Septic permits & records
DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management
- Address
- 1580 Roadhaven Drive, Stone Mountain, GA 30083
- Phone
- 770-621-7200
Stone Mountain, GA · DeKalb County
Stone Mountain sewer and water line service: lateral repairs, replacements and water service lines in the village at the base of the granite dome.
Stone Mountain, DeKalb County · about 40 min / 27.7 mi by road from our Oxford shop. ZIP codes 30083, 30087, 30088.
- Georgia DPH-certified installer & pumper
- Residential & commercial
- Local shop in Oxford, GA
Get a free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620The short answer
Who handles sewer and water lines in Stone Mountain, GA?
The City of Stone Mountain has no water or sewer department. DeKalb County Watershed Management, listed at 1580 Roadhaven Drive in Stone Mountain, owns the mains and the water meter. Homeowners own the sewer lateral on their lot and the pipe from the meter to the house, which is the work Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions does.↗↗↗
Reviewed by Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions · Last updated
The Stone Mountain story
A railroad village built against a granite wall
Stone Mountain is small: about 1.7 square miles pressed against the western base of the dome, with 6,703 people counted in 2020. Most people here still call it the Village. It was chartered as New Gibraltar in 1839, got its railroad in 1845 and took the mountain's name in 1847.↗
Granite built the place and granite still shapes it. When the village burned in July 1864, the depot stayed standing on the strength of walls two feet thick. Quarrying the mountain employed thousands for decades, and the rock itself doesn't stop at the park fence: the pluton runs underground roughly nine miles, far enough to reach into Gwinnett County.↗↗
For underground work that means one practical habit. Before we price a lateral or a water line in Stone Mountain, we probe the route. A trench that hits a granite shelf at two feet is a different job from one that stays in clay all the way to the street.
Who owns what
Where DeKalb's pipe ends and yours begins
Stone Mountain residents deal with the county for water and sewer. The county code draws the line in two different places.
DeKalb County Watershed Managementsewer lateral
You, on private property; DeKalb, inside the street right-of-way or a sewer easement↗
Where the line sits: Property line or easement edge
DeKalb County Watershed Managementwater service line
DeKalb owns the system up to and including the meter; the house side is yours↗
Where the line sits: The meter
City Public Works handles streets, storm drains and trash, not sewage. Its own page sends water and sewer emergencies to DeKalb's 24-hour line at (770) 270-6243.↗
Median year homes were built
1979
Typical house here is about 47 years old — and so is its original sewer or septic line.
ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B25035 · Census Reporter: Stone Mountain, GA (ACS 2024 5-year)
Housing era
Village houses from the 1970s, and a few from before 1940
The Census puts Stone Mountain's median home at 1979. The 1970s were the busiest decade, with 678 of the city's 2,715 housing units, and the 1980s nearly matched it. Another 152 homes predate 1940, mostly around the old downtown.↗
That split matters when a drain backs up. A 1979 lateral is now in its late forties. A house from the 1920s may have been re-plumbed once already, or never. We don't guess the pipe material from the age of the house; the camera tells us.
Soil & terrain
Clay over rock, and one creek through town
At the center of the city, federal soil maps show Cecil-Urban land complex: red Cecil clay mixed with ground that has already been graded and built over. The slopes run 2 to 10 percent, enough to give most laterals a natural fall toward the street.↗
Barbashela Creek is the only named stream the Census maps inside city limits. Low lots draining toward it are where an open trench is most likely to take on groundwater after a wet week.↗
Cecil-Urban land complex, 2 to 10 percent slopes (CuC)↗
About 65% Cecil and 35% Urban land at the city's center point.
- Soil series · USDA NRCS
Local facts
Stone Mountain at a glance
Each row links to the agency, code or publisher it comes from. Tap a source to check it yourself.
| Topic | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Water and sewer provider | DeKalb Watershed Management, 1580 Roadhaven Dr., Stone Mountain; 770-621-7200 | Utilities | City of Stone Mountain, GA |
| Median year built | 1979 (1970s the largest decade) | Census Reporter: Stone Mountain, GA (ACS 2024 5-year) |
| Named stream in city limits | Barbashela Creek | Census TIGERweb Hydro MapServer — linear hydrography intersecting Stone Mountain city (place 1373816) |
| Soil at city center | Cecil-Urban land complex (CuC), 2-10% slopes | USDA NRCS Soil Data Access — point query at 33.804187, -84.17142 |
| Founded | New Gibraltar, 1839; renamed Stone Mountain, 1847 | Stone Mountain, Georgia - Wikipedia |
| Storm drains | City-run MS4 system under a Georgia EPD permit, separate from sanitary sewer | Stormwater Management | City of Stone Mountain, GA |
Services here
What we do on Stone Mountain lots
- 01Sewer Line RepairRoot-packed joints, sags and cracks in the lateral between a village house and the DeKalb main.Sewer Line Repair details
- 02Sewer Line Installation & ReplacementFull lateral replacement when a camera shows the whole run is failing, including routes that cross rock.Sewer Line Installation & Replacement details
- 03Water Line Repair & InstallationThe owner's pipe from the county meter to the house: leaks, low pressure and old lines.Water Line Repair & Installation details
Also available:Sewer Camera InspectionSeptic RepairEmergency Septic & Sewer Service
Sewer or septic?
