Septic permits & records
Henry County Environmental Health (District 4 Public Health)
- Address
- 137 Henry Parkway, McDonough, GA 30253
- Phone
- 470-661-0044
- Hours
- Mon-Fri 8 a.m.-5 p.m., closed 12-1
Mcdonough, GA · Henry County
Sewer, septic and water line service in McDonough, Georgia, where the county seat operates its own utility.
McDonough is the county seat. Septic permits and records: Henry County Environmental Health Office (District 4 Public Health), part of District 4 Public Health — Environmental Health (Wastewater Management).
- Georgia DPH-certified installer & pumper
- Residential & commercial
- Local shop in Oxford, GA
Get a free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620The short answer
Who handles sewer, septic and water lines in McDonough, GA?
Inside its system, the City of McDonough owns the mains, treats sewage at its Walnut Creek plant and meters water; owners keep the pipe on their side. Beyond it, HCWA or a septic tank permitted by District 4 takes over. Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions repairs and installs all three kinds of line around McDonough.↗↗↗
Reviewed by Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions · Last updated
At a glance
- County seat
- McDonough
The Mcdonough story
A courthouse town that never handed its pipes to the county
McDonough dates to 1823 and has been Henry County's seat ever since. When the county built out a water authority, the city kept its own plant, its own mains and its own sewer. HCWA's latest annual report still lists McDonough as a city that operates a separate water and sewerage system, buying only part of its water from the Authority.↗↗
That independence matters when something breaks. A backup on a street near the square goes to city Public Works on Racetrack Road, not to HCWA. The wastewater itself travels through a dozen city pump stations to a plant on Turner Church Road. Drive a mile past the edge of that network and the same symptom can mean an HCWA account or a tank in the backyard.↗↗
So the first thing we ask a McDonough caller is who sends the water bill. It tells us whose rulebook applies before anyone picks up a shovel.
Local facts
McDonough's utility, in its own numbers
Each row links to the agency, code or publisher it comes from. Tap a source to check it yourself.
| Topic | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Pump stations | 12 across the city, checked daily by the wastewater staff | City of McDonough - Wastewater Treatment |
| Water plant | City Water Treatment Plant at 8 Dogwood Lane, staffed 4 a.m. to midnight | City of McDonough - Water Treatment |
| Billing structure | Base charge by meter size, then volume tiers that climb past 6,000 and again past 10,000 gallons (since July 1, 2024) | City of McDonough - Notice of Rate Increase, effective July 1, 2024 |
| ZIP codes | 30252 and 30253 | McDonough, Georgia - Wikipedia |
| Size and location | About 13 square miles, roughly 28 miles southeast of downtown Atlanta along I-75 | McDonough, Georgia - Wikipedia |
Sewer or septic?
When McDonough sewer is close, the tank has to go
McDonough's ordinance is tighter than the state's. If a city sewer runs in the street, alley or right-of-way your lot abuts and it sits within 100 feet of the property line, the city can send written notice. You then have 90 days to plumb the building into it at your own cost.↗
Where no public sewer is available, the code sends the building drain to a private system that the owner maintains without help from the city. When a line arrives later, the tank must be pumped of sludge and filled with gravel or dirt within 60 days of notice.↗
How to tell which one you have
- A City of McDonough bill with a sewer line item
- An HCWA bill instead, with or without sewer
- No sewer charge anywhere: expect a tank and a District 4 permit file
Median year homes were built
2006
Typical house here is about 20 years old — and so is its original sewer or septic line.
ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B25035 · Census Reporter API - McDonough, GA (ACS 2020-2024 5-year)
Housing era
Mostly a 2000s town, with an older core
Census estimates put the typical McDonough house at 2006, and more than 5,300 of its 11,619 homes went up in that single decade. Around 1,248 are older than 1980, most of them close to the square. The newer stock tends to fail at a settled joint or a root-invaded cleanout; the older stock can surprise us with whatever pipe the original builder chose.↗
Who owns what
Whose pipe is it in McDonough?
The city code draws two lines: the property line for sewer and the meter for water.
City of McDonoughsewer lateral
Owner pays for the building sewer and its connection out to the property line↗
Where the line sits: Property line (§ 13.08.060(C))
City of McDonoughwater service line
City keeps up the lines to the meter; every pipe on the property side is the customer's↗
Where the line sits: The meter (§ 13.04.330)
The code does not spell out who clears a blockage between the property line and the main, so we locate it on camera and call the city when the fault is on its side.
What it costs
City connection charges in McDonough
Proportionate-share fees set in the city code, charged inside and outside the limits. A separate tap-on fee covers labor and materials.
