Johns Creek, GA Sewer and Drain Service: Local Rules
Georgia Sewer cleans, inspects and repairs drains, sewer lines and water lines for homes in Johns Creek. 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
Johns Creek, GA at a glance
- County
- Fulton County
- Water and sewer
- Fulton County Department of Public Works
- Plumbing permits
- City of Johns Creek building official (Community Development)
Utility rules and numbers checked October 24, 2026
Whose pipe is it in Johns Creek?
The public sewer in Johns Creek is run by Fulton County Department of Public Works. 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.
Fulton County Department of Public Works
Public sewer in Johns Creek
If sewage is backing up or overflowing
- Sewer emergencies, North Fulton (customer service and after hours)(404) 612-3061
- Sewer emergencies, South Fulton(404) 612-3163
Where your part of the line ends
The lateral up to its connection with the public sewer is the property owner's and isn't part of the county system. Repairs to the part in the public right-of-way or a county easement are done by the county or an approved contractor, at the owner's cost.
Source: Fulton County Code § 82-195, read October 24, 2026“The building sewers or sewer service laterals up to the connection to the public sewer are the responsibility of the property owner and are not part of the sewerage system operated and maintained by the county.”
On your side of that line? That part is the work we do. Call (404) 482-2527 or send a request.
Our services in Johns Creek
Each job starts with a diagnosis; the service follows what we find.
Local rules in Johns Creek
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 Fulton County.
When sewage backs up
- Johns Creek's Public Works FAQ sends residents with water or sewer problems to Fulton County, whose sewer line offers an after-hours emergency option (johnscreekga.gov).
- Fulton County Public Works assists with a blockage in the right-of-way or a sewer easement only when the problem seriously threatens public health, the owner's plumber is present, and the owner signs a release (Fulton County).
Your sewer line and the public main
- Fulton County's code ends the building drain five feet outside the inner face of the building wall; from there the owner's sewer service lateral runs to the public sewer (§ 82-107) (Municode).
- Lateral repairs inside the right-of-way or a county easement must be done by Fulton County or a county-approved contractor at the owner's expense, and the county never repairs laterals outside the right-of-way or easement (Fulton County).
Cleanouts (2)
- Fulton County's flyer says sewer cleanouts in the right-of-way or a county easement are installed by the county or a county-approved contractor at the owner's cost, with the stipulated fee paid before the county starts work (Fulton County).
- Fulton County requires 6-inch pipe, laid at a minimum 1 percent slope, from the main to the first cleanout on the owner's property for lateral connections (Fulton County).
Roots and pipe defects (1)
- Fulton County names wipes, paper towels and hygiene products as frequent causes of sewer clogs and backups that lead to costly repairs for property owners (Fulton County).
Grease and what goes down the drain (1)
- Fulton County asks households to scrape food debris into the trash instead of the sink or garbage disposal, since fats, oils and grease rinsed down the drain can block pipes (Fulton County).
Permits (3)
- Johns Creek's code requires a permit before installing, altering, repairing or replacing a plumbing system, and an owner can get one only as a licensed contractor or as the occupant of the structure (§ 105-52) (Municode).
- Johns Creek's permit checklist says repairing or replacing a plumbing fixture in the same spot needs no permit, while fixture work that alters piping, water heater replacement and gas piping do (johnscreekga.gov).
- A Johns Creek homeowner who pulls a permit as homeowner-contractor must first complete and notarize an affidavit in person at City Hall, then apply through the city's online portal (johnscreekga.gov).
Digging in the street or right-of-way (3)
- Johns Creek requires a right-of-way encroachment permit, approved by the public works director, for any excavation, trench or hole in, along, across or under a street, sidewalk or right-of-way, and the permit must stay on site (§ 46-23) (Municode).
- Johns Creek allows street cuts only when boring is impossible or infeasible, such as for rock or tapping a line under the road, and requires at least 24 hours' notice to public works before a lane closure (§ 113-147) (Municode).
- Johns Creek's code calls for issuing an encroachment permit, where practical, within 20 business days of a complete application, and for a final inspection confirming the street or sidewalk is restored to as good a condition as before (§§ 46-24, 46-26) (Municode).
Your water line (2)
- Fulton County supplies water throughout Johns Creek, owning the service line from the main to the meter while the owner owns the line from the meter into the building (Fulton County).
- Fulton County installs 1-inch Type K copper for public service lines but sets no specifications for the private line on the owner's side of the meter (Fulton County).
Septic systems (3)
- Johns Creek's Stormwater Division says owners of septic systems must maintain, repair or replace every component, and warns that failing systems can leak sewage into stormwater (johnscreekga.gov).
- The Fulton County Board of Health reviews, permits and inspects septic systems in parts of the county without public sewer (fultoncountyboh.com).
- Fulton County's code sends applications to build, repair or alter septic tanks to the Fulton County Board of Health and makes the owner operate and maintain the system at no cost to the county (§ 82-194) (Municode).
Other local rules (2)
- Fulton County's code prohibits connecting roof downspouts, foundation drains, areaway drains or other runoff or groundwater sources to a building sewer that drains to the public sanitary sewer (§ 82-195) (Municode).
- If an owner isn't sure whether a lot already has a sewer tap or cleanout, Fulton County's connection flowchart says to ask its sewer operations staff for a field check (Fulton County).
Lead service line records in Johns Creek
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.
Fulton County Department of Public Works
Water utility
Lead service line inventory: Address lookup
Fulton County first published its inventory in October 2024 and is still working down its unknown lines; it mails yearly letters for lead and unknown lines and takes owners' own reports.
Look up your line The utility’s inventory page
Source: Fulton County, read October 24, 2026Who owns the water line
The county owns the line from the main to the meter; the owner owns it from the meter to the house.
Source: Fulton County, read October 24, 2026Nearby service areas
Drain or sewer trouble in Johns Creek?
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
Fulton County Department of Public Works(404) 612-3061Sewer emergencies, North Fulton (customer service and after hours)
Drain or sewer trouble in Johns Creek?
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