Fulton 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 Fulton County Public Works sewer in Sandy Springs, Roswell, Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Milton and South Fulton. Call the county for a problem in its public sewer, and remember that work inside the right-of-way or a county easement is reserved to the county or a county-approved contractor; the lateral on your property is the part we work on.

In Fulton County, the utility that sends your water bill and the agency that runs your sewer are often different. The county supplies drinking water only north of the Chattahoochee River (Emergency Repairs), so in Sandy Springs and the City of South Fulton the water comes from Atlanta while the county runs the sewer. Either way, the county's rule on the pipe from your house to the street is the same.

Fulton County's Department of Public Works provides drinking water and wastewater service in the north Fulton cities and wastewater service in many south Fulton cities (Public Works). Because the county's drinking water stops at the river, the split varies by city:

• Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Milton and Roswell: the county's 2026 water quality report names these four as the cities it serves with water (2026 report), and county sewer serves them where lines exist. Roswell's own water plant serves part of that city, but Fulton County handles all sewer lines there (Roswell).
• Sandy Springs: the Atlanta Department of Watershed Management supplies water and handles billing for water and sewer, while Fulton County maintains the sewer system (Sandy Springs).
• South Fulton: a 2021 county study says the county manages the city's entire sewer system (capacity study), and drinking water there comes from the City of Atlanta (Emergency Repairs).

Other south Fulton cities own their own sewer lines, according to the county's 2021 study (capacity study). Since September 16, 2022, the county hasn't permitted or inspected sewer projects that connect inside Atlanta, College Park, East Point, Fairburn, Palmetto or Tyrone, and in Union City it acts only with a letter from the city (Permitting Process). See the East Point and Union City pages or the local directory.

To check your address, use the county's Sewer Service Lookup map. County rates combine a bi-monthly service charge with a volume charge for each utility, so sewer shows up as its own charges on a county bill (rates), and a county "water only" account means you don't get county sewer (Water Services). If you've been billed for sewer but aren't connected, the code allows a refund, up to four years back, with a licensed plumber's written certificate (§ 82-152).

Plumbing permits come from your city:

• Sandy Springs: a plumbing permit is required for residential plumbing projects, though not for simple repairs such as unclogging a sink; owners may pull permits for their own permanent residence (Sandy Springs).
• Roswell: the Building Division (Roswell).
• Alpharetta: Community Development's Construction and Inspections staff (Alpharetta).
• Johns Creek: the city's building official (Johns Creek).
• Milton: the Community Development Department (Milton).
• Mountain Park: the city's building official (§ 101-7).
• South Fulton: the city's Development Services division (South Fulton).

The county adds its own sewer permit. Connections are allowed only at a county-approved point, and the county inspects and supervises the connection (§ 82-195). For a lateral connection, the plumber must call the county inspector at least three days before installation, and the county permit doesn't replace the city's or state's approval for work in the right-of-way (lateral requirements). Not sure whether your lot has a tap? The county's connection flowchart says to ask sewer operations for a field check (flowchart).

A repair that opens the ground in Fulton County starts with Georgia 811, which asks for a locate request at least three business days ahead; state law requires the request whenever mechanized equipment does the digging (Georgia 811; Georgia dig law). If the job needs a permit, we tell you before work starts.

The county tells households to pour used cooking oil into a can, let it cool and put it in the trash, and says wipes, paper towels and hygiene products are often at the center of sewer clogs and backups; its rule is that only pee, poop and toilet paper get flushed (Pollution Prevention). Grease interceptors aren't required for homes (§ 82-238); the county's permit program covers restaurants and other commercial kitchens (Commercial Pretreatment).

Clean water stays out of the sanitary sewer. The code bans connecting roof downspouts, exterior foundation drains, areaway drains and other sources of runoff or groundwater to a building sewer or drain (§ 82-195), and its sewer-use rules prohibit discharging stormwater, roof runoff, subsurface drainage or swimming pool drainage unless the director authorizes it (§ 82-237). See what not to flush or pour.

Parts of Fulton County have no public sewer. The Fulton County Board of Health's environmental health program permits and inspects septic systems, with offices at 10 Park Place in Atlanta, the College Park Regional Health Center and the North Fulton Regional Health Center (Board of Health). The county recommends servicing a septic system every three to five years (Pollution Prevention).

Septic is common in a few places. The county's 2024 master plan says septic serves all of Milton outside areas such as Crabapple, Milton Lakes, Deerfield and Bethany, and describes a northwest Roswell area as having septic tanks only (master plan). The 2021 south Fulton study found Chattahoochee Hills unsewered (capacity study), and properties in the Etowah River basin generally may not connect to the county system (§ 82-255).

Where sewer is available, the county can require a home to connect within 90 days of notice (§ 82-193); where it isn't, or septic tanks have failed, homeowners can petition the county to extend sewer to their homes (Establish New Services). See septic or sewer: how to tell.

Fulton County leaves the lateral to the owner, and on your property that is the line our technicians clear, inspect and repair. We handle main sewer line cleaning, root intrusion removal, sewer camera inspection, sewer line repair and cleanout installation and repair, plus water line repair on your side of the meter. City pages: Sandy Springs, Roswell, Alpharetta, Johns Creek and Milton. Call Georgia Sewer at (404) 482-2527 or request service.