Sewer Line Repair · Stone Mountain, GA
Stone Mountain sewer line repair: locating and fixing the failed section of a private lateral on DeKalb sewer.
- Georgia DPH-certified installer & pumper
- Residential & commercial
- Local shop in Oxford, GA
Get a free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620The short answer
How is a sewer line repaired in Stone Mountain, GA?
Most Stone Mountain repairs start with a camera run to find the failed joint, sag or crack in the private lateral, then a spot repair or section replacement on the owner's side. DeKalb Watershed Management handles pipe in the right-of-way and easements, and city Public Works refers sewer emergencies to DeKalb.↗↗
Reviewed by Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions · Last updated
The Stone Mountain story
Two building booms, one set of aging laterals
Stone Mountain's houses came mostly in two waves. The Census counts 678 homes from the 1970s and 650 from the 1980s, together just under half of the 2,715 units in the city. A lateral laid in either decade is now somewhere between 35 and 55 years old.↗
HomeGuide puts the service life of clay and Orangeburg sewer pipe at 30 to 60 years and PVC or cast iron at 50 to 100, and notes that soil and nearby roots shorten it. We can't tell you which one runs under a given yard from the street. The camera can.↗
The village's older fabric is a different case. Shermantown grew up on the southeast side of the village after the Civil War, and any house of real age, there or near Main Street, may carry pipe from several eras spliced together.↗
Stone Mountain's houses came mostly in two waves.
Who owns what
Your side, DeKalb's side
DeKalb County Watershed Managementsewer lateral
Owner repairs the building sewer on private property; county repairs it within right-of-way and sanitary sewer easements (Sec. 25-220)↗
Where the line sits: Where private property meets the right-of-way or easement
If sewage is coming up from a manhole or out of the street, that's not a private repair. The city's Public Works page routes water and sewer emergencies straight to DeKalb Watershed at (770) 270-6243.↗
Warning signs
When a Stone Mountain lateral needs a look
Seeing two or more of these? Call before it gets worse.
- 1. A tub or shower drain gurgles when the toilet flushes
- 2. The outdoor cleanout cap is wet or the ground around it smells
- 3. Drains back up after heavy rain, then clear on their own
- 4. A line of greener grass tracks from the house toward the street
- 5. Roots from a big oak or pine planted when the house was new sit over the pipe
- 6. You've had the line snaked more than once in a year
Local facts
Stone Mountain repair 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Sewer emergencies | City Public Works refers water and sewer emergencies to DeKalb at (770) 270-6243 | Department of Public Works | City of Stone Mountain, GA |
| Storm drains | Run by the city as an MS4; roof and yard drains don't belong in the sanitary lateral | Stormwater Management | City of Stone Mountain, GA |
| Permit before laying pipe | A licensed contractor pulls a plumbing permit before a private sewer line is installed | DeKalb County Planning & Sustainability — Watershed Packet (revised 5/6/25) |
| Downtown storefronts | Most Main Street shops date from just after 1900 and keep their original facades | Stone Mountain, Georgia - Wikipedia |
What it costs
What lateral repairs cost, by published figures
Sewer line repair, typical job
$150–$3,800
Typical market range — HomeGuide — How Much Does Sewer Line Replacement Cost? (2026), 2026
Replacing a 10-foot section
$500–$2,500
Typical market range — HomeGuide — How Much Does Sewer Line Replacement Cost? (2026), 2026
Cured-in-place liner (CIPP)
$90–$250 per linear foot
Typical market range — HomeGuide — How Much Does Sewer Line Replacement Cost? (2026), 2026
Hydro jetting to clear roots
$250–$800
Typical market range — HomeGuide — How Much Does Sewer Line Replacement Cost? (2026), 2026
Camera inspection
$125–$500
Typical market range — HomeGuide — How Much Does Sewer Line Replacement Cost? (2026), 2026
What moves the price
These are third-party typical market ranges, not our prices. Every job is quoted after we see it — estimates are free.
Free estimate: (678) 863-5620- 01Whether the trench meets a granite shelf before it reaches pipe depth
- 02Walks, steps and old stone retaining walls over the lateral
- 03One bad joint versus a long run of cracked or bellied pipe
- 04Adding a cleanout where an older house never had one
More about Stone Mountain
How we work a Stone Mountain repair
Film first. We run a camera from a cleanout, or through a pulled toilet if the house doesn't have one, and record depth and distance to every defect. That footage decides everything after it.
