Duluth, GA Sewer and Drain Service: Local Rules
Georgia Sewer cleans, inspects and repairs drains, sewer lines and water lines for homes in Duluth. Below: who to call first when sewage backs up, where your part of the line ends under the local provider's rules, and what we do about it.
Georgia Sewer — Drain & Sewer Specialists · Operated by Alpha Plumbing and Sewer, LLC
Duluth, GA at a glance
- County
- Gwinnett County
- Water and sewer
- Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources
- Plumbing permits
- City of Duluth Community Development & Engineering Department
Utility rules and numbers checked October 24, 2026
Whose pipe is it in Duluth?
The public sewer in Duluth is run by Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources. The provider answers for its main and its part of the line; the line on your side is the property owner's, and that is the part we work on. More on how the line is split: who is responsible for your sewer line.
Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources
Public sewer in Duluth
If sewage is backing up or overflowing
- 24-hour dispatch(678) 376-7000
Where your part of the line ends
Your private lateral runs to the edge of the right-of-way, where county standards call for a cleanout, and you maintain the entire lateral, including its connection to the public sewer.
Source: Gwinnett DWR, Sewer Lateral, read October 24, 2026“The private lateral extends to the edge of the right-of-way, and property owners are responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the entire lateral, including the connection to the public sewer system.”
On your side of that line? That part is the work we do. Call (404) 482-2527 or send a request.
Our services in Duluth
Each job starts with a diagnosis; the service follows what we find.
Local rules in Duluth
What the city and its utilities publish about the jobs we do here, each with its source (checked in October 2026). The provider's full rules are on Gwinnett County.
When sewage backs up
- Duluth's planning FAQ directs water and sewer emergencies to the Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources (DWR) (duluthga.net).
- Gwinnett DWR handles every reported sewer blockage or backup as an emergency and sends an investigator at any hour, holidays included (Gwinnett County).
- The Gwinnett DWR investigator starts by checking flow in the manholes upstream and downstream of the home; if the main is blocked, a hydrojet truck clears it (Gwinnett County).
Your sewer line and the public main
- Gwinnett DWR maintains the sewer mains and the short service stubs, usually 6-inch pipe, that join each main to a customer's line; the owner maintains the 4-inch private lateral out to the limits of the right-of-way or sewer easement (Gwinnett County).
- Gwinnett DWR's procedure says county crews do no work outside the right-of-way or easement to restore service on the privately maintained part of a lateral (Gwinnett County).
Cleanouts (2)
- Gwinnett County standards require a capped cleanout on the lateral at the right-of-way; DWR maintains that cleanout, and any second cleanout nearer the house is the homeowner's (Gwinnett County).
- If Gwinnett DWR can't locate a blockage without one, it installs a right-of-way cleanout at county expense when the owner asks, typically within two to five business days, and restores only ground cover such as seed and mulch or sod (Gwinnett County).
Roots and pipe defects (2)
- Gwinnett DWR reports that more than 70 percent of backups have historically turned out to be in the private part of the lateral, usually from roots growing in at the joint between the 4-inch and 6-inch pipes (Gwinnett County).
- Under Gwinnett DWR's procedure, an owner pays to repair damage to the public sewer caused by anything released from the private lateral, including roots that grew into it (Gwinnett County).
Grease and what goes down the drain (2)
- Gwinnett DWR says most grease-related sewer overflows start on residential lines; a clog on private property is the owner's to fix, and a large spill can also bring a fine (Gwinnett County).
- Gwinnett DWR warns that a garbage disposal doesn't keep grease or food scraps out of the sewer and asks residents to put cooled grease in a lidded container in the trash (Gwinnett County).
Permits (3)
- Duluth's permit table says repairing or replacing a plumbing fixture needs no permit, but fixture work that changes the piping, and every water heater replacement, does (duluthga.net).
- On a stand-alone Duluth plumbing permit for new or altered piping, the city does a rough inspection before walls or ceilings are covered, which may also serve as the final; a water heater replacement gets a final inspection (duluthga.net).
- Duluth's code lets ordinary minor repairs costing less than $300 in total go ahead without a permit, but only with the building official's approval (§ 5-29) (Municode).
Digging in the street or right-of-way (2)
- Gwinnett DWR's backup procedure forbids plumbers and contractors hired by a property owner from cutting or digging into the right-of-way, where the county-maintained stub lies (Gwinnett County).
- Gwinnett's code prohibits digging, grading or other earth-moving by an owner inside a permanent county sewer easement without the DWR director's permission, and allows no permanent structures there (§ 106-96) (Municode).
Your water line (3)
- Duluth's planning FAQ refers residents to Gwinnett DWR to start or transfer water service (duluthga.net).
- Gwinnett DWR maintains the water main, the small pipe from the main to the meter, and the meter itself; leaks between the meter and the house, backflow devices and irrigation systems are the owner's to repair (Gwinnett County).
- Gwinnett DWR wants leaks in the meter box or the street reported right away to its 24-hour dispatch center, but says a leak between the house and the meter calls for a plumber because it is on private property (Gwinnett County).
Septic systems (3)
- Duluth's FAQ puts maintenance, repair and replacement of a septic system on the home or business owner and refers septic problems to Gwinnett County's environmental health office (duluthga.net).
- Gwinnett DWR says a sewer-use charge on the county water bill means the home is on public sewer, while a sewer amount of zero most likely means a septic system (Gwinnett County).
- Gwinnett DWR refers owners who want details on their septic system to the county environmental health office, which keeps records for systems installed since 1959 and can provide copies (Gwinnett County).
Other local rules (3)
- Duluth's planning FAQ names Gwinnett County as the agency that inspects water, sewer and fire code work (duluthga.net).
- Gwinnett DWR cautions homeowners about plumbers who claim the county will reimburse work on private property, since reimbursement is considered only under specific conditions (Gwinnett County).
- If a plumber finds that a backup was caused entirely within the county's stub, Gwinnett DWR submits a claim for the plumber's charges to county Risk Management, but DWR staff must see the excavated lateral before it is repaired (Gwinnett County).
Lead service line records in Duluth
Water utilities must keep a public record of what each service line is made of. What the categories and the utility's letter mean: lead service line check.
Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources
Water utility
Lead service line inventory: Address lookup
Gwinnett says it has no lead service lines and offers an inventory map searchable by address.
Look up your line The utility’s inventory page
Source: Gwinnett County, read October 24, 2026Who owns the water line
The county is responsible for the pipes up to the meter; everything between the meter and the house is the homeowner's.
Source: Gwinnett County, read October 24, 2026Nearby service areas
Drain or sewer trouble in Duluth?
Tell us what the drains are doing, where and since when.
Call (404) 482-2527Or send a service request online
Operated by Alpha Plumbing and Sewer, LLC
Sewage coming out of a manhole or at the street?
Who to call first
Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources(678) 376-700024-hour dispatch
Drain or sewer trouble in Duluth?
Call and describe what is happening, where, and since when — the visit starts from there.
Georgia Sewer — Drain & Sewer Specialists · Operated by Alpha Plumbing and Sewer, LLC