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Gwinnett County · Septic & sewer rules
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or call (678) 863-5620The short answer
Both. Gwinnett's Department of Water Resources runs a 3,000-mile sewer network, yet about 30 percent of residents still use septic. Septic permits come from GNR Public Health's Gwinnett office in Lawrenceville and require a Level 3 soil report. Pumping a tank earns a 10 percent county stormwater credit. We repair, pump and connect across Gwinnett.↗↗↗
Reviewed by Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions · Last updated
The Gwinnett County story
Gwinnett looks fully built out: close to a million residents and a median house from 1996. Underground the picture splits. Citing the Georgia Department of Public Health, the county's water department says Gwinnett has one of the greatest concentrations of septic systems in the United States.↗↗
So one Gwinnett street can hold two kinds of owner: one pays a sewer charge and owns a lateral to the right-of-way; the next owns a tank and drain field and answers to GNR Environmental Health when it fails. The first job on any Gwinnett call is working out which of the two you are.↗
On the record
Local facts
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 share | About 30% of residents; "one of the greatest concentrations of septic systems in the United States" (DPH via DWR) | Gwinnett County DWR — Septic Tanks |
| Sewer system | About 56 million gallons a day from 180,000+ customers, ~3,000 miles of pipe, ~200 pump stations, 3 treatment facilities | Gwinnett County DWR — Wastewater |
| Septic permits | GNR Public Health — Gwinnett Environmental Health, 455 Grayson Hwy, Suite 600, Lawrenceville; 770.963.5132 | GNR Public Health — Locations (Environmental Health Offices) |
| Soil report | Level 3 required for every septic permit since February 7, 2022 | GNR Public Health — Septic Systems |
| Repair / new permit fee | $275 residential; $400 after a complaint (effective January 1, 2026) | GNR Environmental Health Fee Schedule — Gwinnett County (effective Jan 1, 2026) |
| Pumping credit | 10% off the county stormwater fee, yearly for five years | Gwinnett County DWR — Septic Tanks |
| Septic records | Environmental Health files go back to systems installed in 1959 | Gwinnett County DWR — Septic Tanks |
| River basins | Upper Ocmulgee in the south and center, Upper Chattahoochee on the north edge, Upper Oconee in the east around Dacula | Wikipedia — Gwinnett County, Georgia |
Sewer or septic?
DWR gives the simplest test itself. Pull a recent water bill; if the line reading "Sewer Amount Charged" shows $0.00, the property is very likely on septic.↗
For the details, Gwinnett Environmental Health holds records for systems installed since 1959, and the county GIS Data Browser can show a septic sketch and earlier repair permits where they exist. Those files are worth reading before anyone probes a yard.↗
More about Gwinnett County
Gwinnett funds stormwater work through a utility fee billed with property taxes, and it rewards septic upkeep. Pump the tank, send DWR a dated receipt or paid invoice from a licensed septic hauler, and the county takes 10 percent off that fee each year for five years.↗↗
All stormwater credits on a parcel together top out at 40 percent, and credit questions go to 678.376.7193. One caution: some cities bill their own stormwater utility, so check that the county fee is actually on your tax bill before you apply.↗
Permits · GNR Public Health — Gwinnett Environmental Health Department
Hire a Georgia-certified soil classifier to write a Level 3 soil report for the lot.↗
File GNR's Residential Septic System Permit Application with fees paid to Gwinnett County; a contractor you choose may apply and collect the permit as your agent, and we do.↗
On a difficult lot, supply three copies of an engineered site plan; alternative systems may also need a Level 4 soil report.↗
Allow about 10 working days for plan review and a site visit.↗
Build under the permit within 12 months of issue and have Environmental Health inspect before backfill.↗
Published fees
Who owns what
Gwinnett DWRsewer lateral
Owner — the whole lateral from the house to the county connection in the right-of-way, including that connection↗
Where the line sits: right-of-way cleanout / sewer stub
Gwinnett DWRmain
DWR — clears blockages in the main and in the lateral section inside the right-of-way; backups go to 678.376.7000↗
Gwinnett DWRwater service line
Owner on the house side of the meter; DWR owns the main, the pipe to the meter and the meter↗
Where the line sits: meter
Soil & terrain
Gwinnett sits in Georgia's upper Piedmont astride the Eastern Continental Divide, which is why three river systems begin here. The soil survey is dominated by Appling, Pacolet and Madison units, with Chewacla silt loam in the flood-prone bottoms along the streams.↗↗
One soil series, a red clay loam established here in 1969, even carries the county's name. Ridge-to-creek variation like this is why GNR wants a Level 3 report on the actual lot.↗
Appling sandy loam, 6–10% slopes↗
Largest single unit in the county survey, about 27,990 acres.
