Sewer Line Installation & Replacement · Lithonia, GA
Lithonia sewer line installation: retiring the old septic tank and running a new line to the DeKalb stub.
- Georgia DPH-certified installer & pumper
- Residential & commercial
- Local shop in Oxford, GA
Get a free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620The short answer
What does sewer line installation involve in Lithonia, GA?
In Lithonia, a new sewer line runs from your house drain to a DeKalb Watershed Management stub. You pay DeKalb's sewer access fee ($1,811.93 on the 2022 rate sheet), a licensed contractor pulls the plumbing permit and lays the pipe, and on a septic conversion the old tank is pumped and filled.↗↗
Reviewed by Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions · Last updated
The Lithonia story
Quarry town ground makes the trench the hard part
Most of the cost in a Lithonia sewer installation lives underground in the rock. This is the district that produced nearly 1.5 million tons of granite by 1949, and the stone that made the town wealthy is the same stone a trencher meets today.↗
So before we price a new line, we probe the route. A lateral needs a steady fall toward the county stub, and Georgia's plumbing code asks for at least 1/8 inch per foot on a typical 4-inch pipe. When rock sits where the grade line wants to go, the choices are to break it, bend the route around it, or set the house connection higher. Each choice changes the price, and we explain which one fits your lot.↗
Sewer or septic?
Should a Lithonia house on a tank switch to the main?
Two rules decide it. The state requires a hookup when a public line is available within 200 feet of your property line or in the road that touches your lot, and a septic system that fails must be replaced by a connection whenever sewer is available. DeKalb adds its own trigger: once the county sends official notice that a main sits in an abutting street within 100 feet, the owner has 24 months to connect.↗↗
Not sure whether your address is tied in at all? Watershed Management's Engineering and Construction Management Services group lists that exact question, whether a property is connected to the county sewer, among the calls it takes.↗
How to tell which one you have
- Call DeKalb ECMS at 770-724-1429 and ask whether the parcel is on county sewer.
- Look for a sewer cleanout cap near the street versus tank lids behind the house.
- Ask us to camera the building drain and see where it actually goes.
Permits · DeKalb Watershed Management (connection) and the City of Lithonia Building and Permitting Division (plumbing)
Permits and fees for a new Lithonia sewer connection
- 01
Confirm the county stub location and capacity with Watershed Management before any digging is scheduled.↗
- 02
Pull the plumbing permit through Lithonia's Building and Permitting Division (770-482-8136), which issues trade permits and inspects work inside the city.↗
- 03
Pay DeKalb's residential sewer access fee; the county bills non-residential buildings by population equivalent instead.↗
- 04
Lay the building sewer, add a cleanout where the building drain meets it, and call for inspection before backfill.↗
- 05
On a conversion, have a certified pumper empty the old tank, then fill it with sand, soil or rock so nobody can fall in.↗
Georgia rule Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 511-3-1-.17(5)
“…fill the empty tank with sand, soil, or rock to prevent entrapment…”
Who owns what
What you build versus what DeKalb keeps
DeKalb County Watershed Managementsewer lateral
You install and pay for the building sewer on your lot (Sec. 25-215); the county keeps the part in its right-of-way (Sec. 25-220)↗
Where the line sits: Property line or county sewer easement
DeKalb County Watershed Managementwater service line
County through the meter; the owner beyond it (Sec. 25-43)↗
Where the line sits: Meter
When a conversion district brings a new main down your street, the county caps each lot's share of the main at $7,500, but that cap does not cover your own pipe from house to stub. That private run, plus a plumbing fee and a tap fee, is paid separately.↗
What it costs
Lithonia sewer installation costs, published ranges
New sewer line, installed
$40–$180 per linear foot
Typical market range — HomeGuide — Sewer Line Installation Cost (updated December 2025), 2025
Septic tank to sewer conversion
$3,000–$15,000
Typical market range — HomeGuide — Sewer Line Installation Cost (updated December 2025), 2025
Sewer cleanout installation
$500–$2,000
Typical market range — HomeGuide — Sewer Line Installation Cost (updated December 2025), 2025
DeKalb residential sewer access fee
$1,811.93
Typical market range — DeKalb County 2022 Current Rates — Water and Sewer Rates and Service Charges (via Wayback), 2022
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- 01Gneiss ledges or buried granite footings along the trench route
- 02Distance from the back of the house, where old tanks usually sit, to a stub at the street
- 03Stone walls and steps that must be lifted and reset
- 04Whether the old tank is filled in place or removed
Warning signs
Signs it is time to trade the tank for a sewer line
Seeing two or more of these? Call before it gets worse.
