GUIDE · SEPTIC COSTS 2026
Get a free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620The short answer
HomeAdvisor's June 2026 figures put a new septic system at $3,590 to $12,463, averaging $8,016. A conventional anaerobic system runs $3,000 to $8,000, drip $8,000 to $18,000 and aerobic $10,000 to $20,000. County permit fees add a few hundred dollars, and lake lots usually land high.
Reviewed by A Class Septic Services · Last updated
Who does the work
One crew, raw ground to a working system
Key facts
Each row links to the agency, code or publisher it comes from. Tap a source to check it yourself.
| Topic | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Typical total (national) | $3,590-$12,463; average $8,016 | HomeAdvisor: Septic System Installation Cost (updated Jun 20, 2026), 2026 |
| Labor share | 50% to 70% of the total | Same source as above |
| Drain field installation | $5,000-$12,000 | Same source as above |
| 1,000-gallon tank (3-4 bedrooms) | $900-$1,500 for the tank | Same source as above |
| Greene County new-system inspection | $350, or $400 for five or more bedrooms (fees effective Aug. 1, 2024) | Greene County EH Fees (effective August 1, 2024), Northeast Health District, 2024 |
| Morgan County new-system inspection | $350, or $400 for five bedrooms, plus $50-$75 plan reviews | Morgan County EH fees, effective August 1, 2024 (Northeast Health District), 2024 |
| Putnam, Baldwin, Hancock, Jasper, Jones | No septic fee schedule posted by the North Central Health District; call the county office | North Central Health District: Putnam County Environmental Health Department |
| Georgia minimum tank | 1,000 gallons for up to four bedrooms, plus 250 gallons per extra bedroom | Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 511-3-1-.05, Septic Tanks (LII) |
What it costs
Anaerobic (conventional) system
$3,000–$8,000
per system
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: Septic System Installation Cost (updated Jun 20, 2026), 2026
Chambered system
$5,000–$12,000
per system
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: Septic System Installation Cost (updated Jun 20, 2026), 2026
Drip system
$8,000–$18,000
per system
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: Septic System Installation Cost (updated Jun 20, 2026), 2026
Mound system
$10,000–$20,000
per system
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: Septic System Installation Cost (updated Jun 20, 2026), 2026
Aerobic system
$10,000–$20,000
per system
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: Septic System Installation Cost (updated Jun 20, 2026), 2026
1,200-gallon tank (5-6 bedrooms)
$1,200–$1,600
tank only
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: Septic System Installation Cost (updated Jun 20, 2026), 2026
1,500-gallon tank (6-7 bedrooms)
$1,500–$2,500
tank only
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: Septic System Installation Cost (updated Jun 20, 2026), 2026
Septic installer labor
$1,500–$4,000
per job
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: Septic System Installation Cost (updated Jun 20, 2026), 2026
Excavation contractor
$1,500–$6,300
per job
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: Septic System Installation Cost (updated Jun 20, 2026), 2026
Soil engineer / percolation work
$700–$2,000
per job
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: Septic System Installation Cost (updated Jun 20, 2026), 2026
Septic tank riser
$300–$600
each
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: Septic System Installation Cost (updated Jun 20, 2026), 2026
Distribution box
$500–$1,500
each
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: Septic System Installation Cost (updated Jun 20, 2026), 2026
Land clearing, heavily forested
$3,600–$5,600
per acre
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: Land Clearing Cost (updated Jun 17, 2026), 2026
These are third-party typical market ranges, not A Class Septic Services prices. Every lot is different, and estimates are free.
Free estimate: (678) 863-5620Plain definitions
The whole story
The national average assumes a lot that cooperates. Lake lots around Oconee and Sinclair often do not. The septic field has to stay 50 feet from normal lake level, so it gets pushed up the slope toward the road while the house sits down by the water. That adds a pump tank and a pressure line. If the soil over the Piedmont rock is shallow, the county may only permit drip or aerobic designs, which HomeAdvisor prices at roughly double a conventional system.
Then there is the dirt work that never shows up in a septic quote but always shows up on the bill. Clearing for the field and a truck path, hauling stumps off a wooded lot, silt fence on a slope that drains to the cove, and a gravel drive firm enough for a concrete tank delivery all cost money. On Lake Oconee, Georgia Power also bars mechanical clearing in the 25-foot shoreline buffer without its approval, which shapes where machines can work.
One cost lake owners sometimes avoid: in Greene County, a single-family home that disturbs less than an acre and is not within 200 feet of state waters gets its land disturbance permit at no charge. Many lakefront lots are within 200 feet of the water, though, and those need a full erosion plan.
Your options
OPTION 01
When it fits: Properties EPWSA can serve in and around Eatonton.
