Sandy Springs, GA · Fulton County
Sandy Springs sewer line service in a city where Fulton County owns the sewer and Atlanta supplies the water.
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Who owns the sewer and water lines in Sandy Springs, GA?
Sandy Springs splits its utilities: Fulton County maintains the public sewer and Atlanta's Department of Watershed Management supplies the water. The owner is responsible for the sewer lateral up to the property line and the water pipe past the meter. We repair and replace those private lines, and check for leftover septic tanks.↗↗↗
Reviewed by Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions · Last updated
At a glance
- County
- Fulton County
The Sandy Springs story
Atlanta sends the water bill, Fulton owns the sewer
Most metro cities have one utility to call. Sandy Springs has two. The city's own utilities page says Atlanta's Department of Watershed Management provides water service, while Fulton County maintains the sewer system. Blockages and sewer connection questions go to Fulton; main breaks and drinking-water problems go to Atlanta.↗
The city itself is young and does not run a water or sewer utility of its own. Sandy Springs incorporated on December 1, 2005, and now has 108,080 residents across 38.52 square miles, the seventh-largest city in Georgia.↗
Fulton even keeps a separate sewer-service application just for South Fulton and Sandy Springs, filed at its Maxwell Road office in Alpharetta. For a homeowner, the practical rule is simple: the pipe on your lot is yours no matter which agency's name is on the bill.↗
Most metro cities have one utility to call.
Who owns what
Your share of each pipe
Fulton County Department of Public Workssewer lateral
Owner from the building to the property line, even where a blockage sits in the right-of-way; county work inside the right-of-way is billed to the owner↗
Where the line sits: Property line
City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Managementwater service line
Atlanta from the main to the meter; the owner from the meter to the house↗
Where the line sits: Meter
After hours, Fulton's North Fulton sewer line is 404-612-3061; Sandy Springs water emergencies go to Atlanta at 404-658-7220.↗
Local facts
Sandy Springs in six lines
Each row links to the agency, code or publisher it comes from. Tap a source to check it yourself.
| Topic | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Incorporated | December 1, 2005; 38.52 sq mi; 108,080 residents (2020) | Sandy Springs, Georgia - Wikipedia |
| Named for | A natural spring beside the church Wilson Spruill gave five acres for in 1851 | Sandy Springs, Georgia - Wikipedia |
| Utilities | Water from Atlanta DWM; sewer maintained by Fulton County | City of Sandy Springs — Utilities |
| Biggest building decade | 1980s: 13,569 of 55,203 units; median home 1989 | Census Reporter API — ACS 2020-2024 tables B01003, B25035, B25034, B25024 for Sandy Springs city |
| Western edge | The Chattahoochee River, with Bull Sluice Lake behind Morgan Falls Dam | Sandy Springs, Georgia - Wikipedia |
| Creeks | Marsh, Heards, Long Island, Nancy and Mulberry creeks | Census TIGERweb Hydro MapServer — hydrography around Sandy Springs |
Sewer or septic?
Mostly sewer, but check before you buy
The city's septic and sanitary sewer page sends anyone unsure about their property to the Fulton County Health Department to learn whether a system exists and where it is, and it publishes a list of approved septic companies. Owners converting from septic to sewer are pointed to Fulton County's connection contact at 404-612-7518.↗↗
The Board of Health handles those records through its Environmental Health offices. If a tank turns up, we can pump it and repair it until the sewer connection is made.↗
How to tell which one you have
- Your Fulton County bill shows a sewer charge.
- A cleanout sits between the house and the street.
- The Board of Health has no septic permit on file for the address.
More about Sandy Springs
The 2020 sewer that went through backyards
In 2020 Fulton County laid a 24-inch sewer through Sandy Springs as part of a six-mile, $28 million project to move 10 million gallons a day from its Big Creek plant in Roswell to a Cobb County plant while Big Creek was rebuilt. The route ran down Roswell Road, Dunwoody Place, Northridge Road and Colquitt Road, then through easements behind condominiums and apartments.↗
The city counted 14,359 square feet of landmark tree canopy lost to the easement and required the county to plant 22 large replacement trees elsewhere. It is a reminder that in Sandy Springs, where to dig is as important as how: we plan private repairs around protected trees wherever the fault location allows.↗
In 2020 Fulton County laid a 24-inch sewer through Sandy Springs as part of a six-mile, $28 million project to move 10 million gallons a day from its Big Creek plant in Roswell to a Cobb County plant while Big Creek was rebuilt.
