The short answer
Repairing or replacing a sewer or water service line in metro Atlanta typically requires a permit and inspection, and work in the public right-of-way can involve additional approvals. Exact rules differ by jurisdiction — confirm with your local building department, or let your licensed plumber coordinate it.
Educational, not legal advice
This guide is general plumbing education, not legal or code advice. Permit rules, fees, and inspection timelines are set by your local building department (your Authority Having Jurisdiction) and by the Georgia State Minimum Standard Plumbing Code, and they change. Always confirm current requirements with your local building department before starting work — or let our licensed team pull the permit and confirm the details for you.
Why are underground lines permitted?
Sewer and water service lines are essential, buried infrastructure connecting your home to public systems. Because faulty work can contaminate water, leak sewage, or undermine the right-of-way, this work is generally permitted and inspected to meet the Georgia State Minimum Standard Plumbing Code and local rules.
What can be involved beyond a basic permit?
Trenchless methods like CIPP lining still require the proper permits even though there is little digging — the permit is about the work, not just the hole.
Depending on the location and scope, line work may involve:
- A plumbing permit and inspection for the connection and pipe
- Right-of-way or encroachment coordination if work is in the street or easement
- Locating existing utilities before digging (call-before-you-dig)
- Coordination with the water/sewer authority for the tap or connection
Why we don't list per-county specifics here
Fees, forms, and timelines for sewer and water line permits differ across City of Atlanta, Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, Clayton, and Douglas — and they change. Rather than risk publishing a number that is wrong for your address, we confirm the current requirement with your building department as part of the job.
Always call before you dig
Before any excavation, underground utilities must be located. A licensed plumber handles this step — it protects you from striking gas, power, or communication lines.
How does Head's handle it?
We scope the line, determine the right repair, pull the required permits, coordinate utility locating and any right-of-way needs, and see the inspection through. You get a correct, documented repair without navigating multiple agencies yourself.
Generally yes. Permitting is tied to the work being performed on the sewer line, not to how much digging is involved, so trenchless lining typically still requires the proper permit and inspection.
Homeowners are usually responsible for the lateral line on their property connecting to the public main, but the exact boundary varies by jurisdiction. We can help you understand responsibility for your specific connection.
Terms in this guide
- Water service line
- The pipe that carries clean water from the city main (or your well) to your home. When it leaks or fails, it can cause low pressure, soggy spots in the yard, or a high water bill.
- Trenchless repair / CIPP lining
- A way to fix a damaged sewer or drain line without digging up the whole yard. Cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) lining inserts a resin-saturated liner into the old pipe and hardens it into a new, seamless pipe-within-a-pipe through one or two small access points.
- Sewer camera / scope
- A waterproof video camera on a flexible cable that a plumber feeds into your sewer or drain line to see the exact location and cause of a problem — roots, a collapse, a belly (sag), or a separated joint — before recommending a repair.