Fees from the EPWSA schedule dated May 16, 2025.
OPTION 02
When it fits: Lots inside Madison's service area in Morgan County.
HomeAdvisor puts sewer line installation at $50 to $250 per linear foot.
OPTION 03
When it fits: Everywhere sewer is not within 200 feet of the property line, which covers most lake shorelines.
How the job runs
If a public or community sewer line is within 200 feet of the property line, Georgia expects a connection, and the septic budget becomes a tap-fee budget.
511-3-1-.03(1)Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 511-3-1-.03, General Requirements for On-Site Sewage Management Systems (LII)
The county's evaluation decides the system type. HomeAdvisor prices soil engineering at $700 to $2,000; Greene and Morgan list a $75 site plan review.
HomeAdvisor: Septic System Installation Cost (updated Jun 20, 2026)
Get quotes against the permitted design, not a generic one. A drip permit cannot be built as a conventional field to save money.
GA DPH Manual for On-Site Sewage Management Systems (March 2026), Section F: Dispersal Systems
Clearing, access, erosion control and any pump line belong in the same budget. Ask whether the quote includes them.
Include the county inspection fee and, for aerobic or drip, the service policy that continues after the first three years.
GA DPH Manual for On-Site Sewage Management Systems (March 2026), Section D: Pretreatment
FAQ
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620HomeAdvisor's June 2026 national data shows a normal range of $3,590 to $12,463, with most owners spending around $8,016. Conventional anaerobic systems run $3,000 to $8,000. Georgia-specific factors, mainly the system type the county permits and the lot's slope and access, decide where a job lands.
Source: HomeAdvisor: Septic System Installation Cost (updated Jun 20, 2026)
Both counties use Northeast Health District fee schedules effective August 1, 2024. A residential new-system septic tank inspection is $350, or $400 for larger homes, and a site plan review is $75. Morgan also lists a $50 location plan review and a $75 expedited service fee.
Source: Morgan County EH fees, effective August 1, 2024 (Northeast Health District)
The North Central Health District, which covers Putnam, Baldwin, Hancock, Jasper and Jones, does not post a septic fee schedule online. Call the county Environmental Health office for the current fee; in Putnam that is (706) 485-8591 at 117 Putnam Drive in Eatonton.
Source: North Central Health District: Putnam County Environmental Health Department
Both add a powered treatment unit, controls and an alarm to the basic tank. HomeAdvisor's 2026 figures put drip systems at $8,000 to $18,000 and aerobic systems at $10,000 to $20,000, compared with $3,000 to $8,000 for a conventional system, and Georgia requires ongoing service on both.
Source: HomeAdvisor: Septic System Installation Cost (updated Jun 20, 2026)
HomeAdvisor lists $900 to $1,500 for a 1,000-gallon tank suited to three or four bedrooms, $1,200 to $1,600 for 1,200 gallons and $1,500 to $2,500 for 1,500 gallons. By material, concrete runs $700 to $2,000, plastic $500 to $2,000 and fiberglass $1,200 to $2,000, tank only.
Source: HomeAdvisor: Septic System Installation Cost (updated Jun 20, 2026)
Sometimes, where it is available. EPWSA's posted cost for a 4-inch sewer connection is $4,582 including the system development charge, and Madison posts a $2,500 4-inch tap plus a $1,500 connection fee. The private line to the street adds $50 to $250 per foot, per HomeAdvisor.
Source: EPWSA Schedule of Rates, Fees, and Penalties (5.16.25, corrected)
HomeAdvisor's June 2026 guide puts drain field installation at $5,000 to $12,000 and replacement at about $7,000. Georgia also requires a reserved repair area large enough for a full replacement field, which matters more on a small lake lot than the dollar figure.
Source: HomeAdvisor: Septic System Installation Cost (updated Jun 20, 2026)
Usually. Fields must stay 50 feet from normal lake level, so they move uphill and add a pump. Shallow soil over rock often means drip or aerobic designs. Wooded, sloped lots add clearing and erosion control, and Georgia Power limits clearing near the shoreline on Lake Oconee.
Source: Georgia Power: Lake Oconee Shoreline Guidelines (PDF)
Worth knowing
A Class Septic Services installs septic systems and does the excavation, clearing and grading around them across Putnam, Greene, Morgan, Baldwin, Hancock, Jasper and Jones counties. Estimates are free, and military members and first responders get 10% off. Call (678) 863-5620.
Keep going
Sources
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
Ready when you are
A septic price is the sum of a tank, a field, the dirt work to put them in and the county fees around them. Here are published 2026 ranges for each piece, and what Lake Oconee and Lake Sinclair lots tend to add.
(678) 863-5620Free estimate
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