Soil & terrain
Hills that fall toward the river
Rion sandy loam, 10–15% slopes↗
Mapped at the city center; deep and well drained
- Soil series · USDA NRCS
Median year homes were built
1989
Typical house here is about 37 years old — and so is its original sewer or septic line.
ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B25035 · Census Reporter API — ACS 2020-2024 tables B01003, B25035, B25034, B25024 for Sandy Springs city
Housing era
A 1980s city, mostly
More Sandy Springs homes were built in the 1980s than in any other decade, 13,569 of 55,203 units, and more than 11,000 sit in buildings of 50 or more apartments. The single-family laterals from that boom are now around forty years old, which is when roots, settled joints and belly sags start showing up on camera.↗
Services here
Our Sandy Springs services
Also available:Septic PumpingWater Line RepairSewer Camera Inspection
FAQ
Sandy Springs utility questions
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620Who provides sewer service in Sandy Springs?
Fulton County maintains the sewer system; the city says to report blockages to Fulton County Sewer Services at 404-612-6830.
Why is my water bill from the City of Atlanta?
Atlanta's Department of Watershed Management provides water service in Sandy Springs even though Fulton County runs the sewer.
Will Fulton County fix a sewer blockage under the sidewalk?
Fulton's lateral flyer makes the owner responsible from the building to the property line even if the blockage is in the right-of-way, and county work there is billed to the owner.
Source: Fulton County Department of Public Works — Service Lateral Responsibility flyer
How do I find out whether my Sandy Springs house has a septic tank?
The city says to contact the Fulton County Health Department, which can tell you whether a system exists and help locate it.
Source: City of Sandy Springs — Septic Tank and Sanitary Sewer
What was the big sewer project behind the Colquitt Road condos?
A 24-inch Fulton County diversion sewer, part of a six-mile, $28 million line built in 2020 to send Big Creek flow to Cobb County during that plant's expansion.
Is the ground hard to dig in Sandy Springs?
Rock is uncommon; slope is the issue. The city center is mapped as deep Rion sandy loam on 10 to 15 percent grades.
Source: USDA NRCS Soil Data Access — map unit at Sandy Springs city-center coordinates (GA121)
How long does it take you to reach Sandy Springs?
About an hour, 45.4 miles by road from our Oxford shop per OSRM routing.
Nearby areas
Neighbors of Sandy Springs
- Dunwoody septic & sewerDunwoody lines on DeKalb's system, just east.
- Brookhaven septic & sewerBrookhaven laterals to the southeast.
- Atlanta septic & sewerAtlanta sewer lines south of the city limit.
- Alpharetta septic & sewerAlpharetta sewer and water, all Fulton County.
- Milton septic & sewerMilton septic service on large North Fulton lots.
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 Sandy Springs — Utilities
- 2Fulton County Department of Public Works — Service Lateral Responsibility flyer
- 3Service Line Information | City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management
- 4Sandy Springs, Georgia - Wikipedia
- 5Fulton County DPW — Application for Sewer Service (South Fulton & Sandy Springs Only), rev. 8-22-24
- 6Fulton County Water Services — Emergency Repairs
- 7Census Reporter API — ACS 2020-2024 tables B01003, B25035, B25034, B25024 for Sandy Springs city
- 8Census TIGERweb Hydro MapServer — hydrography around Sandy Springs
- 9City of Sandy Springs — Septic Tank and Sanitary Sewer
- 10Land-use - Fulton County Board of Health
- 11Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 511-3-1 On-Site Sewage Management Systems
- 12Rough Draft Atlanta — Fulton sewer line project in Sandy Springs nears completion, takes trees (Aug. 29, 2020)
- 13USDA NRCS Soil Data Access — map unit at Sandy Springs city-center coordinates (GA121)
- 14Official Series Description — RION Series (USDA NRCS)
- 15OSRM route, Oxford shop to central Sandy Springs
Ready when you are
Sewer trouble in Sandy Springs? We'll sort out whose pipe it is.
Call (678) 863-5620. Camera inspection, a clear map of Fulton's side and yours, and a written repair plan.
(678) 863-5620- Georgia DPH-certified installer & pumper
- Residential & commercial
- Oxford, GA
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or call (678) 863-5620