Lawrenceville, GA Sewer and Drain Service: Local Rules
Georgia Sewer cleans, inspects and repairs drains, sewer lines and water lines for homes in Lawrenceville. 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
Lawrenceville, GA at a glance
- County
- Gwinnett County
- Water and sewer
- Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources
- Plumbing permits
- City of Lawrenceville Planning & Development Department
Utility rules and numbers checked October 24, 2026
Whose pipe is it in Lawrenceville?
The public sewer in Lawrenceville 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 Lawrenceville
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 Lawrenceville
Each job starts with a diagnosis; the service follows what we find.
Local rules in Lawrenceville
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
- Gwinnett DWR's dispatch center, staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, takes reports of sewer backups, spills and overflowing manholes and asks callers to report them immediately (Gwinnett County).
- When Gwinnett DWR finds the right-of-way cleanout dry while sewage still backs up indoors, it treats the blockage as being in the owner's lateral or house plumbing and does no further work (Gwinnett County).
- Gwinnett DWR advises a household with a backup to stop high-volume water use, such as laundry, dishwashing and showers, until the line is clear (Gwinnett County).
Your sewer line and the public main
- Gwinnett DWR's written procedure makes the owner responsible for all plumbing inside the building and the lateral up to the edge of the right-of-way or easement, including the joint between the 4-inch and 6-inch pipes if it sits outside that line (Gwinnett County).
- Gwinnett's code requires all sewer users, residential ones included, to keep building sewers and laterals in good condition so surface water and groundwater can't get in, and backs this with orders and administrative fines (§ 106-96) (Municode).
Cleanouts (2)
- Gwinnett DWR can clean or maintain a lateral only through a cleanout in the right-of-way or an easement, not through one near the house (Gwinnett County).
- Gwinnett DWR doesn't reimburse an owner whose plumber installs a right-of-way cleanout unless the department agreed to it in advance (Gwinnett County).
Roots and pipe defects (2)
- Gwinnett DWR advises against planting deep-rooted trees or shrubs close to a private sewer lateral (Gwinnett County).
- Gwinnett DWR's backup procedure names roots entering where the 4-inch private pipe meets the county's 6-inch stub as the most common cause of backups (Gwinnett County).
Grease and what goes down the drain (2)
- Gwinnett DWR warns that hot water and soap don't get rid of cooking oil, which can re-form in the pipes as the water cools, and asks that used oil go into a jar or can with a lid before it is thrown away (Gwinnett County).
- Gwinnett DWR says that if every county resident poured one teaspoon of grease down the drain, the total would equal 18 drums of 55 gallons each (Gwinnett County).
Permits (3)
- Lawrenceville's Planning & Development Department requires a building permit for plumbing work and takes applications through the city's online Licensing, Permits & Plans portal (lawrencevillega.org).
- Lawrenceville's code exempts clearing stoppages and stopping leaks from permits, but replacing a defective concealed drain, waste or water pipe counts as new work that needs a permit and inspection. In an emergency, the permit application is due within the next two working days (§ 10-236) (Municode).
- Lawrenceville's code requires a written permit from Gwinnett County before anyone uncovers, connects to, opens or alters a public sewer in the city (§ 38-37) (Municode).
Digging in the street or right-of-way (3)
- Lawrenceville requires a right-of-way encroachment permit, applied for through the City Clerk, before anyone digs or installs facilities in, along or under city right-of-way or disturbs its sidewalks, curbs, landscape strips or roads (§ 32-83) (Municode).
- As of October 2026, Lawrenceville's code sets a $100 administrative review fee for each encroachment permit application, and the applicant must post an indemnity bond in an amount the city sets (§ 32-83) (Municode).
- Gwinnett DWR's procedure doesn't allow plumbers hired by an owner to excavate into the right-of-way to reach a lateral (Gwinnett County).
Your water line (3)
- Lawrenceville agreed in September 2020 to sell its water distribution system to Gwinnett County and adopted the county's water and sewer ordinances effective December 1, 2020 (§§ 38-220, 38-221) (Municode).
- Gwinnett DWR's responsibility for the water line ends at the meter; the service line from the meter to the house is the owner's to maintain, repair or replace (Gwinnett County).
- Gwinnett DWR asks for an immediate call to its 24-hour dispatch about water leaking in the meter box or the street (Gwinnett County).
Septic systems (3)
- Lawrenceville won't issue a building permit for a structure that needs on-site sewage disposal until Gwinnett Environmental Health issues a septic tank permit (lawrencevillega.org).
- Lawrenceville's code requires a septic home to connect directly to public sewer once it becomes available, with the old tank abandoned and filled with suitable material (§ 38-36) (Municode).
- Gwinnett DWR cites the Georgia Department of Public Health's estimate that about 30 percent of Gwinnett residents use septic systems (Gwinnett County).
Other local rules (3)
- Lawrenceville Utilities, the city's own utility, runs electric, natural gas and sanitation service, not water or sewer (lawrencevilleutilities.com).
- Lawrenceville's code still contains its older sewer and water articles, but since December 1, 2020 any conflict with the adopted Gwinnett County ordinances is settled in the county's favor (§ 38-221) (Municode).
- For a building that needs a sewer connection, Lawrenceville requires a Gwinnett DWR sewer connection permit before it issues the building permit (lawrencevillega.org).
Lead service line records in Lawrenceville
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 Lawrenceville?
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 Lawrenceville?
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