Sewer Line Repair · Lawrenceville, GA
Sewer line repair in Lawrenceville, where most laterals date to the 1980s build-out and Gwinnett County's lateral policy decides who pays.
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or call (678) 863-5620The short answer
What does sewer line repair in Lawrenceville, GA involve?
In Lawrenceville the city runs power and gas, but Gwinnett County owns the sewer main. Your lateral, from the house through its tie-in at the right-of-way, is yours to repair. A repair means a camera run to find the defect, a Georgia 811 locate, then digging out and replacing the broken section on proper grade.↗↗↗
Reviewed by Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions · Last updated
Median year homes were built
1988
Typical house here is about 38 years old — and so is its original sewer or septic line.
ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B25035 · Census Reporter API — ACS 2024 5-year B25035/B25024 (Lawrenceville city and Gwinnett County)
Housing era
The 1988 median house and what its lateral is doing now
Half of Lawrenceville's homes were built before 1988, eight years ahead of the countywide median. A lateral laid then has spent more than 35 years under shifting clay, with tree roots working at every joint it has.↗
Just over half of the city's 11,161 housing units are detached single-family houses, each with its own lateral. The rest include townhomes and apartment buildings, where one shared building sewer can serve many doors and a single break backs up several units at once.↗
Who owns what
Where Gwinnett's pipe ends on a Lawrenceville lot
Gwinnett DWRmain
Gwinnett County, dispatched from its main office at 684 Winder Highway in Lawrenceville↗
Gwinnett DWRsewer lateral
The homeowner, including the connection to the county line at the right-of-way↗
Where the line sits: right-of-way cleanout
When a plumber proves the only blockage sits inside the right-of-way, Gwinnett's policy lets the owner file a reimbursement claim, provided county staff see the excavated pipe before it is repaired.↗
Warning signs
When a Lawrenceville clog is really the lateral
Seeing two or more of these? Call before it gets worse.
- 1. Toilets gurgle when the dishwasher or washer drains.
- 2. The lowest-level shower or floor drain is the first thing to back up.
- 3. A cleanout in the yard is weeping or its cap has lifted.
- 4. A green, soft stripe of grass follows the route to the curb in a dry month.
- 5. Roots come back on the cable every time the line is snaked.
- 6. In a townhome row, the neighbor's backup shows up in your fixtures.
The Lawrenceville story
Our repair sequence on a Lawrenceville lateral
We start at the house cleanout with a camera, measuring the distance and depth to each crack, sag or root mass. If the footage shows the problem past your property and inside the right-of-way, we stop there and have you call DWR's 24-hour line at 678.376.7000.↗↗
Next comes a Georgia 811 ticket. That matters more here than in most towns, because Lawrenceville runs its own gas and electric systems, so city service lines as well as county pipes can cross the yard.↗↗
Then we excavate at the defect, cut out the failed section or the whole run, set the new pipe to fall evenly toward the street, and compact the red clay back in layers. A second camera pass confirms the fix before the trench closes.
We start at the house cleanout with a camera, measuring the distance and depth to each crack, sag or root mass.
What it costs
Published price ranges for a Lawrenceville lateral
Repairing a sewer line, national spread by method
$150–$3,800
Typical market range — HomeGuide — Sewer Line Repair & Replacement Cost (updated December 2025), 2025
Replacing part of a lateral, Atlanta area
$50–$200 per foot
Typical market range — Angi — How Much Does Sewer Line Replacement Cost in Atlanta, GA? (updated April 2026), 2026
Replacing a whole lateral, Atlanta area
$55–$250 per foot
Typical market range — Angi — How Much Does Sewer Line Replacement Cost in Atlanta, GA? (updated April 2026), 2026
County TV inspection of a sewer line, Gwinnett schedule
$45 plus $0.46 per foot
Typical market range — Gwinnett DWR Rates and Fee Schedule — January 2026, 2026
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- 01Depth to the pipe on sloped lots that fall toward creek bottoms.
- 02Driveways, retaining walls or mature hardwoods over the route.
- 03A townhome building sewer serving several units instead of one house.
- 04Locating city gas and power service lines before the dig.
