Septic permits & records
DeKalb Public Health — Environmental Health Division
- Address
- 445 Winn Way, Suite 320, Decatur, GA 30030
- Phone
- 404-508-7900
Redan, GA · DeKalb County
Redan septic and sewer service for unincorporated south DeKalb, where an aging septic system can be repaired or replaced by a sewer connection.
Redan, DeKalb County · about 32 min / 22.7 mi by road from our Oxford shop. ZIP codes 30058, 30088, 30035.
- Georgia DPH-certified installer & pumper
- Residential & commercial
- Local shop in Oxford, GA
Get a free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620The short answer
Redan has no city government. Who handles sewer and septic there?
Redan is an unincorporated part of DeKalb County, so DeKalb Watershed Management provides sewer and water and county code applies directly, including its connection rules. Redan homes on septic get permits from DeKalb Public Health. Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions repairs Redan septic systems and builds the sewer connections that replace them.↗↗↗
Reviewed by Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions · Last updated
Who owns what
Nothing between a Redan homeowner and county code
In a city, a local utility or ordinance can sit on top of the county's. Redan has neither, so these county sections are the whole rulebook.
DeKalb Watershed Managementmain
County↗
Where the line sits: Street mains and sewer easements behind lots
DeKalb Watershed Managementsewer lateral
Homeowner on the private lot; county within the right-of-way or easement↗
Where the line sits: Property line / easement edge (Sec. 25-220)
DeKalb Watershed Managementwater service line
County up to and including the meter↗
Where the line sits: Meter (Sec. 25-43)
Redan's unincorporated status also puts it squarely under Sec. 25-154, which applies across the Board of Commissioners' jurisdiction: public sewer in an abutting street within 100 feet of the lot, plus official notice, starts a 24-month clock to connect at the owner's cost.↗
Median year homes were built
1986
Typical house here is about 40 years old — and so is its original sewer or septic line.
ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B25035 · Census Reporter: Redan CDP, GA (ACS 2024 5-year)
Housing era
12,195 homes with a 1986 median
Redan is big for a place with no city hall: 9.6 square miles, 31,749 people and 12,195 housing units at the 2020 census. The Census Bureau first drew it as a census-designated place in 1990.↗
The median Redan house was built in 1986. That puts a lot of original tanks, drain fields and clay-bedded laterals right around 40 years old, the age when owners start pricing repairs instead of pump-outs.↗
The Redan story
Where repair meets connection on a Redan street
Picture two houses built the same year off Panola Road or Redan Road. One drains to a Watershed main; the other still has its tank. When the tank side starts backing up, the owner has two paths, and the county's rules decide which ones are open.↗
If sewer is within 200 feet of the property line or in the abutting right-of-way, Georgia treats a failing system as one that must connect. If it isn't, the fix is a septic repair or replacement under a $150 DeKalb Public Health repair permit.↗↗
Connecting has its own county costs. Watershed's 2022 rate sheet, the latest located, set the residential sewer access fee at $1,811.93, and the owner pays for the private building sewer from the house to the line. We price both paths on the same visit so the choice is made with real numbers.↗↗
On the record
- Covington Highway (US 278), Redan Road and Panola Road all cross the Redan CDP.↗
Warning signs
Signs a Redan system is reaching the decision point
Any of these on a 1980s Redan lot is a reason to find out whether sewer is within reach before paying for a repair.
Seeing two or more of these? Call before it gets worse.
- 1. Slow drains in every fixture at once
- 2. Gurgling from toilets when the washer empties
- 3. Soggy, bright-green grass over the drain field
- 4. Sewage odor near the tank lids or the yard cleanout
- 5. Pump-outs needed far more often than they used to be
- 6. Backups after heavy rain soaks the red clay
Local facts
Redan, by the record
Each row links to the agency, code or publisher it comes from. Tap a source to check it yourself.
| Topic | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Unincorporated census-designated place since the 1990 census | Redan, Georgia - Wikipedia |
| Size and homes | 9.6 sq mi; 31,749 residents; 12,195 housing units (2020) | Redan, Georgia - Wikipedia |
| Median year built | 1986 | Census Reporter: Redan CDP, GA (ACS 2024 5-year) |
| Soil at the center | Cecil-Urban land complex, 2–10% slopes | USDA NRCS Soil Data Access — map unit at Redan CDP coordinates (GA089) |
| Creeks | Barbashela flows to Snapfinger, then the South River; Pole Bridge Creek also crosses | Snapfinger Creek - Wikipedia |
| Name | By tradition, from early settlers N. M. Reid and Annie Alford | Redan, Georgia - Wikipedia |
| Mailing ZIPs | 30088, 30058 and 30035 — no Redan post office | U.S. Census Bureau 2020 ZCTA-to-Place Relationship File |
| Landmark | Hairston Crossing Library, 4911 Redan Road | DeKalb County Public Library | Hairston Crossing |
Services here
Redan jobs we take on
- 01Septic RepairKeeping a mid-1980s system running when sewer isn't within reach.Septic Repair details
- 02Sewer Line Installation & ReplacementThe private building sewer when a 24-month notice or a failure forces the switch.Sewer Line Installation & Replacement details
- 03Drain Field Repair & ReplacementFields around 40 years old in Cecil clay.Drain Field Repair & Replacement details
- 04Sewer Line RepairLaterals on sewered streets, owned by the homeowner up to the easement.Sewer Line Repair details
- 05Septic InspectionA condition check before choosing between repair and connection.Septic Inspection details
- 06Septic PumpingRoutine pump-outs; DeKalb requires no permit for one.Septic Pumping details
- 07Septic InstallationFull replacement systems where connection isn't an option.Septic Installation details
- 08Water Line Repair & InstallationThe owner's line from the county meter to the house.Water Line Repair & Installation details
- 09Emergency Septic & Sewer ServiceSewage in the house or surfacing over the field.Emergency Septic & Sewer Service details
Also available:Sewer Camera InspectionExcavation, Grading & Drainage
Who to call at the county
Redan's county offices
- DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management Sewer and water for the Redan CDPServes more than 775,000 DeKalb residents; emergency line 770-270-6243.↗
Sewer or septic?
