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WATER LINE REPAIR · METRO ATLANTA
Get a free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620The short answer
Water line repair fixes the buried service pipe that runs from your water meter to your house. In metro Atlanta utilities such as Gwinnett, Rockdale, DeKalb and Newton County's NCWSA own the meter and everything on the street side; the homeowner owns the rest. Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions, based in Oxford, GA, digs, repairs and replaces that line.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Where your pipe starts | At the meter. Gwinnett DWR, Rockdale Water Resources, DeKalb Watershed, NCWSA and the Walton County Water Department all put the customer's side on the house side of the meter. | Gwinnett County DWR — Resident Responsibility |
| Typical replacement cost | $2,000–$5,000 for a main water line, per HomeGuide (Dec. 2025); trenched work runs $50–$200 per linear foot | HomeGuide — How Much Does Water Line Replacement Cost? (Dec. 22, 2025), 2025 |
| Typical repair cost | $400–$1,500 when only a short section is damaged, per HomeGuide (Dec. 2025) | HomeGuide — How Much Does Water Line Replacement Cost? (Dec. 22, 2025), 2025 |
| Leak test you can do today | Read the meter, use no water for two hours, read it again. EPA WaterSense: if it changed at all, you probably have a leak. | EPA WaterSense — Fix a Leak Week |
| Minimum pipe size | Water service pipe of at least 3/4 inch under Georgia's plumbing code (IPC 2018, Sec. 603.1) | Georgia State Minimum Standard Plumbing Code 2018 (IPC 2018), Ch. 6 — Sec. 603 Water Service (UpCodes), 2018 |
| Separation from the sewer | 5 feet of undisturbed or compacted earth between water service and building sewer, with listed exceptions (IPC 2018, Sec. 603.2) | Georgia State Minimum Standard Plumbing Code 2018 (IPC 2018), Ch. 6 — Sec. 603 Water Service (UpCodes), 2018 |
| Separation from a septic system | Tank at least 10 ft from pressure water lines; drain field at least 10 ft from water supply lines (Rules 511-3-1-.05(2), .07(3)) | Georgia DPH Rules Chapter 511-3-1 On-Site Sewage Management Systems (Jan 2016), 2016 |
| Who does the work | Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions, a Georgia DPH-certified septic installer based in Oxford, GA, digging and replacing water service lines | Georgia DPH Certified Septic Tank Installers list (9/18/2026), 2026 |
Plain definitions
Who owns what
Newton County Water & Sewerage Authority (NCWSA)
The owner maintains and repairs the water service line from the meter to the building, including the connection at the meter; NCWSA owns the meter and everything on the street side.↗
Where the line sits: Water meter, usually in the right-of-way
Walton County Water Department
The department is responsible up through the meter; the customer's responsibility starts at the meter and includes the water line, pressure-reducing valves and backflow valves.↗
Where the line sits: Meter
City of Monroe
Utility consumers must maintain and keep in good repair all connections, appliances and apparatus used with city utility service; connections are made under city supervision.↗
Rockdale Water Resources
The county owns the service line from the main through the meter; the line from the meter to the building is the customer's, and customer-side changes at the meter are done under county supervision.↗
Where the line sits: Meter
Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources
DWR maintains the main, the pipe from the main to the meter, and the meter; leaks between the meter and the home, backflow devices and irrigation are the owner's to repair or replace.↗
Where the line sits: Meter
DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management
The water system up to and including the meter is county property; no contractor or plumber may tap a county main without written permission, and a replaced service line is charged as a new connection.↗
Where the line sits: Meter
Warning signs
Meter moving with the house shut off? Call (678) 863-5620
The whole story
You can usually tell what you have by looking inside the meter box or where the line comes up through the crawl space or slab. The material decides whether we patch or replace.
