Tucker, GA · DeKalb County
Tucker sewer and water line service for mid-century ranch and split-level homes on DeKalb County sewer.
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or call (678) 863-5620The short answer
Who fixes sewer and water lines in Tucker, GA?
Tucker became a city in 2016, but water and sewer stayed with DeKalb County Watershed Management. DeKalb maintains the mains, the meter and sewer pipe in the right-of-way. The homeowner owns the lateral on the lot and the line from the meter inward, and that private pipe is what Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions repairs and replaces.↗↗↗
Reviewed by Atlanta Water & Sewage Solutions · Last updated
At a glance
- County
- DeKalb County
Median year homes were built
1981
Typical house here is about 45 years old — and so is its original sewer or septic line.
ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B25035 · Census Reporter: Tucker, GA (ACS 2024 5-year)
Housing era
A 1960s suburb, and its lower levels
No decade built more of Tucker than the 1960s: 3,946 of its 16,355 homes, according to the latest five-year Census estimates. The median lands at 1981 only because the 1970s and 1980s kept building at almost the same pace.↗
The house types are distinctive. Tucker is mostly ranch and split-level homes from the sixties and seventies, plus multi-story houses from the seventies and eighties, and the split-levels and two-stories often come with daylight basements.↗
A daylight basement changes how a sewer problem shows up. The lowest drain in the house, often a laundry floor drain or a basement shower, sits closest to the main's elevation, so a blocked or bellied lateral announces itself there first, sometimes days before an upstairs toilet slows down.
Local facts
Tucker facts that decide who digs
Each row links to the agency, code or publisher it comes from. Tap a source to check it yourself.
| Topic | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Became a city | Voters approved cityhood with 73.94% in Nov. 2015; first council seated March 2016 | Tucker, Georgia - Wikipedia |
| Water and sewer | Left out of the 2022 public-works referendum; still provided by DeKalb County | Public Works FAQ | City of Tucker, GA (inTucker, October 2022) |
| City public works | Launched July 2023; 1,000+ work orders in year one | Public Works | City of Tucker, GA |
| Largest building decade | 1960s: 3,946 of 16,355 homes; median built 1981 | Census Reporter: Tucker, GA (ACS 2024 5-year) |
| Typical houses | Ranch and split-level, many with daylight basements | Tucker, Georgia - Wikipedia |
| DeKalb billing / emergency | Billing 404-378-4475; water and sewer emergency 770-270-6243 | Who Ya Gonna Call? | City of Tucker, GA (inTucker, October 2024) |
Sewer or septic?
Tucker is a sewer town
When Tucker residents voted in November 2022 to take over roads and stormwater from the county, the city spelled out what was not on the ballot: drinking water and sanitary sewer. Those services continue to come from DeKalb County, so the pipe under your street is the county's, not the city's.↗
That's why we lead with sewer and water line work here rather than septic. If an older lot in Smoke Rise or elsewhere does turn out to have a tank, DeKalb Public Health permits any repair, and Georgia's 200-foot rule decides whether a failing system must connect instead.↗
How to tell which one you have
- Your DeKalb bill carries a sewer charge; homes on septic pay no sewer charge.
- A two-way cleanout near the foundation or the front walk marks the lateral.
The Tucker story
High ground on the divide
Tucker sits on a ridge. The Eastern Continental Divide runs through town along Chamblee-Tucker Road to LaVista Road, so rain on one side heads for the Chattahoochee and the Gulf, and rain on the other heads for the Ocmulgee and the Atlantic. The old rail depot marks the highest point on the line between Atlanta and Richmond.↗
Being the top of the watershed means creeks start here. More than a dozen do, including Burnt Fork, South Fork Peachtree, Camp and Henderson Mill creeks. Gravity sewers are laid to fall with the land, so on some Tucker lots the lateral runs downhill toward a main behind the house rather than out to the street.↗↗
A back-of-lot lateral usually means an easement line through the yard behind you, fences and mature hardwoods over the pipe, and a longer dig than the front-yard jobs people expect.
Warning signs
What a failing lateral looks like in a Tucker split-level
Seeing two or more of these? Call before it gets worse.