Is Stone Mountain on sewer or septic?
The city lists DeKalb Watershed as its water and sewer provider, and we have found no public count of septic systems inside the city limits. DeKalb's own 2017 conversion ordinance does say parts of the county still run on old septic tanks, so an older lot here could be one of them.↗↗
If yours is, the permit path runs through DeKalb Public Health in Decatur. A repair permit was $150 on the January 2024 fee schedule, and only a state-certified contractor may do the work.↗↗
How to tell which one you have
- A DeKalb bill with a sewer charge means you're on sewer; septic customers pay only for water.
- A cleanout cap near the front walk usually marks the lateral heading to the street.
- No cleanout and a flat, lush patch downhill of the house is worth asking about.
Who to call at the county
The offices behind a Stone Mountain dig
- City of Stone Mountain Public Works Streets, storm drainage, parks, solid wasteRefers water and sewer emergencies to DeKalb at (770) 270-6243.↗
FAQ
Stone Mountain sewer and water, answered
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620Does the City of Stone Mountain run its own water and sewer?
No. The city's utilities page names DeKalb County Watershed Management, whose office is on Roadhaven Drive in Stone Mountain, as the water and sewer provider. The city itself runs public works, police, code enforcement and the court.
Sewage is coming out of a manhole on my street. Who do I call?
DeKalb Watershed Management at (770) 270-6243; the city's Public Works page sends all water and sewer emergencies there. If it's backing up inside your house instead, the problem is usually in your lateral, and that's a call to us.
Source: Department of Public Works | City of Stone Mountain, GA
Is there really granite under Stone Mountain yards?
Often, yes. The city sits at the foot of the dome, and the same body of rock continues underground for miles. Depth to rock changes from one lot to the next, so we probe the line before we quote the dig.
Source: Stone Mountain - Wikipedia
My house is from the late 1970s. Is the sewer line near the end of its life?
Possibly. Stone Mountain's median home dates to 1979, so its original lateral is close to 50 years old. A camera inspection shows whether yours is sound, sagging or cracked before it forces the decision.
Source: Census Reporter: Stone Mountain, GA (ACS 2024 5-year)
Where does my responsibility for the sewer line stop?
At the edge of your private property. DeKalb's code gives the county the part of the building sewer inside the street right-of-way or a sewer easement; everything on your side is yours to maintain.
Source: DeKalb County Code Ch. 25, Art. IV, Div. 3 — Building Sewers and Connections (Municode, Supp. 72)
Do storm drains and the sewer connect here?
They shouldn't. Stone Mountain runs its own storm-drain system as a designated MS4 under a state permit, while sewage goes to DeKalb's sanitary lines. Downspouts tied into a sewer cleanout are a common cause of wet-weather backups.
How far is Stone Mountain from your shop?
About 27.7 miles by road from our Oxford shop, roughly 40 minutes, based on OSRM routing between the two points.
Nearby areas
Neighbors of the Village
- Tucker septic & sewerTucker sewer and water lines, just north past Smoke Rise.
- Redan septic & sewerRedan septic and sewer, unincorporated DeKalb to the south.
- Lilburn septic & sewerLilburn sewer and septic, over the Gwinnett line.
- Lithonia septic & sewerLithonia septic and sewer in the old quarry town.
- Stonecrest septic & sewerStonecrest sewer and septic along I-20.
- Snellville septic & sewerSnellville septic and sewer in southern Gwinnett.
Certified for the septic side, too
Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions is named on Georgia DPH's certified septic installer list and its approved pumper list, both public PDFs you can check at the links.
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
- 1Utilities | City of Stone Mountain, GA
- 2DeKalb County Code Ch. 25, Art. IV, Div. 3 — Building Sewers and Connections (Municode, Supp. 72)
- 3DeKalb County Code Ch. 25, Art. II, Div. 1 — Sec. 25-43 Location, ownership of facilities (Municode, Supp. 72)
- 4Stone Mountain, Georgia - Wikipedia
- 5Stone Mountain - Wikipedia
- 6Department of Public Works | City of Stone Mountain, GA
- 7Census Reporter: Stone Mountain, GA (ACS 2024 5-year)
- 8USDA NRCS Soil Data Access — point query at 33.804187, -84.17142
- 9Census TIGERweb Hydro MapServer — linear hydrography intersecting Stone Mountain city (place 1373816)
- 10Stormwater Management | City of Stone Mountain, GA
- 11DeKalb County Code Ch. 25, Art. IV, Div. 2.5 — Special Septic Tank to Sewer Conversion Tax District (Municode, Supp. 72)
- 12DeKalb Public Health Environmental Health Division Fee Schedule (effective January 1, 2024)
- 13Septic Systems | DeKalb Public Health
- 14Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 511-3-1 On-Site Sewage Management Systems
- 15OSRM route: Oxford, GA shop to Stone Mountain, GA
- 16Georgia DPH Certified Septic Tank Installer Companies list
- 17Georgia DPH Approved Septic Tank Pumper Companies list
Ready when you are
Slow drains in the Village? We'll find out if it's clay, roots or rock.
Call (678) 863-5620 for a free estimate. We camera the line, probe the route for granite, and tell you whether the fix is on your side of the property line or DeKalb's.
(678) 863-5620- Georgia DPH-certified installer & pumper
- Residential & commercial
- Oxford, GA
Free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620