GUIDE · GEORGIA TANK SIZING RULE
What size septic tank does Georgia require?
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What size septic tank does Georgia require?
Georgia rule 511-3-1-.05 sets a 1,000-gallon minimum septic tank for a house with one to four bedrooms, adding 250 gallons for each bedroom beyond four. Using a garbage grinder raises the required capacity by 50 percent. Every new tank must have two compartments, with the first holding at least two-thirds of the liquid volume.
Reviewed by Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions · Last updated
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Key facts
Required liquid capacity by bedroom count
Each row links to the agency, code or publisher it comes from. Tap a source to check it yourself.
Plain definitions
Words the sizing rule uses
- Liquid capacity
- The volume a tank holds below its outlet, which is the number Georgia's bedroom table regulates, not the tank's outside dimensions.↗
- Garbage grinder
- The rule's term for a kitchen garbage disposal; installing one triggers the 50 percent capacity increase.↗
- Two-compartment tank
- A tank divided by an internal wall so solids settle in the larger first chamber before clearer liquid moves on.↗
- Tanks in series
- Two single-compartment tanks joined by a sealed line, which the county may accept in place of one compartmented tank.↗
Permits & the Georgia rules
The rule, word for word, and how offices check it
- 01
Count every room the floor plan shows as a bedroom, plus any room that could serve as one.↗
- 02
Tell the county whether the kitchen will have a garbage disposal, since that changes the minimum.↗
- 03
The county sizes the tank on the permit; the DPH Manual carries the construction details.↗
- 04
The installer sets the tank named on the permit, and the county inspects it before cover.↗
Georgia rule 511-3-1-.05(3)
“…one thousand gallons for one, two, three or four bedrooms and 250 additional gallons for each bedroom over four.”
Georgia rule 511-3-1-.05(3)
“Septic tank capacity shall be increased by (50%) if a garbage grinder is to be used.”
Georgia rule 511-3-1-.05(4)
“Two compartment tanks shall be required. The first compartment shall be at least 2/3 the liquid capacity of the tank.”
How it varies by county
Gwinnett, Newton and Rockdale (GNR)
New-construction files include a floor plan with every room labeled, so the reviewer can confirm the bedroom count the tank is sized for.↗
Walton (Northeast Health District)
The site evaluation form asks directly for the number of bedrooms along with the house design and system type.↗
Morgan (Northeast Health District)
Bedrooms even show up in the fee: the 2024 schedule lists $350 for a residential septic inspection and $400 at five bedrooms.↗
The contractor's construction permit and site approval application records the system design the office approves.↗
Jasper (North Central Health District)
Jasper applies the same state table through its own Environmental Health office in Monticello.↗
How the job runs
How to check whether an existing tank is big enough
- 1
Find the permit
The county file often lists the tank's size and the bedrooms it was approved for. Our guide to finding septic permit records shows where to ask.
- 2
Compare against today's house
If a bonus room became a bedroom since the permit, the tank may now be under the state minimum for the home as it stands.
- 3
Ask the pumper to measure
At the next pump-out, a pumper can confirm the size and whether both compartments exist. Septic pumping is the easiest moment to check.
- 4
Plan any upgrade with a permit
Georgia treats additions and replacements like new work: they must be permitted and inspected by the county.
511-3-1-.03Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 511-3-1 (Georgia Secretary of State rules index)
The whole story
Does adding a bedroom mean a bigger septic tank?
Only once you cross four. A 1,000-gallon tank already covers one through four bedrooms, so turning a three-bedroom ranch into a four-bedroom home does not change the tank minimum. Adding a fifth bedroom does: the rule then calls for 1,250 gallons, and 1,875 if there is a disposal in the kitchen.
The tank is not the only thing that grows. Georgia sizes the absorption field to the expected flow and the soil, so more bedrooms can also mean more trench. In Gwinnett, Newton and Rockdale, any addition that modifies the system also needs a Level 3 soil report (GNR). Before you frame the new room, it is worth a call to the county and a look at our septic installation page.
Worth knowing
Is a tank bigger than the minimum worth paying for?
The rule sets a floor, not a target. A larger first compartment gives solids more room to settle, which can stretch the time between pump-outs. The trade-off is that pumping is priced by volume: HomeGuide's 2026 figures run about $0.30 to $0.70 per gallon removed, so a bigger tank costs more at each visit even if visits are less frequent.
