Water Line Repair & Installation · Lithonia, GA
Lithonia water line repair: the service pipe past the DeKalb County meter belongs to the homeowner.
- Georgia DPH-certified installer & pumper
- Residential & commercial
- Local shop in Oxford, GA
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or call (678) 863-5620The short answer
Who fixes a leaking water line in Lithonia, GA?
Lithonia runs no water utility; DeKalb County Watershed Management supplies every address. The county owns the main and everything through the meter, so a leak between the meter box and your house is the owner's to repair. That usually means locating the leak, then patching one spot or replacing the whole service run.↗↗
Reviewed by Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions · Last updated
Who owns what
The meter box is the dividing line
DeKalb County Watershed Managementmain
County: main, tap, service line to the meter, meter box and meter (Secs. 25-43, 25-83)↗
Where the line sits: Street to meter
DeKalb County Watershed Managementwater service line
Property owner from the meter's outlet to the house↗
Where the line sits: Meter
A plumber may not tap a county main without DeKalb's written permission, and when the county side of an old service has to be replaced, DeKalb bills it as a brand-new connection. If the leak is on the street side of the meter, call the county rather than a contractor.↗
The Lithonia story
What is buried between Lithonia meters and porches
Half of Lithonia's homes were built before 1977, so the service pipe in many yards is as old as the house. Galvanized steel turns up in homes of that age, and InterNACHI gives it a useful life of roughly 20 to 30 years, with corrosion that builds up inside where nobody can see it. The rust narrows the bore, which is why a weak shower and brownish first draw often travel together.↗↗
Houses from the late 1970s onward may have gray or blue polybutylene instead. It was made from 1978 to mid-1995, and the blue version was used mostly for outdoor cold lines, which is exactly what a service line is. PB tends to fail from the inside out, so one leak usually predicts the next.↗
Lead is less of a worry here. DeKalb announced in November 2024 that no lead pipes turned up in its drinking-water service line inventory, though the county still asks owners of older homes to check for galvanized lines.↗
On the record
- DeKalb reported on November 14, 2024 that no lead pipes were found in its drinking water service line inventory.↗
- DeKalb's meter group installs residential meters in 3/4-inch and 1-inch sizes; 1-1/2-inch and larger meters are handled as commercial installs.↗
- Georgia law protects the width of a marked line plus 18 inches on either side; sewer laterals are covered too.↗
More about Lithonia
Digging safely around stone walls and buried utilities
Before our equipment opens a Lithonia yard, a Georgia 811 ticket goes in at least three business days ahead, and member utilities get two full business days to mark. Under the Georgia Underground Facility Protection Act, the protected tolerance zone is the width of the marked line plus 18 inches on each side, so near a gas or power mark we switch to hand digging.↗↗
Older lots here often carry granite walls, stone steps and mature oaks across the path from meter to foundation. We route a replacement line to miss them where we can, and we keep it 5 feet from the sewer lateral unless the code's shared-trench conditions are met.↗
Before our equipment opens a Lithonia yard, a Georgia 811 ticket goes in at least three business days ahead, and member utilities get two full business days to mark.
Warning signs
Signs of a failing Lithonia service line
Seeing two or more of these? Call before it gets worse.
