Pike County GA Septic: 7,500 Tanks, Most Unmapped

The short answer

Is Pike County, GA on sewer or septic, and who permits septic?

Almost entirely septic. Only Zebulon and Concord run municipal sewer, covering about 450 of the county's 9,690 parcels, and the county water authority provides no sewer itself. Pike County Environmental Health, a District 4 office in Zebulon, permits every septic system. We install, repair and pump septic systems across Pike.↗↗

Reviewed by Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions · Last updated September 23, 2026

At a glance

County seat: Zebulon
Health district: District 4 Public Health - Environmental Health
Septic permits: Pike County Environmental Health (District 4 Public Health)
EH office phone: (770) 567-8972
Population: 18,889 (2020 Census)
Median home built: 1994

Sewer or septic?

Two sewered towns in a county of tanks

Pike's 2022 water resources plan lays the numbers out. Of 9,690 parcels, about 450 are served by sanitary sewer in Concord or Zebulon. Everything else, including the towns of Williamson, Molena and Meansville, is served by private systems, which mostly means a septic tank and field.↗

Even the county's utility says as much. The Pike County Water & Sewerage Authority carries sewer in its name but states that it does not provide sewerage services itself at this time.↗

How to tell which one you have

Outside Zebulon and Concord, assume septic.
A PCWSA bill is water only.
Pike County Environmental Health may or may not have your system on file; many older tanks are not mapped.

Who to call at the county

Who you call in Pike County

Septic permits & records

Pike County Environmental Health (District 4 Public Health)

Address: 541 Griffin Street, Zebulon, GA 30295
Phone: (770) 567-8972
Hours: Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; closed for lunch 12-1 p.m.

Office website

Pike County Water & Sewerage Authority Water only at present70 Gwynn Street, Zebulon; (770) 567-7287.↗
City of Zebulon Water (bought from Griffin) and sewer↗
City of Concord Water and sewer (two treatment ponds)↗

Local facts

Pike County by the numbers

Each row links to the agency, code or publisher it comes from. Tap a source to check it yourself.

From the county's own water plan, zoning code and federal data.
Topic	What it says	Source
Septic permits	541 Griffin Street, Zebulon; (770) 567-8972; weekdays 8-4:30, closed noon to 1	District 4 Public Health: Pike County (Health Department and Environmental Health)
Sewered parcels	About 450 of 9,690; septic systems may number up to 7,500	Pike County 30-Year Water Resources Management Plan (September 2022)
Mapped septic systems	1,578 in the state database, only 1,225 mappable; most locations unknown	Pike County 30-Year Water Resources Management Plan (September 2022)
Growth ahead	18,889 in 2020, projected 27,655 by 2060 (+46%)	Pike County 30-Year Water Resources Management Plan (September 2022)
Housing	Median home built 1994; about 86% single-family detached; 5,689 of 6,721 occupied homes owned	Census Reporter: Pike County, GA (ACS 2024 5-year)
County formed	1822, from Monroe County, named for Zebulon Pike; courthouse built 1895	New Georgia Encyclopedia: Pike County

The Pike County story

Nobody knows where most of the tanks are

The most striking line in Pike's water plan is an admission. The state's septic database holds 1,578 Pike systems, and only 1,225 of those could be put on a map. Against a likely total of several thousand, that means the location of most septic systems in the county is simply unknown.↗

For an owner that has real consequences. Buying an older farmhouse, adding a barn or a pool, or tracing a soggy spot in the yard often starts with a search for the tank, because the paperwork does not exist. Probing, a camera down the house drain and a locator are how we find it.

The good news, in the committee's own words, is that failures are not a common or pervasive problem yet, and most parcels have room for a new field. Big lots help: Pike's rural zoning runs from 1 acre in R-2 to 3 acres in rural residential and 5 in the farm district.↗↗↗

On the record

The planning committee noted septic failures are not a common or pervasive issue in Pike at present, and most parcels have room for a new drain field.↗
New major subdivisions in Pike's A-R district need 10 acres per lot; the district minimum is otherwise 5 acres.↗

Permits · Pike County Environmental Health, District 4 Public Health

Septic permits in Pike, step by step

Pike uses District 4's standard forms, which list no fee, so confirm the current amount at the Zebulon office. We can apply as your agent.