Telling whether your Redan house is on a tank
Watershed doesn't bill septic customers for sewer, so the bill is the quickest check. After that, look downhill: Barbashela, Snapfinger and Pole Bridge creeks all cross Redan, and a manhole in a cleared easement near one of them is a sign a main runs close by.↗↗
How to tell which one you have
- No sewer line item on the Watershed bill
- Tank lids or risers in the side or back yard
- A manhole in an easement behind the lot suggests sewer is close
- DeKalb Public Health's septic records for the address
FAQ
Redan owners ask
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620Is Redan, GA a city, and who provides its sewer?
No, Redan is an unincorporated census-designated place in DeKalb County, first listed in the 1990 census. With no city utility, DeKalb Watershed Management provides sewer and water, and DeKalb County Code Chapter 25 governs connections and laterals directly. Septic permits come from DeKalb Public Health.
Source: Redan, Georgia - Wikipedia
My address says Stone Mountain or Lithonia, but I live in Redan. Whose rules apply?
Redan has no post office, so its homes use ZIP codes 30088, 30058 and 30035 with neighboring town names. The mailing city doesn't change the rules: if the house is in unincorporated DeKalb, county code, Watershed Management and DeKalb Public Health apply. The Hairston Crossing Library, for example, uses a Stone Mountain address.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau 2020 ZCTA-to-Place Relationship File
Can DeKalb make me connect my Redan house to sewer?
Yes, in two ways. Sec. 25-154 requires owners whose property abuts a street with public sewer within 100 feet of the property line to connect within 24 months of official notice, at their expense; exceptions can be requested. Georgia's rule also requires failing systems to connect where sewer is available within 200 feet.
Should I repair my Redan septic system or switch to sewer?
It depends on distance and condition. If sewer is close enough that a failing system must connect, repair isn't really an option. If it's farther, a $150 DeKalb repair permit covers fixing or replacing components. Connection brings a residential sewer access fee, listed at $1,811.93 in 2022, plus the private line.
Source: DeKalb Public Health Environmental Health Division Fee Schedule (effective January 1, 2024)
What kind of soil is under Redan?
The USDA maps Cecil-Urban land complex, 2 to 10 percent slopes, at Redan's center point. Cecil is the red clay Piedmont upland soil common across DeKalb, mixed here with ground reworked by development. Soil conditions on your own lot still need to be checked before any drain field work.
Source: USDA NRCS Soil Data Access — map unit at Redan CDP coordinates (GA089)
Which creeks run through Redan, and why do they matter for septic?
Barbashela Creek flows into Snapfinger Creek, which flows to the South River; both, along with Pole Bridge Creek, cross Redan. A failing tank or drain field on a lot that slopes toward one of them sends untreated effluent downhill into the watershed, which is why surfacing sewage shouldn't wait.
Source: Snapfinger Creek - Wikipedia
Who issues a septic permit for a house in Redan?
DeKalb Public Health's Environmental Health Division at 445 Winn Way, Suite 320, Decatur (404-508-7900). Repairs, new drain lines and new systems all need its permit before work starts, and only a Georgia DPH-certified contractor may do the work. We can file the application for you.
Nearby areas
Places around Redan
- Lithonia septic & sewerLithonia septic & sewer, southeast of Redan.
- Stonecrest septic & sewerStonecrest sewer & septic, just south.
- Stone Mountain septic & sewerStone Mountain septic & sewer to the north.
- Tucker septic & sewerTucker sewer line repair in north DeKalb.
- Decatur septic & sewerDecatur sewer line repair to the west.
- Ellenwood septic & sewerEllenwood septic & sewer in far south DeKalb.
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
- 1Redan, Georgia - Wikipedia
- 2DeKalb County Code Ch. 25, Art. IV, Div. 1 — Sewers and Sewage Disposal, Generally (Municode, Supp. 72)
- 3Septic Systems | DeKalb Public Health
- 4DeKalb County Code Ch. 25, Art. IV, Div. 3 — Building Sewers and Connections (Municode, Supp. 72)
- 5DeKalb County Code Ch. 25, Art. II, Div. 1 — Sec. 25-43 Location, ownership of facilities (Municode, Supp. 72)
- 6Census Reporter: Redan CDP, GA (ACS 2024 5-year)
- 7Census TIGERweb Transportation MapServer — roads intersecting Redan CDP (place 1363952)
- 8Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 511-3-1 On-Site Sewage Management Systems
- 9DeKalb Public Health Environmental Health Division Fee Schedule (effective January 1, 2024)
- 10DeKalb County 2022 Current Rates — Water and Sewer Rates and Service Charges (via Wayback)
- 11USDA NRCS Soil Data Access — map unit at Redan CDP coordinates (GA089)
- 12Snapfinger Creek - Wikipedia
- 13U.S. Census Bureau 2020 ZCTA-to-Place Relationship File
- 14DeKalb County Public Library | Hairston Crossing
- 15Watershed Management | DeKalb County, GA
- 16Services & Billing | DeKalb County, GA
Ready when you are
Repair or connect in Redan? Get both prices in one visit.
Call (678) 863-5620. We check the tank, find the nearest sewer, and give you a free estimate for each path.
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