- 1. Water rising out of the basement floor drain when the washer drains
- 2. A gurgle from the lower-level toilet when someone upstairs flushes
- 3. Musty sewage odor in the laundry room or garage
- 4. Green, soft strip in the back yard along the line's path in dry weather
- 5. Roots from an oak or sweetgum planted in the 1960s sitting over the pipe
- 6. Every drain slowing at once rather than one sink
Services here
Tucker work we take on
- 01Sewer Line RepairCamera-first repairs for root-packed joints and sags in mid-century laterals.Sewer Line Repair details
- 02Sewer Line Installation & ReplacementFull replacement of a worn-out lateral, including back-of-lot runs to an easement main.Sewer Line Installation & Replacement details
- 03Water Line Repair & InstallationLeaks and aging supply pipe between the DeKalb meter and the house.Water Line Repair & Installation details
Also available:Sewer Camera InspectionEmergency Septic & Sewer Service
Who owns what
DeKalb's pipe vs. your pipe in Tucker
DeKalb County Watershed Managementsewer lateral
Owner maintains the building sewer on private property; DeKalb maintains it in street right-of-way and sewer easements↗
Where the line sits: Private property line or easement boundary
DeKalb County Watershed Managementwater service line
County property through the meter; owner from the meter to the house↗
Where the line sits: The meter
Tucker's own public works crews handle potholes, curbs and storm drains. A sewer spill in the street still goes to DeKalb's emergency line, 770-270-6243, which the city publishes in its contact list.↗
On the map
Tucker from our Oxford shop
About 45 min / 31.4 mi by road from our Oxford shop
Routed from Oxford to the center of Tucker.
Route sourceFAQ
Tucker sewer and water questions
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620Did the City of Tucker take over water and sewer when it incorporated?
No. The 2022 public-works referendum moved roads and stormwater to the city, and the city's FAQ states that drinking water and sanitary sewer were not included and remain DeKalb County services.
Source: Public Works FAQ | City of Tucker, GA (inTucker, October 2022)
Why does my basement drain back up before anything else?
It's the lowest opening on the line. Many Tucker split-levels and two-stories have daylight basements, so a partial blockage in the lateral pushes water out of the lower-level floor drain or shower first.
Source: Tucker, Georgia - Wikipedia
Should I get a sewer camera inspection before buying a house in Tucker?
For a 1960s or 1970s home, it's cheap insurance. The 1960s is Tucker's largest building decade, and an original lateral from then is about 60 years old. The footage shows roots, sags and cracks before closing.
Who do I call for a water or sewer bill in Tucker?
DeKalb County. The City of Tucker lists water and sewer billing at 404-378-4475 and the water and sewer emergency line at 770-270-6243.
Source: Who Ya Gonna Call? | City of Tucker, GA (inTucker, October 2024)
My sewer line runs to the back of the lot. Is that normal here?
It happens. Tucker sits on the Eastern Continental Divide and more than a dozen creeks begin in town, so on sloping lots the gravity main can sit in a valley behind the house rather than under the street in front.
Source: Tucker, Georgia - Wikipedia
Are there septic tanks in Tucker?
Tucker is served by DeKalb sewer, and we found no public count of septic systems in the city. If a lot does have one, DeKalb Public Health permits repairs, and a failing system near public sewer must connect under Georgia's 200-foot rule.
Source: Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 511-3-1 On-Site Sewage Management Systems
Do homes on DeKalb sewer pay a separate sewer charge?
Yes. DeKalb bills sewer along with water for connected homes; its billing page notes that customers with septic tanks are not charged for sewer.
Source: Services and Billing | DeKalb County Watershed Management
Nearby areas
Around Tucker
- Stone Mountain septic & sewerStone Mountain sewer and water lines, south past Smoke Rise.
- Lilburn septic & sewerLilburn sewer and septic, just over the Gwinnett line.
- Redan septic & sewerRedan sewer and septic in south DeKalb.
- Lithonia septic & sewerLithonia septic-to-sewer tie-ins.
- Snellville septic & sewerSnellville septic and sewer to the east.
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
- 1Public Works FAQ | City of Tucker, GA (inTucker, October 2022)
- 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)
- 4Census Reporter: Tucker, GA (ACS 2024 5-year)
- 5Tucker, Georgia - Wikipedia
- 6Public Works | City of Tucker, GA
- 7Who Ya Gonna Call? | City of Tucker, GA (inTucker, October 2024)
- 8Smoke Rise, Georgia - Wikipedia
- 9Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 511-3-1 On-Site Sewage Management Systems
- 10Census TIGERweb Hydro MapServer — hydrography intersecting Tucker city (place 1377652)
- 11Services and Billing | DeKalb County Watershed Management
Ready when you are
Water on the basement floor? Let's put a camera down the line.
Call (678) 863-5620. We'll find where the Tucker lateral is failing, tell you whether it's on your side or DeKalb's, and give you a free estimate.
(678) 863-5620- Georgia DPH-certified installer & pumper
- Residential & commercial
- Oxford, GA
Free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620