Pacolet sandy loam / sandy clay loam↗
Several units on 2–25% slopes, together over 45,000 acres.
Madison sandy clay loam, 10–45% slopes↗
About 24,440 acres; steep ground for a field.
Chewacla silt loam, 0–2% slopes↗
Frequently flooded floodplain soil, about 19,450 acres along the creeks.
Gwinnett clay loam↗
Well-drained red clay loam over gneiss and schist saprolite.
What it costs
Septic-to-sewer conversion, typical 3/4-inch residential ($4,147 system development charge + $25 permit)
$4,172
Typical market range — Residential Septic to Sewer Procedure for Unincorporated Gwinnett County, 2026
Plumbing Only permit for the conversion
0.6% of the estimate, $30 minimum
Typical market range — Residential Septic to Sewer Procedure for Unincorporated Gwinnett County
New 3/4-inch residential water and sewer connection, all county fees
$6,747
Typical market range — Gwinnett DWR Rates and Fee Schedule — January 2026, 2026
Mainline sewer tap (owner supplies excavation and restoration)
$550 each
Typical market range — Gwinnett DWR Rates and Fee Schedule — January 2026, 2026
Hauler dump ticket at DWR, per 1,000 gallons rounded up
$130
Typical market range — Gwinnett DWR Rates and Fee Schedule — January 2026, 2026
These are third-party typical market ranges, not our prices. Every job is quoted after we see it — estimates are free.
Free estimate: (678) 863-5620Services here
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Towns we serve
Who to call at the county
Septic permits & records
FAQ
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620Start with your DWR water bill. Gwinnett says a "Sewer Amount Charged" of $0.00 means the property is very likely on septic. To confirm, ask Gwinnett Environmental Health, which keeps records for systems installed since 1959, or open the parcel in the county GIS Data Browser, which may show a septic sketch and past repair permits.
Yes. Pumping earns a 10 percent credit on the county stormwater utility fee, and you can earn it each year for five years. Send DWR a dated receipt or paid invoice from a licensed septic hauler. Credits appear on the property tax bill and all credits combined are capped at 40 percent per property.
Source: Gwinnett County DWR — Stormwater Utility Fee and Credits
GNR's Gwinnett fee schedule, effective January 1, 2026, charges $275 for a residential site evaluation, permit and initial inspection, or $400 when the permit follows a complaint. Commercial permits are $600, a reinspection is $175, and installing without a permit costs double the permit fees. The Level 3 soil report is billed separately by the classifier.
Source: GNR Environmental Health Fee Schedule — Gwinnett County (effective Jan 1, 2026)
Since February 7, 2022, GNR Public Health has required a Level 3 soil report from a certified soil classifier before it permits any septic system in its counties, including repairs and additions that change the system. Gwinnett's soils swing from Appling and Pacolet uplands to flood-prone Chewacla bottoms, so the report sizes the field to your lot.
For a typical 3/4-inch residential account, DWR's septic-to-sewer procedure lists $4,172 in county fees: a $4,147 system development charge plus a $25 permit. You also need a Planning & Development Plumbing Only permit at 0.6 percent of the estimate, $30 minimum. The old tank must be emptied and crushed or filled with concrete or gravel.
Source: Residential Septic to Sewer Procedure for Unincorporated Gwinnett County
The owner maintains the entire lateral, including where it joins the county line at the right-of-way. DWR clears blockages in its main and in the right-of-way portion; report a backup on its 24-hour line, 678.376.7000. If the only blockage is inside the right-of-way, a reimbursement claim is possible, but DWR must inspect the open excavation first.
Source: Gwinnett County Sewer Service Lateral Repair/Cleaning Policy
Sources
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
Ready when you are
Tell us what's backing up or what the inspector found. We give free on-site estimates anywhere in the county, handle the GNR permit as your agent, and leave the pumping receipt DWR's credit form asks for.
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