Septic permits & records
Lamar County Environmental Health (District 4 Public Health)
- Address
- 100 Academy Drive, Barnesville, GA 30204
- Hours
- Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; closed for lunch 12-1 p.m.
Lamar County · Septic & sewer rules
Lamar County, Georgia septic and sewer service, where Barnesville owns the only public sewer and county rules require room for a replacement drain field on every new lot.
Barnesville is the county seat. Septic permits and records: Lamar County Environmental Health (District 4 Public Health), part of District 4 Public Health - Environmental Health.
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or call (678) 863-5620The short answer
Is Lamar County, GA on sewer or septic, and who permits septic?
Mostly septic. The City of Barnesville owns the county's water and sewer lines and its only municipal sewage plant, and its sewer reaches the town and nearby suburbs. Rural tracts and scattered subdivisions use septic, permitted by Lamar County Environmental Health, a District 4 office in Barnesville. We install, repair and pump systems countywide.↗↗
Reviewed by Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions · Last updated
Sewer or septic?
One city system, owned by the city
Lamar's plan draft does not mince words: the water and sewer infrastructure is owned by the City of Barnesville and needs upgrades before more development should happen. The county's suburban neighborhoods around Barnesville and Milner are tied into city water and sewer, while its rural residential areas have limited service.↗
The same plan notes that small subdivisions on individual septic systems have been built all over the county. Federal permit records back that up: there is exactly one municipal sewage plant in Lamar, on Gordon Road in Barnesville, and none for Milner or Aldora.↗↗
How to tell which one you have
- A Barnesville bill with a sewer charge means you are on the city plant.
- Water from the city with no sewer line on the bill points to a tank.
- Lamar County Environmental Health keeps the septic permits.
Who to call at the county
Who you call in Lamar County
- City of Barnesville Water & Sewer Water and sewer in the city and parts of unincorporated LamarAbout 10,000 customers of all kinds; 180 miles of pipe.↗
- City of Milner Water (bought from Barnesville's plant)↗
Local facts
Lamar County's septic ground rules
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 | 100 Academy Drive, Barnesville; (770) 358-1483 ext. 2; weekdays 8-5, closed noon to 1 | District 4 Public Health: Lamar County (Health Department and Environmental Health) |
| Replacement field | Every subdivision lot needs soil for a primary and a replacement conventional system | Lamar County Development Regulations Sec. 501: General design standards (Municode) |
| Major subdivision lots | At least 2 acres, with each septic system shown on the plat | Lamar County Development Regulations Sec. 501.1: Major subdivisions (Municode) |
| A-R district minimum | Set by the health department, never under 5 acres | Lamar County Zoning Sec. 505: A-R district standards (Municode) |
| Median year built / mobile homes | 1988 / 1,366 of 7,866 housing units, about 17% | Census Reporter: Lamar County, GA (ACS 2024 5-year) |
| County created | 1920, from parts of Monroe and Pike, named for L.Q.C. Lamar | New Georgia Encyclopedia: Lamar County |
| Population | 18,500 (2020 Census) | Wikipedia: Lamar County, Georgia |
The Lamar County story
A young county with old-school lot sizes
Lamar was carved from Monroe and Pike only in 1920, and a century later it is still mostly country. The plan draft describes rural residential lots of at least an acre and often five or more, and the farm district will not go below five acres whatever the soil says.↗↗↗
Those big lots are a septic contractor's friend. The county's development rules demand that each lot carry enough usable soil for the field it needs today and a full replacement field tomorrow, and they forbid any system from crossing a lot line. When a Lamar field fails after twenty years, there is supposed to be clean ground waiting for the next one.↗
Residents know the pinch. When the county surveyed them for the plan, two-thirds named water and sewer infrastructure as a priority.↗
Permits · Lamar County Environmental Health, District 4 Public Health
Permitting a septic system in Lamar
Lamar ties the building permit to the health department's sign-off, so septic comes first. We can file on your behalf.
- 01
Get health department approval of the water supply and sewage disposal before the county issues a building permit; no utility hookup is made to a site without one.↗
- 02
File District 4's new-system application with the lot sketch, bedrooms, water source and plumbing stub-out location.↗
- 03
On a new subdivision lot, show the primary field and a replacement area; neither may cross a lot line.↗
- 04
Call for the inspection before cover; repairs follow the same state rule.↗
Georgia rule 511-3-1-.03(1)
“available within two hundred feet (200') of the property line”
Soil & terrain
Two river basins and a lot of Cecil
A line running roughly through Orchard Hill, Milner and Barnesville splits Lamar in two: the western third drains to the Flint, the rest to the Ocmulgee. Soils on both sides are mostly Cecil, from gently sloping sandy loam to severely eroded clay loam on the hillsides.↗↗
Lamar's share of the three-county soil survey shows no acreage at all rated free of septic limitations. Frequently flooded Wehadkee bottoms along the creeks are the worst places for a field.↗
More about Lamar County
Water from one hilltop
Barnesville's water plant, fed from the Towaliga, supplies the city, Milner and the surrounding county, and stores it in tanks on Hog Mountain. A county authority exists on paper under a 1989 act, but federal records show its own water system as inactive, so most county homes with public water are city customers.↗↗
- Barnesville's water plant serves Barnesville, Milner and surrounding Lamar, over 6,700 customers, with 4 million gallons stored in three tanks on Hog Mountain.↗
- EPA lists only one municipal sewage plant in Lamar, Barnesville's James A. King facility; none appears for Milner or Aldora.↗
- The county plan draft says scattered subdivisions with individual septic systems have developed throughout Lamar.↗
Towns we serve
Lamar County towns we serve
Barnesville has its own page on the city system and the septic around it.
