Septic permits & records
Greene County Environmental Health (Northeast Health District)
- Address
- 1031 Apalachee Ave, Greensboro, GA 30642
- Phone
- 706-453-4471
- Hours
- Specialists in the office 8:30-10:00 a.m., Monday-Friday
Greene County · Septic & site work
Septic installation, drain fields and lake-lot site work in Greene County, Georgia, where septic lot sizes leave out the 75 feet nearest Lake Oconee.
Greensboro is the county seat. Septic permits and records: Greene County Environmental Health (Northeast Health District), part of Northeast Health District (District 10) — Environmental Health.
- Lake Oconee & Lake Sinclair
- Residential & commercial
- 10% off: military & first responders
Get a free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620The short answer
How do septic permits work in Greene County, GA?
Greene County Environmental Health in Greensboro issues the septic approval letter the county building office requires with any permit that will use septic. Lots need 0.75 acre on public water or 1.5 acres on a well, and the land within 75 feet of Lake Oconee's high-water line does not count. A residential repair permit is $200.↗↗↗
Reviewed by A Class Septic Services · Last updated
Local facts
Greene County septic rules and numbers
Each row links to the agency, code or publisher it comes from. Tap a source to check it yourself.
| Topic | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Permit office | Greene County Environmental Health, 1031 Apalachee Avenue, Greensboro; 706-453-4471; specialists in the office 8:30-10 a.m. weekdays | Northeast Health District: Greene County locations (Environmental Health) |
| Minimum septic lot | 0.75 acre on public water, 1.5 acres on a private well, excluding land within 75 ft of Lake Oconee's high-water line | Greene County Board of Health: Lot Size Ordinance (effective Sept 7, 2018) |
| New residential septic inspection fee | $350; $400 for five or more bedrooms (August 1, 2024) | Greene County EH Fees (effective August 1, 2024) |
| Repair permit | $200 residential, $300 commercial | Same source as above |
| Soils and septic fields | About 38% of surveyed acreage very limited, 57% somewhat limited | USDA NRCS Soil Data Access: ENG Septic Tank Absorption Fields, survey area GA133 |
| Urban population | None: 100% of residents lived in rural areas at the 2020 census | Wikipedia: Greene County, Georgia |
| Housing | 10,830 units: 8,596 single-family detached, 1,260 mobile homes; median built 1997 | Census Reporter: Greene County, GA (ACS 2020-2024 5-year) |
The Greene County story
Where Lake Oconee money meets Greene County farm ground
Drive Highway 44 south from Greensboro and the county changes in about ten minutes. Pasture and hay fields give way to the gates of Reynolds Lake Oconee, the shops at Lake Oconee Village and Harbor Club's 1,100 wooded acres along nine miles of shoreline. Del Webb's active-adult lake community sits on the Greene side too. Not one resident of the county counted as urban in 2020, yet its lakeshore is lined with gated golf communities.↗↗↗
That mix explains how septic gets decided here. The Board of Health wrote one of the stricter lot rules in the region, and it is aimed squarely at the lake: the strip within 75 feet of high water is subtracted before anyone checks whether a lot is big enough. A 0.8-acre lake lot with a long shoreline can come up short on paper. The ordinance also says its minimums assume a typical three or four-bedroom home, and that larger houses, pools, tennis courts or outbuildings can require more.↗
Off the lake, the work looks different: farmhouse tanks near Union Point and White Plains that have outlived their fields, new homes on wooded tracts toward Penfield, and long gravel drives that need grading before a well rig or a tank truck can reach the site.
Sewer or septic?