For most three-bedroom homes the answer is simple. UGA Extension notes that a typical three-bedroom, two-bath house often has a 1,000-gallon tank, which matches the state minimum. If you expect heavy use, a disposal or future bedrooms, sizing up during installation is far cheaper than replacing a tank later.
The rule sets a floor, not a target.
FAQ
Georgia septic tank size questions
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620How many bedrooms can a 1,000-gallon septic tank serve in Georgia?
Up to four, without a garbage disposal. Georgia Rule 511-3-1-.05(3) sets 1,000 gallons as the minimum liquid capacity for single-family homes with one, two, three or four bedrooms. A fifth bedroom raises the minimum to 1,250 gallons. If the kitchen has a garbage grinder, even a four-bedroom house needs at least 1,500 gallons.
How much bigger does a septic tank need to be with a garbage disposal?
Fifty percent bigger. Georgia's rule says tank capacity shall be increased by 50 percent if a garbage grinder is to be used. That turns the 1,000-gallon minimum for one to four bedrooms into 1,500 gallons, a five-bedroom home's 1,250 gallons into 1,875, and a six-bedroom home's 1,500 gallons into 2,250.
Does Georgia require a two-compartment septic tank?
Yes. Rule 511-3-1-.05(4) states that two-compartment tanks shall be required and that the first compartment must hold at least two-thirds of the tank's liquid capacity. In a 1,000-gallon tank, that means roughly 667 gallons or more in the first chamber. UGA Extension also notes that new tanks must have two chambers.
Can I use two tanks instead of one large tank?
The County Board of Health may approve tanks placed in series as equivalent to one compartmented tank. The rule says the tanks should be single-compartment units, the first at least 1,000 gallons and equal to two-thirds of the required capacity, joined by a sealed sewer line so all sewage enters the first tank.
Is septic tank size based on bathrooms or bedrooms in Georgia?
Bedrooms. The state table counts bedrooms because they predict how many people live in a home, and so how much wastewater it produces. Bathrooms, square footage and lot size do not appear in the tank capacity rule, though soil and flow still shape the drain field that follows the tank.
Do I have to replace my old single-compartment tank?
Georgia's tank rules describe how systems are built and permitted. Any repair, replacement or addition to an existing system must be permitted and inspected, so if the old tank fails or you enlarge the system, the replacement will be built to current standards.
Source: Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 511-3-1 (Georgia Secretary of State rules index)
How can I find out what size my septic tank is?
Check the county Environmental Health permit first, since it usually records the approved capacity. If there is no file, a pumper can estimate the volume during a pump-out by measuring the tank. The pumping receipt is worth keeping, because it also documents the tank's condition for a future sale or county evaluation.
Source: UGA Extension Bulletin B1421, septic system care (rev. Oct 18, 2024)
Keep going
Related services and guides
- Septic tank installation sized to Georgia rules
- Septic pumping
- Septic inspection
- Septic repair and tank replacement
- Georgia septic permit process
- How often to pump a septic tank in Georgia
- Septic setback rules in Georgia
- Georgia septic and sewer cost guide
- Homeowner septic checklist
- Gwinnett County septic and sewer
- Walton County septic and sewer
- Morgan County septic and sewer
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
- 1Georgia DPH Rules Chapter 511-3-1, On-Site Sewage Management Systems (Jan 2016), Rule .05 Septic Tanks (2016)
- 2Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 511-3-1 (Georgia Secretary of State rules index)
- 3Georgia DPH Manual for On-Site Sewage Management Systems (2026) (2026)
- 4UGA Extension Bulletin B1421, septic system care (rev. Oct 18, 2024) (2024)
- 5HomeGuide — How Much Does Septic Tank Pumping Cost? (2026 data) (2026)
- 6GNR Residential Septic System New Construction Permit Application and Requirements (Rev. 2024-05-03) (2024)
- 7Walton County Environmental Health Site Evaluation Form (Northeast Health District) (2023)
- 8Morgan County EH fees, effective August 1, 2024 (Northeast Health District) (2024)
- 9DeKalb Public Health — OSSMS Construction Permit and Site Approval Application (Aug. 20, 2026) (2026)
- 10North Central Health District — Jasper County Environmental Health
- 11GNR Public Health — Septic Systems (Gwinnett, Newton & Rockdale) (2026)
Ready when you are
Rather have a pro look at it? Call the crew that digs.
The state ties tank capacity to bedrooms, not bathrooms or square footage. Here is the exact rule, a bedroom-by-bedroom table, and what changes when a kitchen has a garbage disposal.
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