- 1. A DeKalb notice saying a main now sits in your street
- 2. The drain field stays soggy weeks after rain
- 3. The tank needs pumping more than once a year
- 4. You are adding a bathroom or an addition over the old field
- 5. A buyer's lender is asking about septic condition
More about Lithonia
Houses versus Main Street buildings
A single-family conversion is usually a 4-inch line, one cleanout and a filled tank, done in a few days once the permit is issued. Downtown's brick and stone storefronts are different. DeKalb sizes their access fee by population equivalent rather than a flat charge, a larger building may need a 6-inch sewer, and the plumbing code allows a shared trench with a water service only when the sewer pipe meets approved materials or the two lines stay 5 feet apart.↗↗
FAQ
Lithonia sewer installation questions
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620Who issues the plumbing permit for a sewer line inside Lithonia?
The city's Building and Permitting Division at 6920 Main Street. DeKalb Watershed Management handles the tap, stub and access fee.
Source: Building Permits | Lithonia, GA
How much is DeKalb's sewer tap fee for a house?
The 2022 rate sheet, the latest schedule we could locate, lists a residential sewer access fee of $1,811.93. Confirm the current amount with the county before you budget.
Source: DeKalb County 2022 Current Rates — Water and Sewer Rates and Service Charges (via Wayback)
Do I have to connect if sewer is in my street?
Once DeKalb gives official notice that a main sits in an abutting street within 100 feet, you have 24 months. A failing tank must connect whenever sewer is available.
What happens to my old septic tank?
Georgia requires a certified pumper to empty it, then the tank is filled with sand, soil or rock so it cannot collapse or trap anyone.
Source: Georgia DPH Rules Chapter 511-3-1 On-Site Sewage Management Systems (Jan 2016)
Will rock under my yard stop the project?
Rarely, but it moves the price. Lithonia sits in a granite district that was quarried with dynamite for generations, so we probe the route first.
Source: Arabia Mountain - Wikipedia
How can I find out if my house is already on county sewer?
DeKalb's Engineering and Construction Management Services line, 770-724-1429, verifies whether a property is connected to water and sewer.
Source: DeKalb Watershed Management Service Call List (revised July 11, 2025)
Does a conversion district pay for my house connection?
No. The $7,500 per-lot cap covers the main. Your plumber's run from the building drain to the stub, the plumbing fee and the tap fee are separate.
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
- 1DeKalb County 2022 Current Rates — Water and Sewer Rates and Service Charges (via Wayback)
- 2Georgia DPH Rules Chapter 511-3-1 On-Site Sewage Management Systems (Jan 2016)
- 3Arabia Mountain - Wikipedia
- 4Georgia State Minimum Standard Plumbing Code 2018, Chapter 7 Sanitary Drainage — via UpCodes
- 5DeKalb County Code Ch. 25, Art. IV, Div. 1 — Sewers and Sewage Disposal, Generally (Municode, Supp. 72)
- 6DeKalb Watershed Management Service Call List (revised July 11, 2025)
- 7Building Permits | Lithonia, GA
- 8DeKalb County Code Ch. 25, Art. IV, Div. 3 — Building Sewers and Connections (Municode, Supp. 72)
- 9DeKalb County Code Ch. 25, Art. II, Div. 1 — Sec. 25-43 Location, ownership of facilities (Municode, Supp. 72)
- 10DeKalb County Code Ch. 25, Art. IV, Div. 2.5 — Special Septic Tank to Sewer Conversion Tax District (Municode, Supp. 72)
- 11HomeGuide — Sewer Line Installation Cost (updated December 2025)
- 12Georgia State Minimum Standard Plumbing Code 2018, Chapter 6 (§603.2) — via UpCodes
Ready when you are
Ready to retire the tank? We'll walk the route first.
Call and we will check where the county stub is, what the rock looks like and what the conversion should cost.
(678) 863-5620- Georgia DPH-certified installer & pumper
- Residential & commercial
- Oxford, GA
Free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620