**Polybutylene (PB).** A gray, sometimes blue, plastic pipe, usually stamped "PB2110". InterNACHI says it was made between 1978 and mid-1995 and installed in up to 10 million US homes, and that certain water disinfectants react with it and cause it to flake apart from the inside. Blue PB was mainly used for outdoor cold water, which means service lines. It fails where there are no fittings, so a spot repair on one leak rarely ends the problem. When we find PB in a service line, we talk about replacing the whole run.
**Galvanized steel.** Threaded gray steel pipe, common in older houses. InterNACHI gives it a useful life of about 20 to 30 years and warns that internal corrosion isn't visible from outside. Rust narrows the bore, which is why low pressure and brown water often come with it.
**Copper.** Durable, and still in plenty of east-metro yards. HomeGuide lists copper as lasting up to 100 years but notes it may corrode and leak over time and isn't recommended for hard water. A pinhole in copper can often be cut out and repaired.
**PEX and polyethylene.** Flexible plastic that comes in long coils, so a full run from meter to house can go in with few or no joints underground. HomeGuide lists it as lasting up to 50 years and less likely to crack in freezing temperatures.
**PVC.** Rigid plastic, cheap and easy to join. HomeGuide notes a long lifespan in most cases but says it can be damaged by tree roots or chemicals. The joints are the weak point if the trench settles.
**Lead.** Lead service lines are mostly an older-city issue, but EPA's Lead and Copper Rule Improvements require drinking water systems to identify and replace lead pipes within 10 years. If your utility's service-line inventory flags your address, call them first. Part of the job may be theirs.
Your options
OPTION 01
When it fits: One leak, a pipe material that's otherwise sound (copper, newer PEX or PVC), and a known cause such as a dig strike, a root, or a fitting that let go.
OPTION 02
When it fits: Polybutylene, galvanized steel, repeat leaks, whole-house low pressure, or a line that has to move for an addition, driveway, pool or septic work.
OPTION 03
When it fits: The line runs under a driveway, mature trees or hardscape you don't want disturbed.
Trenchless is an option we'll discuss with you. What we do day to day is excavate and replace. If a trenchless method fits your line, we'll talk it through honestly.
Homes & businesses
Residential
Most house services are a single line, typically 3/4 inch to 1 inch per HomeGuide, running from a meter near the road. The work is usually a trench by mini excavator, a new pipe bedded in clean fill, pressure testing, and backfill and seed.
If you're on septic, the new line's route matters. Georgia's rules keep the tank 10 feet from pressure water lines and the drain field 10 feet from water supply lines, so we route around the system rather than through it.
Commercial
Commercial services are larger (Covington's tap sheet runs from 3/4-inch up to 4-inch meters), may have a separate fire line, and usually carry a backflow assembly your utility inspects. Tap fees scale with the meter: Covington lists $2,225 for a 3/4-inch water tap and $47,750 for a 4-inch.
Downtime is the real cost for a restaurant, church or shop. We plan the tie-in with you so the shutoff happens when you're closed.
How the job runs
We look at the meter, the shutoff and the path to the house, ask about the bill and the pressure, and tell you whether it looks like a repair or a replacement.
Georgia 811 asks for a ticket at least 3 business days before digging. Utilities mark gas, power, phone and public water and sewer. The law's definition of a utility facility stops at the connection to the customer's facilities, so your own service line usually isn't marked by the utility.
O.C.G.A. 25-9Georgia 811 — The 811 Process
We trace the line from the meter and narrow the leak down by sound, wet soil and pressure checks before we open the ground, so the hole goes where the problem is.
We close the customer-side valve. Where a utility requires its own crew or supervision at the meter (Rockdale's code, for one), we coordinate that before cutting in.
Rockdale County Code of Ordinances, Ch. 98, Art. I, Div. 1 — Sec. 98-10 (Municode)
Spot repairs get a clean cut-out and approved couplings. Replacements get new pipe from the meter outlet to the house connection, kept at least 5 feet from the building sewer or installed under one of the code's listed exceptions.