Also in the county
- Milner · Small city in north Lamar on Barnesville water.
- Aldora · Small town beside Barnesville.
Services here
What we do across Lamar County
- 01Septic InstallationNew homes on 2- to 5-acre lots with a reserve field laid out.Septic Installation details
- 02Septic RepairTanks, lines and baffles on rural systems.Septic Repair details
- 03Drain Field Repair & ReplacementMoving a failed field onto the reserve area.Drain Field Repair & Replacement details
- 04Septic PumpingRoutine maintenance for county systems.Septic Pumping details
- 05Sewer Line RepairLaterals on Barnesville's system.Sewer Line Repair details
Also available:Septic InspectionEmergency Septic & Sewer Service
FAQ
Lamar County septic and sewer FAQ
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620Where do I get a septic permit in Lamar County?
From Lamar County Environmental Health, part of District 4 Public Health, at 100 Academy Drive in Barnesville. Call (770) 358-1483 and ask for extension 2; the office is open weekdays 8 to 5 and closes from noon to 1.
Source: District 4 Public Health: Lamar County (Health Department and Environmental Health)
Does Lamar County have its own sewer system?
Not in practice. The county plan draft says the water and sewer infrastructure is owned by the City of Barnesville, and EPA lists only one municipal sewage plant in the county, Barnesville's.
Source: Lamar County Comprehensive Plan 2024-2044 (draft, Feb. 19, 2024)
Why does my Lamar lot need room for two drain fields?
County development rules say a suitable lot must contain enough usable soil for a primary conventional septic system and a replacement conventional system, so a failed field can be moved to fresh ground.
Source: Lamar County Development Regulations Sec. 501: General design standards (Municode)
What is the minimum lot size in Lamar's farm district?
In the A-R district the health department sets the minimum, but it can never be less than 5 acres, with at least 300 feet of lot width.
Source: Lamar County Zoning Sec. 505: A-R district standards (Municode)
Can I get a building permit before the septic is approved?
No. Lamar's zoning says the health department must approve the water supply and sewage disposal first, and no electric, water or sewer hookup is made to new construction without a building permit.
Source: Lamar County Zoning Sec. 404: Building permits required (Municode)
How well do Lamar soils handle a septic field?
Not easily. In Lamar's portion of the regional soil survey, about 91,100 acres are rated somewhat limited and 24,800 very limited for absorption fields, and none are rated without limitations.
Who supplies water outside Barnesville?
Mostly the City of Barnesville, whose plant serves the city, Milner and surrounding parts of the county. Milner resells that water to its own customers.
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
- 1Lamar County Comprehensive Plan 2024-2044 (draft, Feb. 19, 2024)
- 2District 4 Public Health: Lamar County (Health Department and Environmental Health)
- 3EPA ECHO Clean Water Act facility search: Lamar County, GA (active permits)
- 4Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 511-3-1 (On-Site Sewage Management Systems)
- 5City of Barnesville: Water & Sewer Department
- 6EPA Envirofacts SDWIS: public water systems in Lamar County (PWSID GA171xxxx)
- 7Lamar County Development Regulations Sec. 501: General design standards (Municode)
- 8Lamar County Development Regulations Sec. 501.1: Major subdivisions (Municode)
- 9Lamar County Zoning Sec. 505: A-R district standards (Municode)
- 10Census Reporter: Lamar County, GA (ACS 2024 5-year)
- 11New Georgia Encyclopedia: Lamar County
- 12Wikipedia: Lamar County, Georgia
- 13Lamar County Zoning Sec. 404: Building permits required (Municode)
- 14District 4 Public Health: New Residential Septic Permit Application (rev. 2024-08-12)
- 15USDA NRCS Soil Data Access (SSURGO), Lamar County portion of survey area GA642 (Lamar, Pike and Upson)
- 16City of Barnesville: Water Treatment Plant
Ready when you are
Five acres and a tired field? We know Lamar's rules.
Tell us where the property is. We give a free estimate on site and handle the District 4 permit when the job needs one.
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