Local facts
Lawrenceville sewer facts, with the paper trail
Each row links to the agency, code or publisher it comes from. Tap a source to check it yourself.
| Topic | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Median year built | 1988 in the city vs 1996 for Gwinnett County | Census Reporter API — ACS 2024 5-year B25035/B25024 (Lawrenceville city and Gwinnett County) |
| Sewer utility headquarters | Gwinnett DWR, 684 Winder Highway, Lawrenceville; office 678.376.6700 | Gwinnett County DWR — Contact |
| Right-of-way reimbursement | Claim allowed if the only blockage was in the right-of-way and DWR saw the open excavation first | Gwinnett County Sewer Service Lateral Repair/Cleaning Policy |
| Utilities under the yard | City-owned gas (since 1951) and electric (since 1903) service lines, alongside county water and sewer | Lawrenceville Utilities — About Lawrenceville Utilities |
| Nearby creek | Pew Creek, gauged at Patterson Road, drains 7.42 square miles toward the Yellow River | USGS — Pew Creek at Patterson Rd, near Lawrenceville, GA |
More about Lawrenceville
Homes, townhomes and shops around the square
A detached house usually has one four-inch lateral and a cleanout or two, so the job turns on depth and what sits on top of the pipe. Attached housing and small commercial buildings downtown often share a larger building sewer, and there the work gets scheduled around tenants who can't go without drains for long.
Restaurants add grease to the equation. For kitchen lines see our Lawrenceville commercial sewer repair page, which covers Gwinnett's grease program.
A detached house usually has one four-inch lateral and a cleanout or two, so the job turns on depth and what sits on top of the pipe.
FAQ
Lawrenceville sewer line repair questions
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620Should I call the City of Lawrenceville about a sewer backup?
No. The city's utilities are electric, gas and sanitation. Its water-transition FAQ confirms Gwinnett has always provided sewer, so main problems go to Gwinnett DWR at 678.376.7000 and problems on your lot go to a contractor.
Source: Lawrenceville Utilities — FAQs: Water Department Change to Gwinnett County
Who owns the sewer pipe between my Lawrenceville house and the street?
You do, all the way to and including its connection with the county system at the right-of-way. Gwinnett clears blockages in its main and in the part of the lateral that lies inside the right-of-way.
Can Gwinnett pay me back if the blockage was on the county side?
Possibly. The county's lateral policy allows a reimbursement claim when the only blockage is inside the right-of-way, but DWR must inspect the excavated lateral before anyone repairs it. We keep the hole open and documented until the county has looked.
Source: Gwinnett County Sewer Service Lateral Repair/Cleaning Policy
How old are the sewer laterals in Lawrenceville?
No one records laterals individually, but the housing tells the story: the median Lawrenceville home was built in 1988, against 1996 for Gwinnett overall. Many laterals have been in the ground more than 35 years.
Source: Census Reporter API — ACS 2024 5-year B25035/B25024 (Lawrenceville city and Gwinnett County)
Do I need a locate before digging up my sewer line?
Yes. Georgia law requires a Georgia 811 request before excavation. In Lawrenceville the markings can include city gas and electric lines, because the city operates those systems itself.
Source: Georgia 811 — The Law
How much does a sewer line repair cost around Lawrenceville?
Angi's 2026 Atlanta-area figures run about $50–$200 per foot for a partial lateral replacement and $55–$250 per foot for a full one. Depth, paving and access set where a job lands; we price it after a camera look.
Source: Angi — How Much Does Sewer Line Replacement Cost in Atlanta, GA? (updated April 2026)
Does Gwinnett offer a camera inspection of the sewer?
The county's 2026 fee schedule lists a sewer TV initial inspection at $45 plus $0.46 per linear foot. For a private lateral, most owners hire a contractor, who can also dig and repair once the defect is found.
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
- 1Lawrenceville Utilities — FAQs: Water Department Change to Gwinnett County
- 2Gwinnett County DWR — Sewer Lateral
- 3Georgia 811 — The Law
- 4Census Reporter API — ACS 2024 5-year B25035/B25024 (Lawrenceville city and Gwinnett County)
- 5Gwinnett County DWR — Contact
- 6Gwinnett County Sewer Service Lateral Repair/Cleaning Policy
- 7Lawrenceville Utilities — About Lawrenceville Utilities
- 8HomeGuide — Sewer Line Repair & Replacement Cost (updated December 2025)
- 9Angi — How Much Does Sewer Line Replacement Cost in Atlanta, GA? (updated April 2026)
- 10Gwinnett DWR Rates and Fee Schedule — January 2026
- 11USGS — Pew Creek at Patterson Rd, near Lawrenceville, GA
Ready when you are
Backing up in Lawrenceville? We'll find the break before we dig.
Call us and describe the symptoms. We camera the line, mark the defect, and give you a free estimate.
(678) 863-5620- Georgia DPH-certified installer & pumper
- Residential & commercial
- Oxford, GA
Free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620