Barrow County Sewer and Drain Service: Local Rules

Georgia Sewer clears, inspects and repairs the private side of sewer and water lines for homes served by Barrow County's Wastewater Division in Auburn and unincorporated Barrow County. When the trouble is in the county's main or on its side of the meter or service cleanout, call the Wastewater Division, and we tell you when that is the call to make.

Barrow County runs its own water and sewer utility through its Water Resources department. If you live in Auburn or unincorporated Barrow County, here is what the county publishes about sewer service, where the owner's line begins, and where to go for permits and septic questions.

Rules here differ from neighboring Gwinnett County's, so don't rely on the Gwinnett County page if your sewer bill carries Barrow County's rate.

The county's Wastewater Division serves about 2,755 customers in unincorporated Barrow County, the City of Auburn, the City of Statham and parts of Winder. It runs two water reclamation facilities, on Tanners Bridge Road and Barber Creek Road, and maintains 13 pump stations and about 54 miles of gravity sewer (Wastewater Division).

In Auburn, the city handles the bill. Auburn told its utility customers that Barrow County had notified the city of a sewer rate increase effective October 1, 2025, which would appear on their city utility bills (City of Auburn notice). Auburn's own utility department lists water, garbage and road services (City of Auburn Utilities).

The county's utility customer service policy, approved in October 2025, covers billing and service for its water and sewer customers (Customer Service Policy). If your monthly bill from the county or the City of Auburn shows no sewer charge, ask whether your home is on a septic system.

In unincorporated Barrow County, Planning and Community Development issues building permits through its online Citizen Self Service portal, where trade work is filed as a sub-permit and inspections are scheduled. A residential permit for a home on septic needs an Environmental Health approval letter; a home on public sewer doesn't (Barrow County Permits).

In Auburn, the city's Community Development Department decides whether a project needs a permit, and plumbing systems, including water heaters, are on its list of common permits. A contracted firm does plan reviews and building inspections, and next-day inspection requests are due before 4:30 p.m. (City of Auburn Building Inspections). The Town of Carl has its own plumbing permit application (Town of Carl).

Before anyone digs in Barrow County, Georgia 811 asks for a free locate ticket at least three business days ahead, and the state dig law makes one mandatory before digging with powered equipment (Georgia 811; Georgia dig law). Under that law, the sewer owner's help in locating a lateral ends at the edge of the public right-of-way. If the job needs a permit, we tell you before work starts. For repair choices, see sewer line repair options.

Barrow's standards say stormwater facilities may never be connected to the county water and sewer systems (Standards and Specifications, Section 1.06), so downspouts and yard drains belong away from your sewer line. Grease, wipes and other household items are covered in what not to flush or pour, and rain-related backups in why drains back up when it rains.

Barrow County Environmental Health, part of the state's Northeast Health District, has its office at 63 Lee Street in Winder (Northeast Health District). The county permits page sends septic-location questions there and requires the office's approval letter before a residential building permit is issued for a home on septic (Barrow County Permits).

In Carl, the town's development code requires a lot with a septic tank to meet the larger of the state and county health department minimums or the town's own, with the system's site approved by the county health department (Town of Carl development code). For upkeep, see septic tank pumping in Georgia.

Barrow's policy treats every line between the county's meter or service cleanout and your house as private, and that is the side we work on. Our technicians handle drain cleaning and main sewer line cleaning for backups, sewer camera inspection to find where a problem sits, cleanout installation and repair, sewer line repair, and water line repair between the meter and the house. To book a visit, call Georgia Sewer at (404) 482-2527 or request service.