the line sits: Meter
Fulton's flyer goes further than most utilities: the county will never repair a lateral outside its right-of-way or easement, and work inside that strip is billed to the owner, with the fee due before the crew starts. Public Works will help clear a right-of-way blockage only when health is at risk, the owner's plumber is on site and the owner signs a release.↗
More about Fulton County
Tying a new lateral into a county main
Fulton Public Works publishes a step-by-step procedure for connecting to an existing county sewer, either through a manhole or with a wye on mains under 12 inches. It assumes Type C soil for trench safety, calls for No. 57 stone bedding, and ends with flushing the service line and cleaning the main.↗
Soil & terrain
What's under Fulton: pavement, Rion and red Cecil clay
The largest single soil map unit in USDA's Fulton County survey isn't a soil at all. About 62,775 of 342,400 acres are mapped as Urban land, ground so built over that no series is named. Next comes Rion sandy loam at roughly 42,215 acres.↗
Where septic still matters, those names count. Rion is very deep and well drained on Piedmont uplands, often on 15–25% slopes. Cecil carries a firm red clay subsoil with bedrock more than 60 inches down. Stony Grover–Mountain Park complexes on steep north Fulton slopes are harder ground for trenches.↗↗↗
- Chattahoochee River
- Peachtree, Nancy and Proctor creeks
- Camp, Morning, Deep, Pea and Little Bear creeks
Urban land↗
About 62,775 acres, the biggest map unit in the county.
Rion sandy loam↗
About 42,215 acres at 10–15% slopes; very deep, well drained.
Cecil sandy loam↗
About 31,055 acres at 6–10% slopes; red clay subsoil.
Appling–Hard Labor complex↗
Mapped in South Fulton, about 12,605 acres.
Cartecay–Toccoa complex↗
About 21,640 acres of occasionally flooded stream bottoms.
- Soil series · USDA NRCS
Median year homes were built
1993
Typical house here is about 33 years old — and so is its original sewer or septic line.
ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B25035 · Census Reporter: Fulton County, GA (ACS 2024 5-year)
Housing era
Old homes cluster in one city
Fulton's median home dates to 1993, young by metro standards. The pre-war housing is concentrated almost entirely in Atlanta: of 31,704 county units built in 1939 or earlier, 30,913 sit inside city limits.↗↗
That split shapes the work. In Atlanta we mostly chase aging laterals. In north and south Fulton the homes are newer, and the calls lean toward septic systems, new building sewers and first tie-ins to county lines.
Services here
Services across Fulton County
- 01Sewer Line RepairLaterals under Atlanta's older neighborhoods and suburban yards.Sewer Line Repair details
- 02Sewer Line InstallationNew building sewers and county tie-ins.Sewer Line Installation details
- 03Water Line Repair & InstallationThe owner's side of the city or county meter.Water Line Repair & Installation details
- 04Commercial Sewer RepairRestaurant and retail drain lines under grease rules.Commercial Sewer Repair details
- 05Septic RepairMilton, Chattahoochee Hills and unsewered South Fulton lots.Septic Repair details
- 06Septic InstallationNew systems permitted by the Fulton Board of Health.Septic Installation details
Also available:Septic PumpingSeptic InspectionSewer Camera Inspection
Towns we serve
Fulton towns we serve
- AtlantaThe county seat and a sewer-line market: DWM mains, owner laterals.Atlanta septic & sewer
- College ParkHome of the Board of Health's south Environmental Health office.College Park septic & sewer
Also in the county
- Milton · Large, septic-dependent lots and horse farms.
- Alpharetta · North Environmental Health office on North Point Parkway.
- Johns Creek · Site of the county's Johns Creek Environmental Campus.
- South Fulton · County-run sewer; some areas unsewered as of 2021.
- Chattahoochee Hills · Not sewered per the 2021 capacity study.
- Sandy Springs, Roswell, East Point, Union City, Fairburn, Palmetto, Hapeville, Mountain Park
Licensed for the septic side
Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions appears on the Georgia Department of Public Health's lists of certified septic tank installers and approved pumpers, the credential Georgia requires for on-site sewage work in Fulton and every other county.
