Septic permits & records
Oconee County Environmental Health (Northeast Health District)
- Address
- 7635 Macon Hwy, Suite 1000, Watkinsville, GA 30677
- Phone
- 706-769-7060
- Hours
- Mon–Fri 8:00 am–4:30 pm
Oconee County · Septic & sewer rules
Septic and sewer service across Oconee County, Georgia, where public sewer capacity is limited and most rural homes rely on septic systems.
Watkinsville is the county seat. Septic permits and records: Oconee County Environmental Health (Northeast Health District), part of Northeast Health District (District 10) — Environmental Health.
- 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 septic in Oconee County, and can I get sewer instead?
Oconee County Environmental Health, at 7635 Macon Highway in Watkinsville, permits septic repairs and new systems. Public sewer runs through one county plant at Calls Creek and does not reach much of the county. Where it does reach, a failed tank must connect rather than be repaired. We handle both.↗↗↗
Reviewed by Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions · Last updated
The Oconee County story
One plant, a waiting list, and a lot of tanks
Oconee is a young county with an old seat. The legislature split it off southwestern Clarke in 1875, after Clarke moved its courthouse from Watkinsville to Athens. Today more than half its residents live in places the Census still calls rural.↗
Its sewer story is about capacity. Every public flush goes to the Calls Creek plant on the north side of Watkinsville. In 2019 a county analysis found homes already sending about 405,800 gallons a day there, past the 360,000 set aside for residential use. The plant has since been doubled to 3 million gallons a day.↗↗
Capacity is only half of it. Pipe has to reach the lot, and across Bogart, Bishop, North High Shoals and the farm roads between them, it mostly does not. That is why a typical Oconee call for us starts in a side yard with a probe, not at a cleanout by the road.
Local facts
Oconee wastewater, by the 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Septic lot minimum, public water | 30,000 sq ft containing 25,500 sq ft of usable soil (51,000 sq ft on a well) | Oconee County Board of Health — Minimum Lot Size Ordinance (effective Sept 8, 2018) |
| Public sewer treatment | Calls Creek plant, doubled to 3 million gallons a day, with about 300,000 gallons a day of reuse | Oconee County, GA — Calls Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrade |
| Soil rated very limited for fields | About 18% of the Clarke–Oconee survey area; 79% somewhat limited | USDA NRCS Soil Data Access — survey area GA623 (Clarke and Oconee Counties) |
| Median year built | 1998; 13,605 of 15,680 homes are single-family detached | Census Reporter — Oconee County, GA (ACS 2020-2024 5-year) |
| Sewer house service | 6-inch minimum, main to a right-of-way cleanout, one per lot | Oconee County Utility Department — Water and Wastewater Construction Standards (2014) |
| County size | 186 square miles, 184 of them land | Wikipedia — Oconee County, Georgia |
Permits · Oconee County Environmental Health (Northeast Health District), 7635 Macon Hwy, Suite 1000, Watkinsville
The Oconee septic permit, step by step
The Watkinsville office posts its forms online but not a fee sheet, so amounts come by phone.
- 01
Pull the Oconee packet from the Northeast Health District: residential permit instructions, the site-evaluation application, commercial permit information and a request-for-service form.↗
- 02
Check the lot against the Board of Health rule: 30,000 square feet on county water, 51,000 on a well, each holding 25,500 square feet of soil that actually passes.↗
- 03
Confirm sewer status. A building that can reach public sewer must connect before it gets a certificate of occupancy; only one that cannot gets a septic permit.↗
- 04
Build and pass inspection with an Environmental Health Specialist inside the 12-month life Georgia gives a construction permit.↗
Georgia rule Oconee County Code § 66-397
“Upon the failure of such septic tank… no permit shall be issued for maintenance or bringing the system into compliance.”
Sewer or septic?
County sewer or your own tank?
Oconee's code is blunt about the moment sewer arrives. Once a public line is accessible, a septic system that fails cannot be patched: the owner connects, then removes the old tank or fills it.↗
New building follows a size test. Where gravity sewer can be reached, sites under 80,000 square feet must get it. Bigger sites may use septic at one household-equivalent per 80,000 square feet, with health department approval.↗
How to tell which one you have
- A sewer charge on the Oconee County Water Resources bill
- A capped cleanout at the right-of-way line in front of the house
- Tank lids, or a soft rectangle of grass, in the yard
Soil & terrain
Pacolet slopes, Cecil flats
Oconee shares a soil survey with Clarke. Pacolet is the biggest soil in it, then Cecil, Madison and the dark-red Davidson clays. Nearly all of it rates only somewhat limited for drain fields, mostly because water moves slowly through the clay subsoil.↗
The whole county drains to the Upper Oconee, and the ordinance keeps fields 50 feet back from lakes, streams and wetlands, which trims usable area on creek-side lots.↗↗
Who owns what
How an Oconee sewer service is built
The county's construction standards set where the street piece ends.
Oconee County Utility Departmentmain
County (8-inch minimum mains)↗
Oconee County Utility Departmentsewer tap
6-inch house service from the main to a right-of-way cleanout, one per lot↗
Where the line sits: right-of-way cleanout
Oconee County Utility Departmentwater service line
Polyethylene service tubing to the meter, laid with detection tape↗
Where the line sits: meter
Past the cleanout and past the meter, the pipe runs across private land to the house; that stretch is where most of our Oconee sewer and water digging happens.