Greensboro sewer, Piedmont grinder pumps, or a septic tank
Greensboro runs its own sewer and goes further than the state: its code treats any property within 500 feet of a public sewer as served and lets the city order a connection within 90 days. Union Point runs its own small plant. Woodville, Siloam and White Plains have no municipal wastewater permit on record, so their homes use septic.↗
On the lake, Piedmont Water Company lists Reynolds at Lake Oconee among its sewer communities, along with the Highway 44 corridor in southern Greene. Most of it is low-pressure sewer with a grinder pump at each house, and Piedmont says the pump is the owner's. Some Reynolds homesites are still sold septic-required, such as a 1.17-acre lot on Cedar Ridge Drive. Harbor Club is not on Piedmont's list, and its homes are mostly on septic; Del Webb is on it.↗↗↗
How to tell which one you have
- A Piedmont Water bill with a sewer charge means low-pressure sewer and a grinder pump.
- A Greensboro or Union Point utility bill with sewer means a gravity tap.
- No sewer charge anywhere means septic; Greene EH keeps the permit file.
Permits · Greene County Environmental Health, Northeast Health District
Greene County's septic permit path
Greene publishes its fees and a lot ordinance, which makes it easier to plan than most counties. The catch is the short in-office window: call early.
- 01
Call the Environmental Health manager at 706-453-4471 to request a septic letter or perc test; the building office will not accept a septic-dependent permit without that approval letter.↗
- 02
Check the lot against the Board of Health minimum: 0.75 acre on public water or 1.5 acres on a well, each with 25,500 square feet of usable soil, both measured without the 75 feet nearest Lake Oconee.↗
- 03
Pay the published fee: $350 for a new residential system ($400 at five bedrooms), $200 for a residential repair permit, $75 for a site plan review.↗
- 04
Install and pass the county's inspection while the permit is still valid; Georgia permits last no more than 12 months.↗
Georgia rule Greene County Board of Health lot size ordinance
“minimum lot sizes shall be exclusive of that portion of a lot lying within seventy-five (75’) of the high water level line of Lake Oconee”
Published fees
- Residential septic inspection (new system)Effective 2024-08-01$350.00↗
- Residential septic inspection, 5+ bedroomsEffective 2024-08-01$400.00↗
- Residential repair permitEffective 2024-08-01$200.00↗
- Residential septic evaluationEffective 2024-08-01$175.00↗
- Septic site plan reviewEffective 2024-08-01$75.00↗
- Commercial repair permitEffective 2024-08-01$300.00↗
More about Greene County
Clearing a Greene lake lot: the 200-foot erosion trigger
Greene ties its land disturbance permit to the water. A plan, a land disturbance permit (with the septic letter if one applies) and an EPD notice of intent are required when the job is in a common development, disturbs more than an acre, or sits within 200 feet of state waters, which includes spring-fed ponds and creeks as well as the lake. After the notice goes to EPD, the county waits 14 days before issuing permits.↗
Most Reynolds and Harbor Club lots fall inside that 200-foot line, so clearing is planned around the paperwork. A home site under an acre and farther from water needs only a stand-alone erosion plan, and the county issues that permit free.↗
Georgia Power adds its own limits at the shore. Nobody grubs or regrades the 25-foot buffer or project land without its written approval, and roof drains or yard pipes have to stop at the boundary and spread into a swale, French drain or dry creek bed rather than running to the water.↗
Greene ties its land disturbance permit to the water.
Soil & terrain
Cecil and Lloyd uplands, Chewacla bottoms
Cecil is the biggest soil in Greene, about 87,500 of 259,900 surveyed acres, followed by Lloyd, which maps right under downtown Greensboro as a gravelly loam. Both are workable red-clay uplands. The trouble spots are Cataula, Helena and Hard Labor, about 35,000 acres together, whose subsoils slow water down.↗
Greene drains three ways. West of a line through Woodville, Union Point and White Plains it falls to the Upper Oconee and the lake; the rest splits between the Little River of the Savannah basin and the Upper Ogeechee.↗
Cecil↗
About 87,500 acres, the county's largest component.
Lloyd↗
About 31,600 acres; gravelly loam under downtown Greensboro.
Pacolet↗
About 24,400 acres of sloping upland.
Chewacla↗
About 20,300 acres of wet floodplain.
Cataula, Helena and Hard Labor↗
About 35,000 acres with slow subsoils.
