Serving metro Atlanta from Oxford, GA
Georgia DPH-certified septic installer & pumper24/7 Emergency? (678) 863-5620
EXCAVATION · GRADING · DRAINAGE · METRO ATLANTA
Get a free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620The short answer
An excavation contractor digs trenches for water, sewer and drainage lines, grades soil so rain runs away from foundations and septic drain fields, and installs French drains. In Georgia, mechanized digging needs a Georgia 811 ticket first. Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions, a DPH-certified septic installer in Oxford, GA, does this work across metro Atlanta.
Reviewed by Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions · Last updated
Who does the work
One crew, the whole line
Key facts
Each row links to the agency, code or publisher it comes from. Tap a source to check it yourself.
| Topic | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Before any machine digs | Georgia 811 ticket at least 3 business days ahead; utilities get at least two full business days to mark | Georgia 811 — The 811 Process |
| What counts as excavating | Any operation using mechanized equipment to move earth below grade — the law's list includes grading and trenching | Georgia 811 — Laws & Policies (Georgia Underground Facility Protection Act, O.C.G.A. 25-9), 2022 |
| Tolerance zone around marked lines | The facility's width plus 18 inches on either side | Georgia 811 — Laws & Policies (Georgia Underground Facility Protection Act, O.C.G.A. 25-9), 2022 |
| State erosion-control threshold | Projects under 1 acre are exempt from the state Erosion and Sedimentation Act unless within 200 feet of state waters or part of a larger plan; cities and counties may still regulate | O.C.G.A. § 12-7-17 Exemptions, Georgia Erosion and Sedimentation Act (text via Onecle) |
| Stream buffer | 25-foot buffer along the banks of all state waters | O.C.G.A. § 12-7-6 Best management practices; minimum requirements (text via Onecle) |
| Grading over a permitted septic system | Grading or filling after final inspection that may harm the system voids the county's approval (Rule 511-3-1-.03(4)(b)) | Georgia DPH Rules Chapter 511-3-1 On-Site Sewage Management Systems (Jan 2016), 2016 |
| Typical excavation cost | $2.50–$15.00 per cubic yard; equipment with operator $100–$300 per hour, per HomeGuide (2026) | HomeGuide — How Much Does Excavation Cost? (Feb. 5, 2026), 2026 |
| Typical French drain cost | $10–$35 per linear foot or $500–$8,800 installed for a yard or curtain drain, per HomeGuide (2026) | HomeGuide — How Much Does a French Drain Cost? (Feb. 5, 2026), 2026 |
Plain definitions
The whole story
A drain field works by letting effluent soak slowly into unsaturated soil. Everything we do with a grading blade on a septic lot is about protecting that. When roof runoff, a driveway or a neighbor's slope dumps storm water across the field, the soil fills with rainwater first. Effluent from the tank has nowhere to go. It backs up toward the house or comes to the surface.
EPA is blunt about it: "Keep roof drains, sump pumps, and other rainwater drainage systems away from your drainfield area," because excess water interferes with treatment (EPA). Georgia's own rules make the same point at the tank: all openings, risers and manholes "shall be constructed so as to prevent the entrance of surface water" (Rule 511-3-1-.05(6)).
Most of what homeowners call a failed field after a wet spring is really a drainage problem that nobody fixed. A downspout was piped into the yard right above the lines. A new patio pitched water toward the field. A swale was filled in during landscaping. Regrading and a well-placed interceptor drain uphill can take that water off the field. The field itself may not need replacing. When it does, we're a DPH-certified installer, so the same crew handles the drain field repair instead of handing you off.
There's a legal side too. Rule 511-3-1-.03(4)(b) says grading, filling or landscaping on the lot after final inspection that may adversely affect the system "shall render the approval void." Grade carelessly over a permitted system and you can lose the paperwork as well as the field.
Warning signs
Water where it shouldn't be? Call (678) 863-5620
Your options
OPTION 01
When it fits: Surface water is the problem: it runs toward the house or across the field because the ground is shaped wrong.
OPTION 02
When it fits: Water moves through the soil, or the lot can't be reshaped enough: a hillside home, a basement wall, a field downhill of a neighbor.
OPTION 03
When it fits: Heavy runoff from a large roof or driveway, plus soggy ground on the downhill side.
On a septic lot we route drains downhill of, or around, the field. Georgia's rules keep a drain field 15 feet from a drainage ditch and a tank 15 feet from a drainage ditch or embankment.
Homes & businesses
Residential
Residential work is usually a trench for a new water or sewer line, a French drain along a wet side yard, regrading around a foundation, or clearing an overgrown corner so a system can be laid out. Our job photos show drainage trenching with corrugated pipe, yard grading with a track loader, and front-yard excavation behind silt fence.