IPC 2018 Sec. 603.2Georgia State Minimum Standard Plumbing Code 2018 (IPC 2018), Ch. 6 — Sec. 603 Water Service (UpCodes)
Whether a water service needs a plumbing permit depends on your city or county. We handle the permit when one is needed and schedule any inspection before the trench is closed.
We bring the line up to pressure, check every joint, flush it, then backfill in lifts, compact the trench and leave the surface graded.
Permits & the Georgia rules
Submit a Georgia 811 locate ticket at least 3 business days before mechanized digging; utilities have at least two full business days to mark or clear.↗
Dig within 30 calendar days of the ticket's effective date, or file a new locate request.↗
Keep the new service 5 feet from the building sewer, or meet an exception: the water pipe at least 12 inches above the sewer, both in approved materials, or sleeved at a crossing.↗
Where the line must cross or run within 10 feet of a drain field, install it at least 12 inches above the absorption line's aggregate and encase it in a single length of larger-diameter water pipe.↗
Pull the local plumbing permit if the city or county requires one (HomeGuide puts water line permits at $30–$500 on average), and have the work inspected before backfill.↗
Georgia rule IPC 2018 Sec. 603.2 (Georgia State Minimum Standard Plumbing Code)
“Water service pipe and the building sewer shall be separated by 5 feet (1524 mm) of undisturbed or compacted earth.”
Georgia rule Rule 511-3-1-.05(2)
“No septic tank shall be installed … less than ten feet (10') from pressure water supply lines”
Georgia rule Rule 511-3-1-.07(3)
“If the water supply line crosses or comes within ten feet (10') of the absorption field, the water supply line shall be installed at least twelve inches (12") above”
Georgia rule O.C.G.A. 25-9-3 (tolerance zone)
“the width of the underground facility or sewer lateral plus 18 inches on either side of the outside edge”
Only the county taps its mains. Where an existing service line needs replacing, DeKalb charges the application as a new service connection (Code Secs. 25-83, 25-84).↗
A backflow preventer is required on the customer's side of the meter and is owned by the customer; customer-side changes at the meter happen under county supervision (Sec. 98-10).↗
New meters are installed by DWR; a new residential 3/4-inch meter lists at $1,397 plus a $1,128 water system development charge (January 2026 schedule).↗
NCWSA's water meter fee starts at $2,951 for its smallest listed residential size; inside Covington, the city's own tap sheet applies ($2,225 for a 3/4-inch meter and service).↗
Walton County Water Department customers own the line, PRV and backflow valves from the meter in. Inside Monroe, the city lists a $1,235 water connection fee for a 5/8-inch meter and a $1,839–$2,804 service tap fee.↗
What it costs
Water line repair (short section)
$400–$1,500
per job
Typical market range per HomeGuide, 2025
Typical market range — HomeGuide — How Much Does Water Line Replacement Cost? (Dec. 22, 2025), 2025
Main water line replacement
$2,000–$5,000
average total
Typical market range per HomeGuide, 2025; HomeGuide's reported minimum is $620 and maximum $12,500
Typical market range — HomeGuide — How Much Does Water Line Replacement Cost? (Dec. 22, 2025), 2025
Trenched water line replacement
$50–$200
per linear foot
Labor and materials, per HomeGuide, 2025
Typical market range — HomeGuide — How Much Does Water Line Replacement Cost? (Dec. 22, 2025), 2025
Main shutoff valve replacement
$250–$600
per valve
Typical market range — HomeGuide — How Much Does Water Line Replacement Cost? (Dec. 22, 2025), 2025
Pressure regulator replacement
$150–$350
per regulator
Typical market range — HomeGuide — How Much Does Water Line Replacement Cost? (Dec. 22, 2025), 2025
Water main line repair
$350–$1,700
per job
Typical market range per HomeAdvisor, 2026
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor — Main Water Line Replacement Cost (2026), 2026
Water line replacement, trenched
$50–$250
per foot
Per HomeAdvisor, 2026
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor — Main Water Line Replacement Cost (2026), 2026
These are published third-party market ranges and utility fee schedules, not our prices. We give free on-site estimates for your line.