- Soil series · USDA NRCS
Services here
Septic and site work we do in Greene County
- 01Septic System InstallationLots that pass the acreage test once the 75-foot strip comes out.Septic System Installation details
- 02Drip Septic SystemsLake homesites where trenches will not fit.Drip Septic Systems details
- 03Aerobic Septic SystemsPretreatment ahead of drip, or where rock and slow subsoil sit close.Aerobic Septic Systems details
- 04Septic System RepairFarmhouse systems around Union Point, White Plains and Siloam.Septic System Repair details
- 05Drain Field Installation & RepairReplacing fields in Cataula and Helena ground that never drained well.Drain Field Installation & Repair details
- 06Septic Pump SystemsLakefront houses below their usable soil.Septic Pump Systems details
- 07Land & Lot ClearingClearing inside the permit limits and the buffer.Land & Lot Clearing details
- 08Excavation ServicesBasements, pads and utility trenches.Excavation Services details
- 09Erosion Control & Land DryingSilt fence and stabilization within 200 feet of state waters.Erosion Control & Land Drying details
Also available:Grading & Driveway PreparationSewer Line Builds, Taps & RebuildsFrench Drain InstallationBasement Excavation
Towns we serve
Greene County towns and lake communities
Five incorporated towns and the Lake Oconee communities along Highway 44.
- GreensboroCounty seat; city sewer with a 500-foot connection rule.Greensboro septic & sewer
- Union PointIts own wastewater plant; septic on the rural edges.Union Point septic & sewer
- White PlainsTown water, no municipal sewer.White Plains septic & sewer
- SiloamSmall town on septic near I-20.Siloam septic & sewer
- WoodvilleNo wastewater permit on record; all septic.Woodville septic & sewer
- Reynolds Lake OconeePiedmont sewer on many lots, septic-required homesites on others.Reynolds Lake Oconee septic & sewer
- The Landing at ReynoldsFormer Port Armor; on Piedmont's sewer list.The Landing at Reynolds septic & sewer
- Harbor ClubMorrish-Weiskopf golf on nine miles of shoreline; mostly septic.Harbor Club septic & sewer
- Del Webb Lake OconeeActive-adult community on Piedmont grinder-pump sewer.Del Webb Lake Oconee septic & sewer
- Lake Oconee Parkway and Lake Oconee VillageHighway 44 corridor where Piedmont sewer is parcel by parcel.Lake Oconee Parkway and Lake Oconee Village septic & sewer
- Greene's open Lake Oconee shorelineParks Mill and older lake roads outside the gates, on septic.Greene's open Lake Oconee shoreline septic & sewer
Also in the county
- Old Salem and Parks Ferry · Georgia Power parks off Old Salem Road and Parks Mill Road.
- Penfield, Carey, Greshamville, Veazey and Bairdstown · Unincorporated communities.
Who to call at the county
Greene County offices and utilities
- City of Greensboro Water & Sewer Water and gravity sewer in and next to the citySewer counts as available within 500 feet.↗
- Piedmont Water Company Lake-community water and low-pressure sewer (Reynolds, Highway 44 corridor)↗
- Greene County erosion control Land disturbance permits and ES&PC plans↗
- Georgia Power East Georgia Lakes Shoreline and buffer approvals on Lake Oconee↗
FAQ
Greene County septic questions
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620How big does a lot need to be for septic in Greene County?
The Board of Health sets 0.75 acre on public water and 1.5 acres on a private well, each with 25,500 square feet of usable soil, for a typical three or four-bedroom home. Land within 75 feet of Lake Oconee's high-water line does not count.
Source: Greene County Board of Health: Lot Size Ordinance (effective Sept 7, 2018)
What does a septic permit cost in Greene County?
Under fees effective August 1, 2024, a new residential system inspection is $350, or $400 at five or more bedrooms; a residential repair permit is $200 and a site plan review $75. Those are county fees, separate from the work.
Is Reynolds Lake Oconee on sewer or septic?
