Septic permits & records
Greene County Environmental Health (Northeast Health District)
- Address
- 1031 Apalachee Ave, Greensboro, GA 30642
- Phone
- 706-453-4471
- Hours
- Specialists in office 8:30–10:00 am, Mon–Fri
Greene County · Septic & sewer rules
Septic and sewer service in Greene County, Georgia, where lake and farm homes rely on septic under a larger-than-usual minimum lot size and Greensboro runs city sewer.
Greensboro is the county seat. Septic permits and records: Greene County Environmental Health (Northeast Health District), part of Northeast Health District (District 10) — Environmental Health.
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- Residential & commercial
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or call (678) 863-5620The short answer
What are Greene County's septic rules, and what do permits cost?
Greene County septic is permitted by the county Environmental Health office at 1031 Apalachee Avenue in Greensboro. Lots need 0.75 acre on public water or 1.5 acres on a well, not counting land within 75 feet of Lake Oconee. A residential repair permit is $200. Greensboro itself has city sewer.↗↗↗
Reviewed by Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions · Last updated
The Greene County story
Farm county, lake county
Greene was formed in 1786 and named for General Nathanael Greene. The 2020 census counted every one of its residents as rural. There is no suburb here in the Census sense, only Greensboro, a handful of small cities and a long lakeshore.↗
That lakeshore changed the county. Georgia Power's Wallace Dam filled Lake Oconee in 1979, and golf and lake communities such as Reynolds Lake Oconee and Harbor Club followed. Any lake home outside a utility's sewer depends on a tank and field on the slope above the water.↗
The population skews older than almost anywhere we work. Median age was 51.6 in 2020, and nearly 30% of residents were 65 or up. For a part-time owner, a weak system can stay quiet for months and show itself the weekend the house fills with guests.↗
What it costs
What Greene County's health office charges
Greene is one of the few counties near us that posts its septic fees. These took effect August 1, 2024; our work is quoted separately after a look.
Residential septic tank inspection (new system)
$350; $400 for 5+ bedrooms
Typical market range — Greene County EH Fees (effective August 1, 2024), 2024
Residential repair permit
$200
Typical market range — Greene County EH Fees (effective August 1, 2024), 2024
Existing system evaluation, residential
$175
Typical market range — Greene County EH Fees (effective August 1, 2024), 2024
Commercial septic inspection, up to 1,000 gpd
$525
Typical market range — Greene County EH Fees (effective August 1, 2024), 2024
Commercial repair permit
$300
Typical market range — Greene County EH Fees (effective August 1, 2024), 2024
Pump truck inspection
$150
Typical market range — Greene County EH Fees (effective August 1, 2024), 2024
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- 01Lake frontage: the 75-foot strip does not count toward lot area
- 02Five or more bedrooms, which raises the inspection fee and the system size
- 03Gravelly Lloyd and Cecil ground versus wet Chewacla bottoms
- 04Long, steep runs from a lake house up to the field
Permits · Greene County Environmental Health (Northeast Health District), 1031 Apalachee Ave, Greensboro
From septic letter to final inspection
Specialists keep short office hours, so calls and site visits need planning.
- 01
Call the Environmental Health Manager at 706-453-4471 for a septic letter or perc test. Specialists are at their desks from 8:30 to 10 a.m. on weekdays.↗
- 02
Attach the approval letter to the county building permit; the building office will not take a septic-served application without it.↗
- 03
Size the lot: 0.75 acre with 25,500 square feet of usable soil on public water, 1.5 acres on a well, both figured without the ground within 75 feet of Lake Oconee's high-water line.↗
- 04
Pay the inspection fee ($350, or $400 at five bedrooms) and build within Georgia's 12-month permit window.↗
Georgia rule Greene County Board of Health lot ordinance (2018)
“Exclusive of that portion of a lot lying within seventy-five (75') of the high water level line of Lake Oconee.”
Soil & terrain
More than a third of the county fights a drain field
Across Greene's 259,900 surveyed acres, NRCS rates about 38% very limited for septic absorption fields. That is roughly double the share in the Clarke–Oconee survey next door. Cecil is the biggest soil, followed by gravelly Lloyd, Pacolet and wet Chewacla floodplain.↗
The county also straddles three river systems. West of a Woodville–Union Point–White Plains line it drains to the Upper Oconee; the rest goes toward the Savannah or the Ogeechee.↗
Local facts
Greene 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Soil very limited for fields | About 38% of surveyed acreage; 57% somewhat limited | USDA NRCS Soil Data Access — survey area GA133 (Greene County) |
| Housing units | 10,830, including 8,596 detached houses and 1,260 mobile homes | Census Reporter — Greene County, GA (ACS 2020-2024 5-year) |
| Median year built | 1997 | Census Reporter — Greene County, GA (ACS 2020-2024 5-year) |
| Repair permit fees | $200 residential, $300 commercial | Greene County EH Fees (effective August 1, 2024) |
| Short-term rentals | Allowed in an STR Overlay District with an annual county license | Greene County, GA — Short-Term Rentals |
| River basins | Upper Oconee in the west; Little River and Upper Ogeechee in the east | Wikipedia — Greene County, Georgia |
Sewer or septic?