On a septic lot we find the tank and field first. We work around them, not over them.
Commercial
Commercial excavation usually supports a utility: a new sewer or water service, a septic system for a building off the sewer grid, or drainage around a parking area. Disturbed area adds up fast on commercial lots. At 1 acre or within 200 feet of state waters, the state's small-project exemption from the Erosion and Sedimentation Act no longer applies.
We plan the dig around your hours and keep sediment on your site.
How the job runs
We walk the lot in, ideally after a rain. We look at where water comes from, where it collects, and where it can legally go.
If you're on septic, we find the tank, distribution box and field lines before we plan a single cut. County permit records help; a probe and a shovel confirm.
Georgia DPH Rules Chapter 511-3-1 On-Site Sewage Management Systems (Jan 2016)
We submit a locate ticket at least 3 business days ahead and wait until every utility has marked or cleared. Then we respect the tolerance zone around each mark.
O.C.G.A. 25-9Georgia 811 — The 811 Process
Silt fence goes on the low side of any bare soil before we strip it. Georgia's minimum practices call for keeping disturbed area and exposure time to a practicable minimum.
O.C.G.A. 12-7-6O.C.G.A. § 12-7-6 Best management practices; minimum requirements (text via Onecle)
Trenches get the right fall for the pipe. Grades get shaped to shed water away from the house and the field, and drains get fabric, clean stone and pipe.
Red clay settles if it goes back in loose. We place and compact it in lifts so the trench line doesn't sink into a ditch next spring.
Seed, straw or other cover goes down as soon as grading is done, because Georgia law says disturbed soil shall be stabilized as quickly as practicable.
O.C.G.A. § 12-7-6 Best management practices; minimum requirements (text via Onecle)
Permits & the Georgia rules
Submit a Georgia 811 ticket at least 3 business days before mechanized digging and wait for every utility to mark or clear.↗
Start within 30 calendar days of the ticket's effective date; longer jobs need a new locate request.↗
Georgia 811 says notification isn't legally required for small, non-mechanized digging, but it encourages residents to call anyway.↗
Check the land-disturbance threshold: under 1 acre is exempt from the state Act unless within 200 feet of state waters or part of a larger plan; a city or county issuing authority can still regulate.↗
Stay out of the 25-foot buffer along state waters unless a variance applies.↗
On a septic lot, keep drains and cuts outside the tank and field setbacks, and don't change the system after final inspection without Environmental Health involvement.↗
Georgia rule O.C.G.A. 25-9 (definition of excavating)
“"Excavating" means any operation using mechanized equipment or explosives to move earth, rock, or other material below existing grade.”
Georgia rule Rule 511-3-1-.03(4)(b)
“Grading, filling … or construction activities on the lot subsequent to final inspection … which may adversely affect the on-site sewage management system shall render the approval void.”
Georgia rule O.C.G.A. 12-7-6(b)(15)(A)
“There is established a 25 foot buffer along the banks of all state waters”
Georgia rule Rule 511-3-1-.07(3)
“less than fifteen feet (15') from an embankment, swimming pool foundation, drainage ditch or trash pits”
GNR Public Health requires a Level 3 soil report for all septic permits since Feb. 7, 2022, including additions that modify a system. Grading that forces a system change starts there.↗
GNR lists a $150 site evaluation for an addition that doesn't modify the septic system (Category 1), useful when a patio or regrade sits near the field.↗
Walton Environmental Health evaluates existing systems for pools and additions; any addition to an existing system needs a Level III soil report and a $200 final inspection fee.↗
Gwinnett DWR says about 30 percent of the county's population is on septic, so drainage work there often means working around a system.↗
Soil & terrain
Under the thin topsoil of an east-metro yard, a grading blade usually meets Piedmont red clay. NRCS describes the Cecil series, common across the region, as well drained with medium runoff, and its subsoil as red clay on Piedmont ridges and side slopes. That clay is what you are really shaping.
Clay holds a shape well, so a swale cut into it keeps its line. It also compacts hard under tracks and tires, which slows infiltration. And it washes badly when bare, which is why the silt fence goes up first. For your exact soils, look up your parcel on the USDA Web Soil Survey.
Backfill matters more in clay than in sand. A trench filled loose will settle for months. We compact in lifts and crown the trench slightly so it finishes flush.