FAQ
Fulton County 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 issues septic permits in Fulton County?
The Fulton County Board of Health's Environmental Health Services. It permits and inspects on-site systems where public sewer doesn't reach, with offices in Atlanta, College Park and Alpharetta (770-520-7500).
How much is a septic repair permit in Fulton County?
$366 for a standard residential repair under the Board of Health schedule effective April 1, 2015. Repairs with appurtenances run $549, and an approved alternative system $585.
Are there still septic systems in Fulton County?
Yes, at the edges. Milton's zoning long favored septic-dependent large lots, and the county's 2021 capacity study says Chattahoochee Hills isn't sewered and parts of South Fulton weren't either.
Source: Fulton County DPW — South Fulton Wastewater Capacity Study (Gresham Smith, Feb. 2021, v6)
Will Fulton County fix a clogged sewer lateral in the street?
Generally no. The county's flyer puts the lateral between the building and the property line on the owner even when the blockage is in the right-of-way, and any county work there is billed to the owner in advance.
Source: Fulton County Department of Public Works — Service Lateral Responsibility flyer
I'm adding a pool on a septic lot in Fulton. Do I need anything?
File the Board of Health's Application for Property Renovation. It covers pools, decks, bedrooms and garages, and if the septic system gets disturbed, work stops until a repair permit is issued.
Source: Fulton County Board of Health — Application for Property Renovation (EHS)
Who runs sewer in Alpharetta, Milton or Johns Creek?
Fulton County Public Works, which provides drinking water and wastewater service in the North Fulton cities. Inside Atlanta the city's Watershed Management does.
Source: Public Works | Fulton County, GA
Does it cost more to permit septic after the lot is graded?
Yes. Fulton's fee schedule charges 165% of the construction permit fee for a system on a lot that was already graded, so get the site evaluated before the bulldozer arrives.
Is Atlanta's sewer lateral policy the same as the county's?
Close. ATL311 says the whole Atlanta lateral is the owner's; Fulton Public Works draws the owner's line at the property line but still bills right-of-way repairs to the owner.
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
- 1Public Works | Fulton County, GA
- 2Land-use - Fulton County Board of Health
- 3Fulton County Department of Public Works — Service Lateral Responsibility flyer
- 4Fulton County, Georgia - Wikipedia
- 5Milton, Georgia - Wikipedia
- 6Fulton County DPW — South Fulton Wastewater Capacity Study (Gresham Smith, Feb. 2021, v6)
- 7Water and Wastewater Facilities | Fulton County Public Works
- 8Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 511-3-1 On-Site Sewage Management Systems
- 9Fulton County Board of Health Environmental Health Services — Current Fee Schedule (effective April 1, 2015)
- 10Office of Linear Infrastructure Operations | City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management
- 11Census Reporter: Fulton County, GA (ACS 2024 5-year)
- 12Fulton County Board of Health — Application for Property Renovation (EHS)
- 13ATL311 — What is a Sewer Service Lateral?
- 14Service Line Information | City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management
- 15Fulton County Department of Public Works — Lateral Connections to Existing Sewer Lines (3-12-21)
- 16USDA NRCS Soil Data Access — Fulton County survey area GA121
- 17Official Series Description — RION Series (USDA NRCS)
- 18Official Series Description — CECIL Series (USDA NRCS)
- 19Census Reporter API — ACS 2020-2024 table B25034 (year structure built), Fulton County and Atlanta city
- 20Georgia DPH Certified Septic Tank Installer Companies list (9/18/2026)
- 21Georgia DPH Approved Septic Tank Pumper Companies list (9/18/2026)
Ready when you are
Milton septic or Midtown lateral? Same call, same crew.
Call (678) 863-5620 for an estimate anywhere in Fulton County, from Board of Health septic permits to city and county sewer tie-ins.
(678) 863-5620- Georgia DPH-certified installer & pumper
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