01
Complete the new-system application with bedrooms, water source and plumbing exit point, plus a sketch showing wells, utilities and the proposed field.↗
02
Environmental Health reviews the design and the installation against the state on-site sewage rules.↗
03
Plan room for a second field: the county's water plan urges every jurisdiction to require a reserve area on new septic lots.↗
04
Schedule the inspection before cover; repairs are permitted and inspected the same way.↗

Georgia rule 511-3-1-.03(1)

“available within two hundred feet (200') of the property line”

Read the rule

Soil & terrain

All Flint River country

Every acre of Pike drains to the Upper Flint. Its uplands are mostly Cecil, with Davidson and Lloyd clay loams in places, and its creek bottoms carry wide bands of Wehadkee soil that floods frequently.↗↗

About three-quarters of Pike's rated acreage is somewhat limited for septic fields, mainly for slow water movement. The very-limited quarter is dominated by those floodplains, which is why a field belongs on the ridge, not by the creek.↗

Cecil sandy loam, 2-6% slopes, moderately eroded↗
Largest unit in Pike, 20,035 acres.
Wehadkee soils, 0-2% slopes, frequently flooded↗
14,605 acres.
Cecil sandy clay loam, 6-15% slopes, severely eroded↗
14,570 acres.
Lloyd clay loam, 2-6% slopes, severely eroded↗
5,830 acres.
Soil series · USDA NRCS

More about Pike County

Where Pike's septage goes

A county this dependent on tanks needs somewhere to empty them. Concord's South plant accepts pumped septage, with daily and per-load limits, and the plan counts only a handful of loads a week. Local tanks are pumped on a long cycle, the plan says, every 5 to 10 years depending on use.↗

Public water, by contrast, is spread across six small systems. Zebulon and Williamson buy from Griffin, while Concord, Molena, Meansville and the county authority lean on wells.↗

Concord's South plant takes up to 2 septage loads a day of no more than 2,000 gallons each and receives about 3 to 4 loads a week.↗
Pike's water plan says tanks in the county are pumped every 5 to 10 years, depending on use.↗
The Pike County Water & Sewerage Authority says it does not provide sewerage services itself at this time.↗
Six public water systems serve Pike: Concord, Meansville, Molena, Williamson, Zebulon and the county authority.↗

A county this dependent on tanks needs somewhere to empty them.

Towns we serve

Pike County towns we serve

Zebulon has its own page on the city sewer and the septic inside its limits.

ZebulonZebulon sewer & septic: a small city system with a spray field nearing capacity.Zebulon septic & sewer

Also in the county

Concord · The county's other sewered town.
Williamson · Water from Griffin; private wastewater.
Molena · Well water; private wastewater.
Meansville · Well water; private wastewater.

Services here

What we handle across Pike County

Also available:Emergency Septic & Sewer Service Water Line Repair & Installation

FAQ

Pike County septic and sewer FAQ

Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.

(678) 863-5620

Where do I get a septic permit in Pike County?

From Pike County Environmental Health, part of District 4 Public Health, which shares the health department building at 541 Griffin Street in Zebulon. Call (770) 567-8972; the office is open weekdays until 4:30 and closes from noon to 1.

Source: District 4 Public Health: Pike County (Health Department and Environmental Health)

How many homes in Pike County use septic?

The county's water plan estimates septic systems may number as high as 7,500, since only about 450 of 9,690 parcels are on sewer in Concord or Zebulon.

Source: Pike County 30-Year Water Resources Management Plan (September 2022)

How do I find my septic tank if there is no record?

You may have to search for it. Only 1,225 of the 1,578 Pike systems in the state database could be mapped, and with up to 7,500 systems countywide, many are likely missing from it. We locate tanks by tracing the house drain with a camera and probing.

Source: Pike County 30-Year Water Resources Management Plan (September 2022)

Does the Pike County Water & Sewerage Authority provide sewer?

No. The authority says it does not provide sewerage services itself at this time. It sells water from its wells; sewer exists only in Zebulon and Concord.

Source: Pike County, GA: Water & Sewerage Authority

What is the minimum lot size for a septic home in Pike County?

It depends on zoning: 1 acre in R-2, 3 acres in rural residential and 5 acres in the A-R district, where new major subdivisions need 10 acres per lot.

Source: Pike County UDC Article 5: A-R Agricultural and Residential

Where does pumped septage from Pike go?

Concord's South sewage plant accepts it, up to two loads a day of no more than 2,000 gallons each. The plan reports about 3 to 4 loads a week arriving there.

Source: Pike County 30-Year Water Resources Management Plan (September 2022)

How often should a Pike County septic tank be pumped?

Pike's water plan reports local tanks are pumped every 5 to 10 years depending on use. A household with more people, or a garbage disposal, belongs at the shorter end.

Source: Pike County 30-Year Water Resources Management Plan (September 2022)

Is Pike County growing?

Yes. The water plan projects the population rising from 18,889 in 2020 to 27,655 by 2060, a 46% increase, and the joint comprehensive plan says Zebulon, Concord and Williamson are best positioned for new housing because of their utilities.

Source: Pike County and Cities Joint Comprehensive Plan 2022-2042 (adopted)

Guides

Guides for Pike County owners

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 September 23, 2026

Pike County, Georgia septic and sewer service, in a county where only about 450 parcels are on sewer and as many as 7,500 homes and businesses rely on septic.

Is Pike County, GA on sewer or septic, and who permits septic?