What it costs
Excavation
$2.50–$15.00
per cubic yard
Typical market range per HomeGuide, 2026
Typical market range — HomeGuide — How Much Does Excavation Cost? (Feb. 5, 2026), 2026
Mini excavator, backhoe or skid-steer with operator
$100–$300
per hour
HomeGuide notes a one-day minimum is typical
Typical market range — HomeGuide — How Much Does Excavation Cost? (Feb. 5, 2026), 2026
Trenching for sewer, septic or drainage
$500–$1,200
per job
Typical market range — HomeGuide — How Much Does Excavation Cost? (Feb. 5, 2026), 2026
Trenching
$5–$12
per linear foot
Typical market range — HomeGuide — How Much Does Excavation Cost? (Feb. 5, 2026), 2026
Regrading an average backyard
$1,000–$5,000
per job
HomeGuide: $500–$1,000 for small projects
Typical market range — HomeGuide — How Much Does Excavation Cost? (Feb. 5, 2026), 2026
Land clearing
$1,150–$3,700
per job
Typical market range — HomeGuide — How Much Does Excavation Cost? (Feb. 5, 2026), 2026
Yard or curtain French drain
$10–$35
per linear foot
HomeGuide: $500–$8,800 installed on average
Typical market range — HomeGuide — How Much Does a French Drain Cost? (Feb. 5, 2026), 2026
These are published third-party market ranges and public fee schedules, not our prices. We give free on-site estimates.
Free estimate: (678) 863-5620Worth knowing
A lot of drainage calls start as something else. A backup, a wet spot in the field, a leak by the meter. Once the trench is open, the question becomes where the water and the pipe go next. Because we install septic systems, repair sewer lines and lay water services, the trench we dig for drainage can also take a new line. The field repair and the regrade that protects it can happen in the same mobilization, and you don't pay two outfits to bring machines.
The dirt work on this page is in service of the lines and the systems: getting pipe in the ground right, and keeping water off the parts that can't take it. If your project is something else, ask. We'll tell you straight whether it's a job for us.
A lot of drainage calls start as something else.
Where we do this
FAQ
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620If machines are involved, yes. Georgia's Underground Facility Protection Act defines excavating as any operation using mechanized equipment to move earth below grade, and it names grading and trenching. File the ticket 3 or more business days out. Hand-digging a garden isn't legally required to be called in, though 811 encourages it.
Source: Georgia 811 — Laws & Policies (Georgia Underground Facility Protection Act, O.C.G.A. 25-9)
Not without care. Georgia Rule 511-3-1-.03(4)(b) says grading, filling or landscaping after the county's final inspection that may adversely affect the system voids the approval. Added fill or compaction over the lines can also stop the soil from absorbing effluent. We regrade around the field and route water away from it.
Source: Georgia DPH Rules Chapter 511-3-1 On-Site Sewage Management Systems (Jan 2016)
Away from the tank and the drain field. EPA says to keep roof drains, sump pumps and other rainwater drainage systems away from the drain field area because excess water interferes with treatment. We usually pipe downspouts to a daylight outlet downhill of the field or into a swale that carries water around it.
HomeGuide's 2026 guide puts a yard or curtain French drain at $10–$35 per linear foot, or $500–$8,800 installed on average. An interior basement drain runs much more. These are national market ranges, not our prices. Length, depth and where the outlet can go set the real number, and our estimates are free.
Source: HomeGuide — How Much Does a French Drain Cost? (Feb. 5, 2026)
Not under the state Erosion and Sedimentation Act if it disturbs less than 1 acre, is not within 200 feet of state waters, and isn't part of a larger development plan (O.C.G.A. 12-7-17). Your city or county can still regulate it, and the 25-foot buffer along state waters still applies. We check with the local office.
Source: O.C.G.A. § 12-7-17 Exemptions, Georgia Erosion and Sedimentation Act (text via Onecle)
Georgia's septic rules keep a tank at least 15 feet from a drainage ditch or embankment (Rule 511-3-1-.05(2)) and a drain field at least 15 feet from an embankment or drainage ditch (Rule .07(3)). When we cut a swale or ditch on a septic lot, we lay it out from those distances first.
Source: Georgia DPH Rules Chapter 511-3-1 On-Site Sewage Management Systems (Jan 2016)
Clay subsoil takes in water slowly and compacts hard under equipment, so rain runs off the surface or sits in low spots. NRCS describes the common Cecil series as having a red clay subsoil in the Piedmont uplands. Shaping the surface so water leaves the site is usually cheaper than trying to soak it in.
Source: USDA NRCS Official Series Description — Cecil series
We locate them ourselves. Georgia 811 marks utility-owned lines, but a utility's facility generally ends at the connection to yours, so your water service, septic lines and irrigation usually aren't marked. We find the septic system from records and probing, and trace private lines before the machine goes in.
Source: Georgia 811 — Laws & Policies (Georgia Underground Facility Protection Act, O.C.G.A. 25-9)
Keep going
Sources
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
Ready when you are
Trenching for utilities, grading that sends water away from your foundation and drain field, and French drains that carry it off. The dirt work is done by a DPH-certified septic installer based in Oxford, GA, who knows where your system is before the machine starts.
(678) 863-5620Free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620