Canton Sewer and Drain Guide for Homeowners

Who provides sewer service here

The City of Canton's Water and Sewer Department bills customers monthly for water and sewer, based on a monthly meter reading. The department answers customer issues daily and issues work orders for staff to investigate problems, and it directs water outages, leaks and sewer-related emergencies to the city's Operations Department (Canton Water and Sewer).

Canton's service area and the Cherokee County Water and Sewerage Authority's meet along lines set by a service delivery area agreement. In 2021, for example, Canton asked under that agreement to extend its water and sewer service delivery area into CCWSA's to serve three tracts north of Laurel Canyon (CCWSA board minutes, January 2021). The split can even differ by service: a 2020 letter from the city described one Fate Conn Road property with CCWSA water and Canton sewer, while another property on the same road had both services from the city (CCWSA board minutes, November 2020). Check which utility bills you for sewer. If it is CCWSA, see the Cherokee County page.

Where your responsibility ends

Canton defines the building sewer in two parts. The service line from the building to the right-of-way or property line is the owner's responsibility; at that point the service line, or lateral, becomes the city's responsibility as it continues to the sanitary sewer trunk line (Canton Code § 114-3). The wastewater section repeats the owner's part: property owners build and maintain the service line from the premises to the point of connection with the city service lateral (Canton Code § 114-234(g)).

One exception catches owners of low-lying homes. Pumps and other devices that move sewage from a building to the city system are the owner's responsibility, and the city won't repair or maintain them (Canton Code § 114-234(f)).

Where exactly the right-of-way or property line falls on your lot isn't always obvious, so ask the department before anyone digs near the street. Who is responsible for the sewer line compares Canton's approach with other Georgia providers, and sewer cleanout location explains the access point a plumber will look for first. This is general information, not legal advice for any particular property.

If sewage backs up

For a sewer-related emergency, Canton's Water and Sewer Department page lists the Operations Department's number; for other service issues it lists the department office, open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Canton Water and Sewer). Because the lateral beyond the right-of-way or property line is the city's responsibility under its code, tell the operator where your cleanout is and whether neighbors have the same problem.

Until the city's crew or your plumber finds the blockage, what to do in a sewer backup covers safety inside the house; sewer backup insurance in Georgia covers damage claims and coverage.

Repairs, permits and inspections

Canton's Building & Safety Services Department enforces the building code and runs permitting and inspections in the city. Inspections must be requested through the city's online permitting portal, which homeowners as well as contractors can register for, or in person at City Hall (Canton Building & Safety Services).

Before anyone digs on a Canton lot, Georgia 811 wants a free locate request at least three business days ahead, and state law requires one for digging with mechanized equipment. The locating help the city owes under that law covers laterals up to the edge of the public right-of-way, which in Canton is also where the city's part of the lateral begins (Georgia 811; Georgia dig law). Before you hire anyone, how to hire a drain cleaning company in Georgia walks through license checks and written estimates.

Grease, wipes and rainwater

Canton's code bans connecting roof downspouts, foundation drains, areaway drains or other sources of surface runoff or groundwater to a building sewer that drains to the city system, unless the connection is approved under a discharge permit. When the city finds such a connection and notifies the owner, the owner must correct it at their own expense within 90 days, or the city may make the correction and bill the customer (Canton Code § 114-128).

The city's list of prohibited discharges also covers stormwater, groundwater, roof runoff, subsurface drainage, swimming pool drainage and condensate unless the city manager specifically authorizes them, along with fats, oils or greases above a set concentration (Canton Code § 114-267). For household grease and wipes, see what not to flush or pour.

Septic homes in this area

Inside Canton, septic tanks are prohibited except in the Governors Walk and Great Sky subdivisions or as the code's private-disposal article allows (Canton Code § 114-233). The code treats sewer as available to an existing single-family home when its main floor can drain by gravity to a sewer in a public right-of-way or easement within 300 feet, and it allows septic tanks on lots of two acres or more under set conditions, except in Governors Walk. Once the city sends written notice that sewer is available, the owner has three months to connect or must start paying a non-connected customer service charge (Canton Code § 114-234).

Septic site evaluations and permits in the area are handled by the county environmental health offices of the North Georgia Health District (NGHD Environmental Health); Cherokee County Environmental Health is on Bluffs Parkway in Canton (NGHD locations).

Cities and communities served

The City of Canton's sewer serves Canton within its service delivery area. Some nearby addresses fall in CCWSA's area instead, so the table marks Canton as partly served.

Next step

If a plumber finds the blockage or break beyond the right-of-way or property line, call the Canton Water and Sewer Department before paying for excavation. Under city code, the lateral beyond the right-of-way or property line is the city's responsibility.