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A new concrete septic tank set level on gravel in a red clay pit, a white PVC inlet pipe and a green riser on top.

Septic System Installation · Greensboro, GA

New septic system installation for homes around Greensboro and across Greene County, built to the county's lot-size rule and permit process.

Greensboro, Greene County. ZIP code 30642.
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  • Lake Oconee & Lake Sinclair
  • Residential & commercial
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The short answer

What does septic installation in Greensboro, GA require?

Outside Greensboro's sewer area, a new septic system needs a septic approval letter from Greene County Environmental Health on Apalachee Avenue before the county will issue a building permit. The lot must meet Greene's minimum of 0.75 acre on public water or 1.5 acres on a well. We build the permitted system and coordinate the inspection.↗↗

Reviewed by A Class Septic Services · Last updated

At a glance

County
Greene County
ZIP codes
30642
Sewer
City of Greensboro (municipal water and sewerage system)
Water
City of Greensboro (with city supply wells)
Population
3,609 (ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B01003)

Local facts

Greene County numbers for a new septic system

Each row links to the agency, code or publisher it comes from. Tap a source to check it yourself.

Local lot, fee and setback figures that decide whether and where a Greensboro-area lot can take a tank and field.
TopicWhat it saysSource
Minimum lot, public water0.75 acre (32,670 sq ft), 25,500 sq ft of it usableGreene County Board of Health: Lot Size Ordinance (effective Sept 7, 2018)
Minimum lot, private well1.5 acres (65,340 sq ft)Same source as above
Lake Oconee strip not countedLand within 75 ft of the high-water line is left out of the lot areaSame source as above
New residential inspection fee$350; $400 for five or more bedroomsGreene County EH Fees (effective August 1, 2024)
Septic site plan review$75Same source as above
City wellhead zonesNo septic tank or drain field within 1,500 ft of a Greensboro water supply wellGreensboro Code § 117-5: Wellhead protection zones, prohibited uses

The Greensboro story

Greene's lot rule is stricter than the state's

Georgia's default septic lot minimum is half an acre on public water and a full acre on a well. Greene County's Board of Health raised both, to 0.75 and 1.5 acres, and on Lake Oconee frontage it doesn't count the first 75 feet back from the high-water line at all. The state's own default excludes only 50.↗↗

That makes the survey the first document on any Greensboro-area build, especially on the lake lots strung along GA 44 toward Harbor Club and Reynolds. A parcel that looks like an acre on the listing can measure short once the shoreline strip comes out.

The other surprise is in town. Greensboro draws on city supply wells, and its code bars septic tanks and drain fields within 1,500 feet of one. A lot close to a wellhead simply cannot take a field, whatever its size.↗

Georgia's default septic lot minimum is half an acre on public water and a full acre on a well.

Sewer or septic?

City sewer, Piedmont sewer, or a tank of your own

Greensboro's code calls public sewer available to any property within 500 feet of it, which reaches further than Georgia's statewide 200-foot test. Where city sewer isn't available, the code sends septic applications to the Greene County Health Department, and the owner maintains the system.↗↗

South of town, Piedmont Water lists sewer in Reynolds Lake Oconee, Great Waters, Cuscowilla and along the Highway 44 corridor in southern Greene, mostly low-pressure systems fed by a grinder pump at each building.↗

Permits · Greene County Environmental Health, Northeast Health District (1031 Apalachee Avenue, Greensboro)

The Greene County path from septic letter to final inspection

Specialists keep in-office hours from 8:30 to 10 a.m. on weekdays; call 706-453-4471 before you drive over.
  1. 01

    Call the Environmental Health Manager to request a septic letter or perc test for the parcel.↗

  2. 02

    Take the approval letter to the county building office; any building permit that will use septic needs it attached.↗

  3. 03

    Install the system the permit specifies inside its 12-month life.↗

  4. 04

    Leave it uncovered for the county's final inspection and written approval.↗

Published fees

  • Residential septic tank inspectionEffective 2024-08-01$350.00↗
  • Residential inspection, 5+ bedroomsEffective 2024-08-01$400.00↗
  • Septic system site plan reviewEffective 2024-08-01$75.00↗

Soil & terrain

Gravelly loam in town, sandy loam to the west

The Greene soil survey maps Lloyd gravelly loam on 2 to 6 percent slopes under downtown Greensboro and Cecil gravelly sandy loam to the west, toward the lake. Both are rated somewhat limited for septic fields, workable with a proper soil report, but rarely the easy sand a builder hopes for.↗

  1. Lloyd gravelly loam, 2-6% slopes↗

    Mapped at downtown Greensboro; somewhat limited for septic fields.

