Septic permits & records
DeKalb Public Health — Environmental Health Division (Septic System Program)
- Address
- 445 Winn Way, Suite 320, Decatur, GA 30030
- Phone
- 404-508-7900
Lithonia, GA · DeKalb County
Lithonia septic and sewer service: septic repairs and septic-to-sewer tie-ins in a small, stone-built DeKalb County city.
Lithonia, DeKalb County · about 25 min / 16.9 mi by road from our Oxford shop. ZIP code 30058.
- Georgia DPH-certified installer & pumper
- Residential & commercial
- Local shop in Oxford, GA
Get a free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620The short answer
Is Lithonia on sewer or septic, and who handles each?
Lithonia runs no water or sewer utility; the city says DeKalb County handles all its water service, and DeKalb Watershed Management provides sewer. Lithonia homes still on septic are permitted by DeKalb Public Health in Decatur. Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions repairs Lithonia septic systems and builds septic-to-sewer tie-ins.↗↗↗
Reviewed by Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions · Last updated
The Lithonia story
A town built of the rock it sits on
The name gives it away. Lithonia means "city of stone," from the Greek lithos, and the town sits at the heart of Georgia's granite-quarrying country. It began as a farm crossroads in 1805; when the Atlanta Augusta Railroad arrived in 1845, the quarries took off.↗
Geologists borrowed the name too. The Lithonia gneiss is the older metamorphic rock that Stone Mountain's granite pushed up through. In town, that stone became the buildings: the Lithonia Historic District, significant from 1845 to 1964, has commercial blocks of brick and local granite, and houses built with quarried granite and gneiss.↗
For a sewer or septic job, that history is practical. Stone foundations, stone walls and stone steps sit right where a lateral leaves the house, and old quarry country can put rock in a trench line. We walk the route before quoting and plan the dig around what's already built in stone.
Sewer or septic?
Lithonia's county sewer, and the tanks it hasn't reached
There's no Lithonia water department to call. The city's utilities page hands all water service to DeKalb County, and the county's Watershed Management department is the sewer utility too. A Lithonia house off that network has a septic tank on a DeKalb Public Health permit.↗↗
The county's 2017 conversion ordinance is aimed at places like this: developed streets where septic tanks are aging. A petitioned special tax district can bring a sewer main down the street, with each lot's share of the construction capped at $7,500.↗
How to tell which one you have
- Check the DeKalb water bill: septic customers aren't charged for sewer.
- Look for concrete tank lids in the yard, often on the downhill side of the house.
- Ask DeKalb Public Health for the property's septic record.
Median year homes were built
1977
Typical house here is about 49 years old — and so is its original sewer or septic line.
ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B25035 · Census Reporter: Lithonia, GA (ACS 2024 5-year)
Housing era
Lithonia's 1977 median — older than its neighbors
Half the homes in Lithonia were built before 1977. A tank from those years is closing in on 50, and a drain field that age deserves a hard look. That's the point where a repair permit and a sewer tie-in start competing for the same budget.↗
The historic core is older still, and small: the whole city is 0.89 square miles, with 1,100 housing units counted in 2020.↗
Local facts
Lithonia facts that matter underground
Each row links to the agency, code or publisher it comes from. Tap a source to check it yourself.
| Topic | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Water and sewer | DeKalb County is responsible for all water service to the city | Utilities | Lithonia, GA |
| City size | 0.89 sq mi; 2,662 residents in 1,100 housing units (2020) | Lithonia, Georgia - Wikipedia |
| Median year built | 1977 | Census Reporter: Lithonia, GA (ACS 2024 5-year) |
| Growth | 1805 farm crossroads; quarries boomed after the 1845 railroad | Lithonia, Georgia - Wikipedia |
| Park landmark | Lithonia City Park & Amphitheater, 2515 Park Drive | Lithonia City Park & Amphitheater - Arabia Mountain Heritage Area Alliance |
| Creek in city limits | Pine Mountain Creek | Census TIGERweb Hydro MapServer — linear hydrography intersecting Lithonia city (place 1346860) |
| Street-side sewer emergencies | DeKalb Watershed, 770-270-6243 | Watershed Management | DeKalb County, GA |
More about Lithonia
When the sewer main comes down a Lithonia street
A new main doesn't connect your house. Under the conversion ordinance, the owner hires the contractor who lays pipe from the building drain to the county's stub-out, then pays a plumbing fee and a sewer tap fee before the connection is inspected. Connecting is encouraged but not required unless health or water-quality conditions call for it.↗
Everything on your side of the property line stays yours afterward. DeKalb code assigns the county only the part of the building sewer that sits in the street right-of-way or a sewer easement.↗
Separate from the districts, a county notice can start a clock: with sewer in an abutting street within 100 feet of the lot, Sec. 25-154 allows 24 months to connect.↗
A new main doesn't connect your house.
