Douglas 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 the Douglasville-Douglas County Water and Sewer Authority in Douglasville, Lithia Springs and the rest of Douglas County. When it isn't clear whether a backup is in your lateral or the public main, call WSA first to check the main; the lateral itself is the owner's, and that is the work we do.

In most of Douglas County, the sewer pipe between your house and the street is yours to repair wherever it runs, and many homes aren't on the public sewer at all (WSA rules; WSA 2025 report).

The Douglasville-Douglas County Water and Sewer Authority (WSA) defines its service area to include all property in the City of Douglasville and the unincorporated county, which takes in Lithia Springs and Fairplay (WSA Rule 3-2). Its 2025 annual financial report says it provides water, sewer and stormwater services to the county except the cities of Villa Rica and Austell (WSA 2025 report).

Being a WSA water customer doesn't mean you're on WSA sewer. The same report counts 20,165 residential sewer connections against 43,789 residential water connections in fiscal 2025, and WSA's new-service packet describes homes with water service only as homes on septic (new-service packet).

To check, look at your bill: sewer customers pay a monthly sewer base rate plus a treatment charge per thousand gallons (WSA FAQ). If you're thinking of connecting, WSA's Engineering Department gives written verification of whether sewer is available at your address (WSA).

Plumbing permits come from your local government, not WSA. Inside Douglasville, the city's Community Development Building Division inspects building and development throughout the city (City of Douglasville) and takes plumbing permit applications for plumbing installations or alterations (plumbing permit application). In unincorporated areas such as Lithia Springs and Fairplay, Douglas County's Building Permits and Inspections office, part of Development Services, requires plumbing permits for any new or renovation work (Douglas County). County code issues plumbing permits only to state-licensed master plumbers, except that a homeowner may get permits for work on their own primary single-family home (Sec. 6-12).

WSA has its own requirements. Connecting a building to a public sewer takes a WSA sewer permit (Rule 3-17), WSA inspects and approves connections to its system (Rule 1-17), private laterals must meet state and local building and plumbing codes (Rule 3-14), and an old lateral can serve a new building only after examination and testing (Rule 3-13) (rules). Contractors working on WSA infrastructure must be on its approved contractor list (WSA), and Douglas County's utility engineer handles permits for utility construction in county right-of-way (Douglas County).

Before anyone digs, Georgia 811 asks for a free locate request at least three business days ahead, and state law requires one before digging with powered equipment (Georgia 811; law). Georgia 811 treats the sewer line between a house and the public system as a private line that needs a private locator (Georgia 811). If the job needs a permit, we tell you before work starts.

WSA bans clear water from the sewer. Its rules prohibit discharging stormwater, surface water, groundwater, roof runoff or subsurface drainage to a public sewer (Rule 3-19), and a property with a foundation drain, downspout drain or yard drain tied into the sewer gets written notice and 30 days to fix it, followed by penalties that rise each month and can be added to the water bill, with water service subject to shutoff (Rule 4-11) (rules). WSA looks for such connections with smoke testing, and each property gets a door hanger or letter at least 24 hours ahead (smoke testing notice).

Grease traps are required for kitchens in food establishments but not in single-family homes (Rule 3-22). For households, a regional flyer linked from WSA's Story of Water page calls fats, oils and grease the number one cause of sewer blockages in metro Atlanta and warns that residents may be held liable for damage and cleanup from a backup they cause (FOG Facts). WSA's 2026 water quality report says not to flush any wipes or sanitary products (2026 report). What not to flush or pour has the longer list.

Septic permits in Douglas County come from Cobb & Douglas Public Health, which requires a permit before any installation, repair or change to a septic system (Cobb & Douglas Public Health). A repair permit application needs a letter from the water and sewer provider stating that public sewer isn't available (repair requirements), and septic records are requested through the district's online form (records request). Douglas County's permit guide says interior remodels and basement finishes start with the Building Department alone unless the home is on septic and the project adds a bedroom (permit guide).

WSA's rules tie septic to the public system. A water customer on septic agrees to connect within six months of notice once the tank needs repair and public sewer is available (Rule 1-19), and buildings built after October 1, 1988 within 500 feet of a public sewer must connect at the owner's expense (Rule 3-19). In the Dog River drainage basin, WSA may inspect septic systems, order repairs within 60 days and bill for them or shut off water (Rule 3-16), and homes built there since October 1, 1991 must have tanks pumped at least every five years (Rule 2-20) (rules).

The county's 2023 Lithia Springs plan says that community lacks sewer in a number of places, especially north of Veterans Memorial Highway and in the western part just north of I-20 (Lithia Springs Small Area Plan). See septic or sewer: how to tell.

WSA's rules make the whole lateral the owner's, even under the sidewalk and street, and that line is where our technicians work. We handle main sewer line cleaning, sewer camera inspection to show whose side a blockage is on, sewer line repair and replacement, and cleanout installation and repair, including a cracked or missing cleanout cap. Local pages: Douglasville sewer line repair, Douglasville drain cleaning and Lithia Springs sewer line repair. We do not pump septic tanks. Call Georgia Sewer at (404) 482-2527 or request service.