Services here
Our work in Oconee County
- 01Septic Repair in WatkinsvilleRepairs around the county seat, and the sewer check that comes first.Septic Repair in Watkinsville details
- 02Sewer Line Repair in WatkinsvilleLaterals on the county system inside the old city limits.Sewer Line Repair in Watkinsville details
- 03Septic Repair in BogartA town with no documented public sewer.Septic Repair in Bogart details
Also available:Septic InstallationSeptic PumpingDrain Field RepairWater Line Repair & Installation
Towns we serve
Oconee towns
Two towns have their own pages; the rest are covered from here.
- WatkinsvilleWatkinsville sewer and septic: the county seat whose sewer went to the county in 1991.Watkinsville septic & sewer
- BogartBogart septic: a railroad town straddling the Clarke line.Bogart septic & sewer
Also in the county
- Bishop
- North High Shoals
- Farmington · unincorporated
- Salem · unincorporated
- Elder · unincorporated
Who to call at the county
Two offices on Macon Highway
- Oconee County Water Resources Water and sewerFirst floor, 7635 Macon Highway; 706-769-3960; weekdays 8 to 4:30.↗
On the map
Oconee from our Oxford shop
About 55 min / 33.3 mi by road from our Oxford shop to central Oconee
Routed drive to the county's geographic center, south of Watkinsville.
Route sourceOn the state's lists
Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions is on Georgia DPH's certified installer and approved pumper lists dated September 18, 2026, entered under Walton County, which borders Oconee to the west.
Guides
Reading for Oconee owners
FAQ
Oconee County septic and sewer questions
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620Where do I get a septic permit in Oconee County?
Oconee County Environmental Health, part of the Northeast Health District, at 7635 Macon Highway, Suite 1000, in Watkinsville. Call 706-769-7060, weekdays 8:00 to 4:30.
Source: Northeast Health District — Oconee County locations (Environmental Health)
How big a lot does Oconee require for a septic system?
30,000 square feet with public water or 51,000 with a well, and either way 25,500 square feet of usable soil. Steep ground, slow perc or a big house can push the minimum higher.
Source: Oconee County Board of Health — Minimum Lot Size Ordinance (effective Sept 8, 2018)
My tank failed and county sewer is nearby. Can I just repair it?
No. Oconee's code bars a repair permit once public sewer is accessible. You connect to the sewer and remove the old tank or fill it so it is not a hazard.
Source: Oconee County Code § 66-397 — Connection to public sewer required upon failure of septic tank
Can a new house in Oconee go on septic if sewer is close?
Only on a big enough site. Where gravity sewer is reachable, sites under 80,000 square feet get sewer; larger ones may use septic at one household-equivalent per 80,000 square feet with health department approval.
Source: Oconee County Code § 66-270 — Dry sewers and septic tanks
Who treats Oconee County sewage?
The county's Calls Creek plant on the north edge of Watkinsville. The county's upgrade doubled it to 3 million gallons a day and added water reuse.
Source: Oconee County, GA — Calls Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrade
Where does the county's part of a sewer service stop?
The county standards run a 6-inch house service from the main to a cleanout at the right-of-way line. The pipe from there to the house is on private property.
Source: Oconee County Utility Department — Water and Wastewater Construction Standards (2014)
Is Oconee soil good for drain fields?
Mostly middling. About 79% of the Clarke–Oconee survey area rates somewhat limited, largely from slow-draining clay, and about 18% very limited.
Source: USDA NRCS Soil Data Access — survey area GA623 (Clarke and Oconee Counties)
When did Oconee County split from Clarke?
In 1875. Residents of southwestern Clarke pushed for their own county after the seat moved from Watkinsville to Athens.
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
- 1Northeast Health District — Oconee County locations (Environmental Health)
- 2Oconee County Code § 66-397 — Connection to public sewer required upon failure of septic tank
- 3Oconee County, GA — Water Resources
- 4Wikipedia — Oconee County, Georgia
- 5Oconee County Observations — Watkinsville and Oconee County discuss residential sewer capacity (Dec. 2019)
- 6Oconee County, GA — Calls Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrade
- 7Oconee County Board of Health — Minimum Lot Size Ordinance (effective Sept 8, 2018)
- 8USDA NRCS Soil Data Access — survey area GA623 (Clarke and Oconee Counties)
- 9Census Reporter — Oconee County, GA (ACS 2020-2024 5-year)
- 10Oconee County Utility Department — Water and Wastewater Construction Standards (2014)
- 11Northeast Health District — Sewage/Septic Systems (Oconee forms and ordinance)
- 12Oconee County Code § 66-395 — Connection to public water and wastewater systems required
- 13Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 511-3-1-.03
- 14Oconee County Code § 66-270 — Dry sewers and septic tanks
- 15Georgia DPH Certified Septic Tank Installer Companies list (9/18/2026)
- 16Georgia DPH Approved Septic Tank Pumper Companies list (9/18/2026)
Ready when you are
Tank trouble between Bogart and Bishop? We start with the sewer question.
Tell us the road and what the yard is doing. We'll check whether sewer changes the answer before we dig.
(678) 863-5620- Georgia DPH-certified installer & pumper
- Residential & commercial
- Oxford, GA
Free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620