Where Greene has sewer at all
Greensboro runs municipal sewer and treats any property within 500 feet of it as having sewer available. Its rules also reach users in adjacent unincorporated areas who tie in.↗
Around the lake, Piedmont Water Company provides water and wastewater service to some communities; it draws drinking water from the Richland Creek arm and opened a certified lab in Greensboro in 2024. Everyone else is on a tank.↗
If you rent a lake house by the night, the county treats that as a licensed use inside an overlay district. A system sized for a family can see far more people on a rental weekend.↗
How to tell which one you have
- A Greensboro or Piedmont Water sewer charge on your bill
- Riser lids or a mounded area uphill of a lake house
- A septic letter in the closing papers
Services here
Work we do in Greene County
- 01Septic Repair in GreensboroTanks outside the city's sewer reach and around the lake.Septic Repair in Greensboro details
- 02Sewer Line Repair in GreensboroBuilding sewers on the city system, which the owner pays for.Sewer Line Repair in Greensboro details
Also available:Septic InspectionSeptic PumpingDrain Field RepairSeptic Installation
Towns we serve
Greene County communities
Greensboro has its own page; the rest are served from here.
Also in the county
- Union Point
- White Plains
- Woodville
- Siloam
- Reynolds Lake Oconee · lake community
- Harbor Club · lake community
Who to call at the county
The Apalachee Avenue office
- City of Greensboro Water and sewerCity sewer counts as available within 500 feet.↗
- Piedmont Water Company Water and wastewater (some lake communities)Customer office at 607 Old Phoenix Road, Eatonton.↗
On the map
Greene from our Oxford shop
About 67 min / 52.2 mi by road from our Oxford shop to central Greene
Routed drive to the county's geographic center, near Greensboro.
Route sourceA state-listed installer and pumper
Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions appears, under Walton County, on the Georgia DPH lists of certified septic installers and approved pumpers dated September 18, 2026.
FAQ
Greene County septic questions
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620What does a septic repair permit cost in Greene County?
$200 for a residence and $300 for a commercial system, under the fee schedule effective August 1, 2024.
How much land does a Greene County septic lot need?
0.75 acre with public water or 1.5 acres with a well, each holding 25,500 square feet of usable soil.
Source: Greene County Board of Health — Lot Size Ordinance (effective Sept 7, 2018)
Does my Lake Oconee frontage count toward the minimum?
No. The ordinance excludes the part of a lot within 75 feet of the lake's high-water line, and any land within 50 feet of other water.
Source: Greene County Board of Health — Lot Size Ordinance (effective Sept 7, 2018)
When can I reach a Greene County septic inspector?
Environmental Health specialists keep in-office hours from 8:30 to 10 a.m. on weekdays at 1031 Apalachee Avenue; the number is 706-453-4471.
Source: Northeast Health District — Greene County locations (Environmental Health)
Do I need a septic letter for a building permit in Greene?
Yes, if the property will use septic. The county building office wants the Environmental Health approval letter with the application.
Can I rent my Greene County lake house short-term?
Only inside a Short-Term Rental Overlay District, with a county STR business license renewed each year. Size the septic system for the crowd you expect.
Why do so many Greene drain fields struggle?
Soil. NRCS rates about 38% of the county very limited for absorption fields, from wet floodplain and slow clay subsoils.
Source: USDA NRCS Soil Data Access — survey area GA133 (Greene County)
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
- 1Northeast Health District — Greene County locations (Environmental Health)
- 2Greene County Board of Health — Lot Size Ordinance (effective Sept 7, 2018)
- 3Greene County EH Fees (effective August 1, 2024)
- 4Wikipedia — Greene County, Georgia
- 5Wikipedia — Lake Oconee
- 6Greene County, GA — Septic Tank Permits
- 7USDA NRCS Soil Data Access — survey area GA133 (Greene County)
- 8Census Reporter — Greene County, GA (ACS 2020-2024 5-year)
- 9Greene County, GA — Short-Term Rentals
- 10Greensboro Code § 30-89 — Sewer use requirements
- 11Piedmont Water Company — Water Treatment Plant
- 12Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 511-3-1-.03
- 13Georgia DPH Certified Septic Tank Installer Companies list (9/18/2026)
- 14Georgia DPH Approved Septic Tank Pumper Companies list (9/18/2026)
Ready when you are
Lake weekend, slow drains? We come out to Greene.
Call with the road or community name. We'll check the tank, the field and what the Apalachee Avenue office will want.
(678) 863-5620- Georgia DPH-certified installer & pumper
- Residential & commercial
- Oxford, GA
Free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620