Sewer connection fee, 3/4-inch meter
$1,665.77
Typical market range — McDonough, GA Code of Ordinances § 13.08.060 Building sewers and connections (Municode, Supp. 15)
Water connection fee, 3/4-inch tap
$1,821.23
Typical market range — McDonough, GA Code of Ordinances § 13.04.070 Connection fees (Municode, Supp. 15)
Sewer connection fee, 1-inch meter
$2,776.84
Typical market range — McDonough, GA Code of Ordinances § 13.08.060 Building sewers and connections (Municode, Supp. 15)
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- 01How far the house sits from the street main
- 02Driveway, walk or landscaping over the route
- 03Filling an abandoned tank when a septic lot converts
Services here
Work we take on in and around McDonough
- 01Sewer Line RepairFixing the owner's run from the house to the property line on the city system.Sewer Line Repair details
- 02Sewer Line Installation & ReplacementAnswering a 90-day connection notice or replacing a failed building sewer.Sewer Line Installation & Replacement details
- 03Water Line Repair & InstallationLeaks and replacements on the customer side of the city meter.Water Line Repair & Installation details
- 04Septic RepairTanks on lots the city sewer has not reached.Septic Repair details
- 05Septic InstallationNew homes on the Henry County fringe with no sewer to tie into.Septic Installation details
Also available:Septic PumpingSewer Camera InspectionExcavation, Grading & Drainage
Who to call at the county
Offices that matter on a McDonough job
- City of McDonough Water Distribution & Sewer Collection City water mains, meters and sewer collection305 Racetrack Road↗
- Henry County Water Authority Water and sewer for unincorporated Henry and wholesale water to the city↗
FAQ
McDonough sewer, septic and water questions
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620Does McDonough have its own sewer plant?
Yes. The Walnut Creek Water Pollution Control Plant on Turner Church Road, north of the city, is city-run and fed by 12 pump stations. HCWA runs separate plants for the unincorporated county.
How close does sewer have to be before McDonough makes me connect?
One hundred feet. Section 13.08.020 lets the city give written notice when a public sewer in an abutting street or right-of-way is within 100 feet of your property line, and the connection must be made within 90 days.
Source: McDonough, GA Code of Ordinances § 13.08.020 Use of public sewers required (Municode, Supp. 15)
Who fixes a leak between the McDonough water meter and my house?
You do. The code says the city maintains lines up to the meter, while everything on the property side, including finding the leak, is the owner's. The city may adjust an inflated bill once the leak is repaired.
Source: McDonough, GA Code of Ordinances § 13.04.330 Leak adjustments (Municode, Supp. 15)
What does it cost to tap into McDonough sewer?
The code sets a proportionate-share fee of $1,665.77 for a 3/4-inch meter and $2,776.84 for 1-inch, plus a tap-on charge for the city's labor and materials. The owner also pays for the building sewer out to the property line.
Source: McDonough, GA Code of Ordinances § 13.08.060 Building sewers and connections (Municode, Supp. 15)
Is my McDonough-address home on city sewer or HCWA?
Check the bill. Both utilities serve McDonough addresses, and HCWA reports only about 43% of its own water customers also have its sewer. If neither bill shows a sewer charge, the home is almost certainly on septic.
Source: Henry County Water Authority - Annual Comprehensive Financial Report FY2025
Where are septic permits handled for McDonough lots?
At District 4 Public Health's Henry County Environmental Health office, 137 Henry Parkway in McDonough, 470-661-0044. It issues separate residential repair and new-system applications.
How old are the houses in McDonough?
Mostly young. The Census Bureau's 2020-2024 estimates give a median build year of 2006, with over 5,300 homes from the 2000s alone. Pre-1980 houses are a small minority.
Source: Census Reporter API - Henry County places, year structure built (ACS 2020-2024 5-year, B25034)
On the map
McDonough from our shop
About 48 min / 28.9 mi by road from our Oxford shop
I-75, U.S. 23 and State Route 20 all run through the city.
Route sourceNearby areas
Around McDonough in Henry County and beyond
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
- 1City of McDonough - Wastewater Treatment
- 2McDonough, GA Code of Ordinances § 13.04.330 Leak adjustments (Municode, Supp. 15)
- 3Henry County Water Authority - Annual Comprehensive Financial Report FY2025
- 4McDonough, Georgia - Wikipedia
- 5City of McDonough - Water Distribution & Sewer Collection
- 6City of McDonough - Water Treatment
- 7City of McDonough - Notice of Rate Increase, effective July 1, 2024
- 8McDonough, GA Code of Ordinances § 13.08.020 Use of public sewers required (Municode, Supp. 15)
- 9McDonough, GA Code of Ordinances § 13.08.050 Private sewage disposal (Municode, Supp. 15)
- 10Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 511-3-1 (DPH On-Site Sewage Management Systems)
- 11Census Reporter API - McDonough, GA (ACS 2020-2024 5-year)
- 12Census Reporter API - Henry County places, year structure built (ACS 2020-2024 5-year, B25034)
- 13McDonough, GA Code of Ordinances § 13.08.060 Building sewers and connections (Municode, Supp. 15)
- 14McDonough, GA Code of Ordinances § 13.04.070 Connection fees (Municode, Supp. 15)
- 15District 4 Public Health - Henry County location
Ready when you are
City bill, HCWA bill or no sewer bill at all? WE WORK ALL THREE.
Tell us the address and what the drains or the meter are doing. We will work out which utility's line you are on, find the fault, and give you a free estimate on site.
(678) 863-5620- Georgia DPH-certified installer & pumper
- Residential & commercial
- Oxford, GA
Free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620