Both. Piedmont Water lists Reynolds among its sewer communities, mostly low-pressure systems with a grinder pump at each house, but some Reynolds homesites are sold septic-required. Get the lot's utility letter first.
Source: Piedmont Water Company: Wastewater Services (sewer communities list)
Who owns the grinder pump on a Piedmont sewer lot?
Piedmont Water says the grinder pump is the homeowner's property and responsibility, and its systems are built around E/One pumps, so a different brand can cause backups. We trench and lay the service line; Piedmont handles its own main.
Do I need a land disturbance permit to clear a lake lot in Greene County?
Usually. The county requires an erosion plan, a land disturbance permit and an EPD notice of intent within 200 feet of state waters, over one acre, or in a common development, then waits 14 days after the notice before issuing permits.
Source: Greene County, GA: Erosion Control Permit Requirements
When does Greensboro make you connect to sewer?
The city code treats a property within 500 feet of its public sewer as having sewer available and allows the city to order connection within 90 days. That is a wider net than the state's 200-foot rule.
When can I talk to someone at Greene County Environmental Health?
Specialists are in the office from 8:30 to 10 a.m. on weekdays at 1031 Apalachee Avenue, Greensboro. Call 706-453-4471 early.
Source: Northeast Health District: Greene County locations (Environmental Health)
How far from Lake Oconee does a drain field have to be?
Georgia's rule keeps absorption fields 50 feet from the lake's normal water level and 100 feet from wells. Greene's lot rule is separate and stacks on top: the 75-foot strip still counts against your lot size.
Source: Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 511-3-1-.07, Absorption Fields (LII)
Guides
Planning a Greene County build
Drip vs. conventional septic on a lake lotThe choice most Reynolds and Harbor Club homesites face.Read the guide 
Erosion control on a Georgia lake lotGreene's 200-foot trigger and Georgia Power's buffer in practice.Read the guide 
The Georgia septic permit processThe state steps behind Greene's septic letter.Read the guide
Sources
Where these facts come from
Rules, costs and local facts on this page link to the agency, code or publisher that states them. Cost figures are third-party market ranges, not our prices — estimates are free.
Reviewed by A Class Septic Services · Last updated
- 1Greene County, GA: Septic Tank Permits
- 2Greene County Board of Health: Lot Size Ordinance (effective Sept 7, 2018)
- 3Greene County EH Fees (effective August 1, 2024)
- 4Northeast Health District: Greene County locations (Environmental Health)
- 5USDA NRCS Soil Data Access: ENG Septic Tank Absorption Fields, survey area GA133
- 6Wikipedia: Greene County, Georgia
- 7Census Reporter: Greene County, GA (ACS 2020-2024 5-year)
- 8Harbor Club on Lake Oconee (official site)
- 9MLS listing: 1100 Summer Station Street, Greensboro GA 30642 (Del Webb at Lake Oconee, Greene County)
- 10Greene County, GA: Short-Term Rentals
- 11Greensboro Code § 30-89: Sewer use requirements
- 12Piedmont Water Company: Wastewater Services (sewer communities list)
- 13Piedmont Water Company: Grinder Pumps
- 14MLS listing: 1261 Cedar Ridge Dr, Greensboro GA 30642 (Reynolds Lake Oconee)
- 15Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 511-3-1 (On-Site Sewage Management Systems)
- 16Greene County, GA: Erosion Control Permit Requirements
- 17Georgia Power: Lake Oconee Shoreline Guidelines
- 18Georgia Power: East Georgia Lakes (Oconee/Sinclair)
- 19Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 511-3-1-.07, Absorption Fields (LII)
Ready when you are
Lake homesite or farm tract in Greene? We'll walk it with you.
Call about clearing, grading and the septic system for your Greene County property, from Greensboro to the Highway 44 lake communities. Military and first responders save 10%.
(678) 863-5620- Lake Oconee & Lake Sinclair
- Residential & commercial
- 10% off for military & first responders
Free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620