Then choose the smallest fix that lasts. A single root-packed joint can be cut out and coupled. A crack in otherwise sound pipe may take a liner. A long belly holding water, or pipe broken in several places, means a section replacement, and at that point it may be worth comparing against a full replacement.
Dig with the rock in mind. Before the excavator comes, we probe along the route, because ground near the dome can go from clay to stone within a few feet. Last, the repair is water-tested and filmed again so you have a before-and-after record.
Film first.
More about Stone Mountain
Village homes versus Main Street businesses
Houses are most of our Stone Mountain calls: four-inch laterals, modest runs to the street. The historic storefronts on Main Street are different work. Old masonry buildings, sidewalks over the pipe and shared walls mean more restoration and a tighter schedule around business hours.↗
Restaurants add one more layer. DeKalb requires food service establishments connected to its sewer to take part in its fats, oils and grease program, and county inspectors check grease interceptors. A grease-choked line from a kitchen is a repair and a compliance question at once.↗
Houses are most of our Stone Mountain calls: four-inch laterals, modest runs to the street.
FAQ
Stone Mountain sewer repair questions
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620Who fixes a broken sewer line in Stone Mountain, the city or the county?
Neither, if the break is on your lot. The city runs no sewer system, and DeKalb repairs only pipe inside the right-of-way or a sewer easement. The private lateral is the owner's to repair.
Source: DeKalb County Code Ch. 25, Art. IV, Div. 3 — Building Sewers and Connections (Municode, Supp. 72)
Who do I call when sewage overflows from a manhole?
DeKalb Watershed Management at (770) 270-6243. The City of Stone Mountain's Public Works department points all water and sewer emergencies to that number.
Source: Department of Public Works | City of Stone Mountain, GA
My home was built in the 1980s. Could the sewer line already be failing?
It can. Nearly half of Stone Mountain's homes date from the 1970s and 1980s, and HomeGuide gives older clay and Orangeburg pipe a life of 30 to 60 years. A camera inspection answers it for your line.
Source: HomeGuide — How Much Does Sewer Line Replacement Cost? (2026)
Can a sewer line be repaired without digging up the yard?
Sometimes. A liner or pipe bursting can fix some cracked or root-damaged runs from access points. A collapsed section or a deep belly usually still has to be dug and replaced.
Source: HomeGuide — How Much Does Sewer Line Replacement Cost? (2026)
Why do my drains back up only when it rains hard?
Often storm water is getting into the lateral through a cracked pipe, a missing cleanout cap or a downspout tied in. Stone Mountain runs storm drains as a separate city system, so rain doesn't belong in your sewer line.
Does a sewer line repair need a permit?
DeKalb's Watershed Packet says a licensed contractor must pull a plumbing permit before a private sewer line is installed, which covers replacing a section. We handle the permit as part of the job.
Source: DeKalb County Planning & Sustainability — Watershed Packet (revised 5/6/25)
What does a camera inspection cost?
HomeGuide's 2026 range is $125 to $500 nationally. The inspection is how we decide between a spot fix, a liner and a replacement.
Source: HomeGuide — How Much Does Sewer Line Replacement Cost? (2026)
Nearby areas
Sewer line repair near Stone Mountain
- Tucker septic & sewerTucker sewer line repair for 1960s split-levels
- Redan septic & sewerRedan sewer line repair in south DeKalb
- Lilburn septic & sewerLilburn sewer line repair across the Gwinnett line
- Lithonia septic & sewerLithonia sewer line repair in the quarry town
- Stonecrest septic & sewerStonecrest sewer line repair off I-20
- Snellville septic & sewerSnellville sewer line repair on Gwinnett sewer
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
- 1DeKalb County Code Ch. 25, Art. IV, Div. 3 — Building Sewers and Connections (Municode, Supp. 72)
- 2Department of Public Works | City of Stone Mountain, GA
- 3Census Reporter: Stone Mountain, GA (ACS 2024 5-year, table B25034)
- 4HomeGuide — How Much Does Sewer Line Replacement Cost? (2026)
- 5Stone Mountain, Georgia - Wikipedia
- 6Stormwater Management | City of Stone Mountain, GA
- 7DeKalb County Planning & Sustainability — Watershed Packet (revised 5/6/25)
- 8Commercial Fats, Oils and Grease (FOG) Program | DeKalb County, GA
Ready when you are
Gurgling drains in Stone Mountain? Film the line before you dig it.
Call for a camera inspection and a written scope that says what's failing, where it is, and whose side of the line it's on.
(678) 863-5620- Georgia DPH-certified installer & pumper
- Residential & commercial
- Oxford, GA
Free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620