Atlanta, GA Sewer and Drain Service: Local Rules

Georgia Sewer clears, inspects and repairs the private side of sewer and water lines for homes served by the City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management in Atlanta. In Atlanta that private side is the whole service lateral, all the way to the city sewer in the street; when the trouble is in the city's sewer itself, report it to ATL311, and we tell you when that is the call to make.

The city's own watershed department calls Atlanta's water and sewer infrastructure old (DWM), and parts of the sewer system still carry sewage and stormwater in the same pipe (ATL311). For a homeowner, the practical questions are narrower: which pipe is yours, who to call when a drain backs up, and what the city will and won't do on your lot.

The City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management (DWM) runs the city's sewer system; its Office of Linear Infrastructure Operations maintains more than 1,500 miles of sanitary and combined sewers (DWM).

To confirm you are a DWM sewer customer, check your bill. DWM bills water and sewer monthly, and the sewer portion is based on the amount of water your household uses (billing; rates FAQ). If your home is outside the city limits, ATL311 refers you to the jurisdiction that serves your address (ATL311).

In 1999 the United States and Georgia reached a settlement with the city over water pollution violations throughout its sanitary sewer system, requiring corrective work (EPA). DWM's Clean Water Atlanta program now covers the projects required by two federal consent decrees and a state consent order (Clean Water Atlanta).

Inside the city, residential plumbing permits come from the Department of City Planning's Office of Buildings. ATL311 says a permit is required to install, repair or replace plumbing, applications are filed online through the city's Accela Citizen website, and homeowners may apply for their own permits (ATL311). For single-family homes, inspections may be done in person, by video or by third-party inspectors (ATL311).

Digging in the public right-of-way adds steps. The Atlanta Department of Transportation issues right-of-way permits for work on city streets and sidewalks, including sanitary sewer work (ATL311), and DWM's Environmental and Construction Enforcement Division inspects sewer tie-ins (ATL311). Building over, covering or filling over a city sewer requires the watershed commissioner's written permission (§ 154-151).

Georgia 811 asks everyone to request a free locate at least three business days before digging, and state law requires one before digging with powered equipment (Georgia 811; law). Its members mark only public lines, so your lateral needs a private locator, though the dig law has sewer owners help mark laterals up to the edge of the right-of-way (Georgia 811; O.C.G.A. § 25-9-7). If the job needs a permit, we tell you before work starts.

The city doesn't offer warranty plans for water or sewer service lines (ATL311). Low-income homeowners with a DWM account may qualify for the Care and Conserve Plumbing Repair Program, which funds non-profit partners to make plumbing repairs, including sewer fixes, at no cost; income and payment-history rules apply, and landlords and renters can't apply (DWM). For choosing a repair method, see sewer line repair options.

DWM says grease from restaurants, schools, nursing homes, day cares and similar kitchens contributes to more than half of the blockages or overflows in the city's wastewater collection system, and its Grease Management Program permits and inspects those food service facilities (DWM). At home, DWM asks you never to pour grease into a sink or toilet, to scrape cooled grease and food scraps into a container or the trash, to keep food scraps out of the garbage disposal, and to use a sink strainer. ATL311 adds disposable diapers and baby wipes to the list of things that clog sewer lines (ATL311). What not to flush or pour has the full list.

Rainwater belongs out of the sanitary sewer. The city code says no drain for surface water may be connected to a sanitary sewer (§ 154-152), and its sewer-use rules list roof, basement, subsurface and yard drainage among prohibited discharges (§ 154-299). In the combined-sewer areas, ATL311 notes, a small portion of combined flow may go directly to streams in the heaviest rainfall (ATL311). If your drains act up mainly in storms, read why drains back up when it rains.

Some homes in the city still use septic tanks, and ATL311 keeps a separate contact for septic and sewer billing questions (ATL311). ATL311 says septic permits are issued by the Fulton County health department and that a lot generally must be at least one acre to qualify for a private septic system. If a public sewer is within 200 feet of the property or 500 feet of the house, a septic tank isn't allowed and the home must connect, with the owner paying for any sewer extension; DWM's Site Development office explains the connection options (ATL311).

Georgia's Department of Public Health sends septic record requests, complaints and inspection questions to the county environmental health office, and its list includes separate Fulton and DeKalb County offices (DPH; office list). The city code also bans private systems that serve more than one lot, handle more than 2,000 gallons a day or move flow between parcels (§ 154-155). Not sure which you have? See septic or sewer: how to tell.

A damage claim against the City of Atlanta must be in writing and served on the mayor or the president of the Atlanta City Council within six months of the event (ATL311). The claim form asks for the specific dollar amount sought, the date, the location, the parties involved and a description; it must be delivered in person, by certified mail or by statutory overnight delivery, and a claims investigator then follows up (ATL311).

If our technician finds the backup may come from the public sewer, you can email DWM our invoice, with the inspection details, the problem area and your service request number, and DWM will inspect (ATL311). The article describes this as a way to get a DWM inspection; it doesn't say the city will pay that bill. An attorney can tell you how the claim rules apply to your case, and sewer backup insurance in Georgia covers the insurance side.

Because Atlanta owners keep the whole lateral, our technicians handle drain cleaning and main sewer line cleaning for backups, sewer camera inspection to find where along the lateral a problem sits, sewer line repair and replacement, cleanout installation and repair, and emergency sewer and drain service when a line is backing up. To book a visit, call Georgia Sewer at (404) 482-2527 or request service.