  2. Cecil gravelly sandy loam↗

    West of town toward Lake Oconee; somewhat limited.

  3. Soil series · USDA NRCS

What it costs

New septic costs: outside ranges for scale

Third-party national numbers. Add Greene's own $350 to $400 inspection fee and $75 plan review.

What moves the price

These are third-party typical market ranges, not our prices. Every job is quoted after we see it — estimates are free.

Free estimate: (678) 863-5620
  1. 01How much usable area is left after the 75-ft lake strip and setbacks
  2. 02Whether the soil report allows a conventional field or calls for drip or aerobic
  3. 03Bedroom count, which moves both the tank size and the county fee
  4. 04Clearing on wooded lake parcels

Nearby areas

Septic installation near Greensboro

FAQ

Greensboro septic installation questions

Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.

(678) 863-5620

How big does my lot need to be for septic in Greene County?

At least 0.75 acre on public water or 1.5 acres on a private well, under the Board of Health's 2018 ordinance, not counting land within 75 feet of Lake Oconee's high-water line.

Source: Greene County Board of Health: Lot Size Ordinance (effective Sept 7, 2018)

What is a septic letter and who issues it?

It's Greene County Environmental Health's approval that the lot can take septic. You request it, or a perc test, from the Environmental Health Manager, and the building office needs it with your permit application.

Source: Greene County, GA: Septic Tank Permits

What does Greene charge to inspect a new septic system?

$350 for a residential system, or $400 with five or more bedrooms, under the fees effective August 1, 2024. Plan review is $75.

Source: Greene County EH Fees (effective August 1, 2024)

I'm just outside Greensboro. Will the city make me use sewer?

If city sewer is within 500 feet, the city treats it as available and may require a connection. Beyond that, septic permits come from the county health department.

Source: Greensboro Code § 30-88: Definitions (sewer availability)

Can I put a septic system near the city's water wells?

No. Greensboro's wellhead protection code prohibits septic tanks and drain fields within 1,500 feet of a city water supply well.

Source: Greensboro Code § 117-5: Wellhead protection zones, prohibited uses

When can I catch a Greene County septic specialist in the office?

Specialists keep in-office hours from 8:30 to 10 a.m. on weekdays at the health department building, 1031 Apalachee Avenue in Greensboro. Call 706-453-4471 first.

Source: Northeast Health District: Greene County locations (Environmental Health)

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

  1. 1Greene County, GA: Septic Tank Permits
  2. 2Greene County Board of Health: Lot Size Ordinance (effective Sept 7, 2018)
  3. 3Greene County EH Fees (effective August 1, 2024)
  4. 4Greensboro Code § 117-5: Wellhead protection zones, prohibited uses
  5. 5GA DPH Manual for On-Site Sewage Management Systems (March 2026), Section M: Lot Sizing
  6. 6Greensboro Code § 30-88: Definitions (sewer availability)
  7. 7Greensboro Code § 30-90: Private sewage disposal
  8. 8Piedmont Water Company: Wastewater Services
  9. 9Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 511-3-1-.03, General Requirements for On-Site Sewage Management Systems (LII)
  10. 10USDA NRCS Soil Data Access: GA133 map units at Greensboro sample points
  11. 11HomeAdvisor: Septic System Installation Cost (updated Jun 20, 2026)
  12. 12Northeast Health District: Greene County locations (Environmental Health)

Ready when you are

Building in Greene County? Measure the lot first.

Send the plat and the bedroom count. We'll look at the usable area under Greene's rule, then clear, dig and install the system your permit calls for.

(678) 863-5620

Free estimate

or call (678) 863-5620

Property type
What do you need?
Rather talk? (678) 863-5620
Where's the property?
Is it a lake lot? (optional)
Who should we call?

By submitting, you agree we may call or text you about this request. Privacy.

Call nowFree Estimate