Services here
Our Lithonia work, line by line
- 01Sewer Line Installation & ReplacementThe house-to-stub run when a Lithonia street gets sewer, routed around stone foundations and walls.Sewer Line Installation & Replacement details
- 02Septic RepairKeeping a 1970s-era tank working until sewer arrives, on a $150 DeKalb repair permit.Septic Repair details
- 03Drain Field Repair & ReplacementWorn-out fields on older Lithonia lots that aren't near a main.Drain Field Repair & Replacement details
- 04Sewer Line RepairCracked or root-filled laterals on already-sewered streets.Sewer Line Repair details
- 05Septic PumpingRoutine pump-outs, which need no DeKalb permit.Septic Pumping details
- 06Septic InspectionKnowing a tank's condition before deciding between repair and tie-in.Septic Inspection details
- 07Septic InstallationReplacement systems where sewer isn't coming soon.Septic Installation details
- 08Water Line Repair & InstallationThe line from the county meter to the house.Water Line Repair & Installation details
- 09Emergency Septic & Sewer ServiceBackups inside the house or a tank overflowing in the yard.Emergency Septic & Sewer Service details
Also available:Sewer Camera InspectionExcavation, Grading & Drainage
Who to call at the county
Lithonia's permit office is in Decatur
- DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management Water and sewer for the City of LithoniaReport a main break or street-side sewer problem on the county's emergency line, 770-270-6243.↗
Nearby areas
Around Lithonia
- Stonecrest septic & sewerStonecrest sewer & septic, Lithonia's far larger neighbor.
- Redan septic & sewerRedan septic & sewer, unincorporated DeKalb to the northwest.
- Stone Mountain septic & sewerStone Mountain septic & sewer, up the road from the granite dome.
- Conyers septic & sewerConyers sewer & septic, east across the Rockdale line.
- Tucker septic & sewerTucker sewer line repair in north-central DeKalb.
- Decatur septic & sewerDecatur sewer line repair near the permit office.
FAQ
Lithonia septic and sewer, answered
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620Does the City of Lithonia have its own water and sewer department?
No. Lithonia's utilities page states that DeKalb County is responsible for all water service to the city, and DeKalb Watershed Management is the county's water and sewer utility. Georgia Power and the gas companies cover the rest. Any Lithonia sewer tap, main or meter question goes to the county.
Source: Utilities | Lithonia, GA
Sewer is being extended down my Lithonia street. Do I have to connect right away?
Not necessarily. Where DeKalb extends sewer through a septic-to-sewer special tax district, owners are encouraged but not required to connect immediately, unless public health, water quality or nuisance conditions warrant it. A separate county notice under Sec. 25-154 can require connection within 24 months.
What does it cost a Lithonia homeowner to tie into a new sewer main?
Two kinds of cost. The county side is a plumbing fee and a sewer tap fee; DeKalb's 2022 rate sheet put the residential sewer access fee at $1,811.93. The private side is the contractor's pipe from your building drain to the stub-out. We give that part a free on-site estimate.
Source: DeKalb County 2022 Current Rates — Water and Sewer Rates and Service Charges (via Wayback)
Who permits a septic repair for a house in Lithonia?
DeKalb Public Health's Environmental Health Division, at 445 Winn Way, Suite 320, in Decatur (404-508-7900). The repair permit is $150 on the January 2024 fee schedule, and a Georgia DPH-certified contractor has to do the work and submit the application.
Source: DeKalb Public Health Environmental Health Division Fee Schedule (effective January 1, 2024)
Is there granite under Lithonia yards?
Lithonia sits in granite-quarrying country and lends its name to the Lithonia gneiss, the rock Stone Mountain's granite intruded. The historic district is literally built of quarried granite and gneiss. Rock depth varies lot to lot and no soil series is mapped at the city center, so we check each route before digging.
Source: Lithonia, Georgia - Wikipedia
How old are the septic tanks and sewer laterals in Lithonia?
The median Lithonia home dates to 1977, so half the houses are older than that, and the historic district runs back to 1845. A tank or lateral original to a 1970s house is nearly 50 years old, which is why repair-or-connect decisions come up so often here.
Who do I call about sewage coming up in a Lithonia street?
A spill from a manhole or main in the street belongs to DeKalb Watershed Management; its emergency number is 770-270-6243. If sewage is backing up inside your house or surfacing between the house and the property line, that's the private lateral or tank, and that's a call to us.
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
- 1Utilities | Lithonia, GA
- 2Watershed Management | DeKalb County, GA
- 3Septic Systems | DeKalb Public Health
- 4Lithonia, Georgia - Wikipedia
- 5DeKalb County Code Ch. 25, Art. IV, Div. 2.5 — Special Septic Tank to Sewer Conversion Tax District (Municode, Supp. 72)
- 6Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 511-3-1 On-Site Sewage Management Systems
- 7Census Reporter: Lithonia, GA (ACS 2024 5-year)
- 8Lithonia City Park & Amphitheater - Arabia Mountain Heritage Area Alliance
- 9Census TIGERweb Hydro MapServer — linear hydrography intersecting Lithonia city (place 1346860)
- 10DeKalb County Code Ch. 25, Art. IV, Div. 3 — Building Sewers and Connections (Municode, Supp. 72)
- 11DeKalb County Code Ch. 25, Art. IV, Div. 1 — Sewers and Sewage Disposal, Generally (Municode, Supp. 72)
- 12DeKalb County Planning & Sustainability — Watershed Packet (revised 5/6/25)
- 13DeKalb County 2022 Current Rates — Water and Sewer Rates and Service Charges (via Wayback)
- 14DeKalb Public Health Environmental Health Division Fee Schedule (effective January 1, 2024)
Ready when you are
Repair the tank or tie into the main? Let's look at the Lithonia lot first.
Call (678) 863-5620. We'll walk the route from your house to the tank or the stub, note the stone in the way, and give you a free estimate for either path.
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