Free estimate: (678) 863-5620Worth knowing
On a septic lot, the water service, the sewer line to the tank and the drain field all share one yard. The rules above keep them apart: 10 feet between the tank and a pressure water line, 10 feet between a drain field and a water line, and a sleeved, raised crossing when there's no other way. A crew that doesn't know where your field lines are can put a new water line straight through them.
We're on the Georgia DPH list of certified septic tank installers, so we read a septic permit drawing the same way the county inspector does. When we re-route a water service on a septic property, we plan it around the tank, the distribution box and the repair area. If a leak has saturated the ground over the field, we look at that too before we leave.
On sewered lots in Covington, Conyers, Monroe or Snellville, the concern is the building sewer. The plumbing code wants 5 feet of earth between them, or one of the listed exceptions. Replace one pipe and the other is often right there in the trench wall. That's the point to look at both, not after the yard is seeded.
On a septic lot, the water service, the sewer line to the tank and the drain field all share one yard.
Where we do this
FAQ
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620In every metro Atlanta utility we checked, yes. Gwinnett DWR says leaks between the meter and the home belong to the property owner. Rockdale, DeKalb, NCWSA and the Walton County Water Department draw the same line at the meter. The utility fixes its main, the pipe to the meter and the meter itself.
Turn off every fixture and read the meter. EPA WaterSense suggests reading it before and after a two-hour period with no water use; if it moved at all, you probably have a leak. Then close the main valve at the house. If the meter still moves, the leak is on the buried service line.
Source: EPA WaterSense — Fix a Leak Week
HomeGuide's December 2025 guide puts main water line replacement at $2,000–$5,000 on average and trenched work at $50–$200 per linear foot. HomeAdvisor's 2026 guide lists repairs at $350–$1,700. These are market ranges, not our prices; we give free on-site estimates.
Source: HomeGuide — How Much Does Water Line Replacement Cost? (Dec. 22, 2025)
Usually, yes. InterNACHI explains that disinfectants in the water react with polybutylene and make it flake apart from the inside, anywhere along the pipe, not just at fittings. One leak on a PB service line tends to be followed by another. Replacing the whole run avoids paying to dig twice.
Only at a distance. Georgia Rule 511-3-1-.05(2) keeps septic tanks at least 10 feet from pressure water lines, and .07(3) keeps drain fields 10 feet from water supply lines. A crossing within 10 feet of a field must run at least 12 inches above the aggregate, encased in larger pipe.
Source: Georgia DPH Rules Chapter 511-3-1 On-Site Sewage Management Systems (Jan 2016)
Georgia's plumbing code (IPC 2018, Sec. 603.2) normally requires 5 feet of undisturbed or compacted earth between the water service and the building sewer. It allows exceptions, including a shared trench when the sewer uses listed materials and crossings where the water pipe is sleeved. We'll tell you which applies on your lot.
Usually not. Georgia's Underground Facility Protection Act defines a utility's facility as extending up to the connection to the customer's facilities. Utilities mark their lines when you file a ticket, but the pipe from your meter to the house is generally yours to locate. We trace it before we dig.
Source: Georgia 811 — Laws & Policies (Georgia Underground Facility Protection Act, O.C.G.A. 25-9)
NCWSA's fee sheet effective July 1, 2025 lists $2,951 for its smallest residential meter and $3,082 for a 1-inch meter. Gwinnett DWR's January 2026 schedule lists $1,397 for a residential 3/4-inch meter plus a $1,128 water system development charge. Covington publishes its own tap sheet.
Source: NCWSA Water and Sewer Fees (revised May 21, 2025; effective July 1, 2025)
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
The pipe from your water meter to your house is yours, not the utility's, in every county we checked. We find the leak, dig it out, and repair or replace the line from Oxford, GA across the east metro.
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or call (678) 863-5620