- 1. The meter's leak indicator spins with every tap in the house shut
- 2. A DeKalb bill that jumps without a change in use
- 3. A soft, green or muddy strip between the meter box and the porch
- 4. Rusty water when a faucet has sat unused overnight
- 5. Pressure that drops when two fixtures run at once
- 6. Gray or blue plastic pipe entering the crawlspace
What it costs
Typical water line costs for a Lithonia home
Short-section water line repair
$400–$1,500
Typical market range — HomeGuide — How Much Does Water Line Replacement Cost? (Dec. 22, 2025), 2025
Main water line replacement, average
$2,000–$5,000
Typical market range — HomeGuide — How Much Does Water Line Replacement Cost? (Dec. 22, 2025), 2025
Trenched replacement
$50–$200 per linear foot
Typical market range — HomeGuide — How Much Does Water Line Replacement Cost? (Dec. 22, 2025), 2025
Main shutoff valve replacement
$250–$600
Typical market range — HomeGuide — How Much Does Water Line Replacement Cost? (Dec. 22, 2025), 2025
DeKalb 3/4-inch meter tap (new service)
$1,100
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- 01Distance from the curb meter to where the pipe enters the house
- 02Stone walls, steps or walks that sit over the route
- 03Galvanized or polybutylene lines that need full replacement, not a patch
- 04Hand digging inside the 811 tolerance zone
More about Lithonia
Homes and the storefronts along Main Street
Most house services here run 3/4 inch or 1 inch and are replaced in a day with a single coil of polyethylene or PEX. The older commercial buildings downtown can have bigger meters, fire lines or a building that has changed use several times. On the 2022 rate sheet, DeKalb charged $2,600 for a 1-1/2-inch tap and $4,975 for a 2-inch tap, with a note that street cuts carry no additional charge.↗
FAQ
Lithonia water line FAQ
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 repair water lines?
No. The city's utilities page states that DeKalb County is responsible for all water service in Lithonia.
Source: Utilities | Lithonia, GA
Is the leak on my side or the county's?
If it is between the meter and the house, it is yours. Everything up to and including the meter belongs to DeKalb.
Could my old water line be lead?
DeKalb's 2024 inventory found no lead pipes, but the county notes some older properties may have galvanized steel lines that can still carry lead into water.
Source: Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR) Program | DeKalb County, GA
Will 811 mark my private water line?
Usually not. Georgia 811 notifies member utilities, which mark their own facilities; the pipe from your meter to the house is private, so we trace it ourselves.
Source: Georgia 811 — The 811 Process
What does DeKalb charge for a new water tap?
The 2022 rate sheet listed $1,100 for a 3/4-inch meter and $1,300 for 1-inch, plus a $2,000 water access fee for new customers.
Source: DeKalb County 2022 Current Rates — Water and Sewer Rates and Service Charges (via Wayback)
How far must a new water line be from my sewer line?
Georgia's plumbing code calls for 5 feet of undisturbed or compacted earth between them unless one of the listed exceptions applies.
Who do I email about a new meter?
DeKalb's call list directs new meter questions to newmeter@dekalbcountyga.gov.
Source: DeKalb Watershed Management Service Call List (revised July 11, 2025)
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
- 2DeKalb County Code Ch. 25, Art. II, Div. 1 — Sec. 25-43 Location, ownership of facilities (Municode, Supp. 72)
- 3DeKalb County Code Ch. 25, Art. II, Div. 3 — Secs. 25-83, 25-84 Service connections (Municode, Supp. 72)
- 4Census Reporter: Lithonia, GA (ACS 2024 5-year)
- 5InterNACHI — Plumbing in Older Homes
- 6InterNACHI — Polybutylene for Inspectors
- 7Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR) Program | DeKalb County, GA
- 8DeKalb Watershed Management Service Call List (revised July 11, 2025)
- 9Georgia 811 — Laws & Policies (Georgia Underground Facility Protection Act, O.C.G.A. 25-9)
- 10Georgia 811 — The 811 Process
- 11Georgia State Minimum Standard Plumbing Code 2018 (IPC 2018), Ch. 6 — Sec. 603 Water Service (UpCodes)
- 12HomeGuide — How Much Does Water Line Replacement Cost? (Dec. 22, 2025)
- 13DeKalb County 2022 Current Rates — Water and Sewer Rates and Service Charges (via Wayback)
Ready when you are
Water bill climbing in Lithonia? Let's find the leak.
We check the meter, trace your service line and tell you whether it needs a patch or a new run.
(678) 863-5620- Georgia DPH-certified installer & pumper
- Residential & commercial
- Oxford, GA
Free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620