Union City, GA 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 City of Union City Water and Sewer Division in Union City. Sewer lines in the public right-of-way are the city's to maintain, repair and replace, and an urgent problem on the city's side, such as a water main break, goes to the city's after-hours line; for the part of your line on private property, call us at (404) 482-2527.

Union City runs its own sewer collection system, and its code divides responsibility for the line from your house at the edge of the public right-of-way (§ 15-214). Some homes in the city aren't on the sewer at all, so the first step is knowing which kind of home you have.

The city's Water and Sewer Division operates and maintains Union City's wastewater collection system. Its listed duties include repairing sewer line failures, maintaining sewer mains, service lines and manholes, running the wastewater lift stations and responding to water and sewer emergencies (Water and Sewer Division). Fulton County, which runs sewer in much of south Fulton, permits sewer projects inside Union City only when the city sends a letter saying it is aware of the project (Fulton County).

Sewer charges come from the city. The Utility Division processes water, sewer, stormwater and sanitation billing and handles new connections, transfers and disconnections (Utility Division). City code bases the sewer service charge on water used, with a minimum availability charge (§ 15-197), and a sewer customer who doesn't get city water is still billed, with the account held in the property owner's name when the customer doesn't own the property (§ 15-213). If your bill shows no sewer charge, ask the city whether your home is on septic; the septic section below covers that case.

The Building Permits Division of the Community Development Department handles construction permits and inspections in the city. Most projects need a permit obtained by the property owner or a licensed and bonded contractor, applications for building, electrical, plumbing and other permits go through the city's online iWorQ portal, and inspections are scheduled online with the permit number, by 4:00 p.m. for next-business-day service (Building Permits). Work must start within 180 days of the permit's issue date, or the permit expires. If the job needs a permit, we tell you before work starts.

Connecting to or opening a public sewer takes a separate written permit from the city, with a permit and inspection fee, and the connection is made under the city's supervision once the building sewer is ready for inspection (§ 15-199). Streets and sidewalks disturbed by the work must be restored to the city's satisfaction.

Before anyone digs in Union City, Georgia 811 asks for a free locate ticket at least three business days ahead, and the state dig law makes one mandatory before digging with powered equipment (Georgia 811; Georgia dig law).

The city's fats, oils and grease page points residents to a regional flyer from the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District, which calls grease the number one cause of sewer blockages in metro Atlanta (FOG Facts). It tells households to let grease cool and pour liquids into a sealable container for the trash, scrape solids and wipe residue into the trash, and use a sink strainer, and it notes that a garbage disposal only chops grease into smaller pieces. The flyer adds that a resident who causes a sewer backup may be held liable for the resulting damage and cleanup costs.

The city's grease-trap rules apply to commercial kitchens and other commercial generators, not residential users (§ 15-215). Rainwater has its own rule: no roof downspouts, exterior foundation drains, areaway drains or other sources of runoff or groundwater may be connected to a building sewer or drain that leads to the public sewer (§ 15-199). For the full list of things that shouldn't go down a drain, see what not to flush or pour.

Some Union City properties use individual septic systems, and owners are responsible for operating and maintaining them (septic information). The city tells owners not to abandon, modify or replace a septic system without first finding out whether public sewer is available and whether city or county approval is needed, and it sends questions about septic repair and replacement requirements to Fulton County Environmental Health. Its septic page also asks owners not to flush wipes, diapers or paper towels, and to keep gutters and downspouts away from the drainfield.

City code ties septic to the sewer's reach. A septic permit comes from the county health department, and no system using soil absorption may be permitted on a lot under 20,000 square feet (§ 15-198). Once a public sewer is within 100 feet of the property line, the owner must connect within 90 days of official notice (§ 15-197). The Fulton County Board of Health permits and inspects septic systems in the county (Board of Health). See septic or sewer: how to tell. We don't pump septic tanks, but when a septic home connects to the sewer, the building sewer on the owner's side is work we do.

Ask the Water and Sewer Division where the public right-of-way ends at your address. Under the city code, that line marks where the city's responsibility for your sewer line begins, and everything on the house side of it is the part we work on. We clear it with drain cleaning or main sewer line cleaning and check it with a sewer camera inspection. Because the code lets a building sewer change direction only where a cleanout is installed, we also handle sewer cleanout installation and repair, and when the pipe has failed we do sewer line repair and the sewer excavation it takes to reach it. Call Georgia Sewer at (404) 482-2527.