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
Lake Oconee · Lake Oconee Parkway
Sewer line work, septic systems and commercial site work along Lake Oconee Parkway (Georgia 44) in Greene and Putnam counties.
Lake Oconee Parkway (GA 44) and Lake Oconee Village, on Lake Oconee · Greene County. ZIP code 30642.
- Lake Oconee & Lake Sinclair
- Residential & commercial
- 10% off: military & first responders
Get a free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620The short answer
Is property on Lake Oconee Parkway on sewer or septic?
It depends on the parcel. Piedmont Water has sewer along the Highway 44 corridor in north Putnam and southern Greene, mostly low-pressure lines fed by grinder pumps, but a nearby main does not guarantee a lot can connect. Parcels Piedmont will not serve in writing go on septic, permitted by Greene or Putnam Environmental Health.↗↗
Reviewed by A Class Septic Services · Last updated
The Lake Oconee Parkway story
One highway, two counties, the lake's busiest ground
Georgia 44 leaves Eatonton, crosses the Lick Creek arm of Lake Oconee on the Tom C. Hallman Memorial Bridge, then crosses the Oconee River into Greene County and runs north to I-20 at Exit 130. On the Greene side its addresses read Lake Oconee Parkway, and this is where the lake does its errands: the Publix at Lake Oconee Village, St. Mary's Good Samaritan Hospital, Lake Oconee Academy, and the turns toward Reynolds and the Ritz-Carlton.↗↗↗
It is also where the next round of building is landing. In September 2025, Greene commissioners rezoned 96.20 acres on the Parkway from agricultural to B2 commercial and another 162.10 acres to RM multifamily. Piedmont Water is spending $22 million to triple its Carey Station reclamation plant from 0.5 to 1.5 million gallons a day, and it has told local agents about a Richland Creek sewer expansion and an Oconee Crossing to Tech Park water line.↗↗↗
For a site contractor that adds up to a corridor of mixed jobs: sewer service lines and taps where Piedmont will take the flow, septic systems on parcels it will not, and a lot of red-clay grading that has to stay out of the lake while it is open.
Local facts
The Parkway corridor, sourced
Each row links to the agency, code or publisher it comes from. Tap a source to check it yourself.
| Topic | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Sewer on the corridor | Piedmont Water: available along Hwy 44 in north Putnam and southern Greene, beyond its named communities | Piedmont Water Company: Wastewater Services (sewer communities list) |
| Treatment plant | Carey Station Water Reclamation Facility, $22M expansion from 0.5 to 1.5 MGD with lined storage ponds | Piedmont Water: Carey Station Water Reclamation Facility expansion (Jan 2026) |
| Water for Parkway businesses | Piedmont's 2 MGD lake-water plant (online Sept. 2022) serves Reynolds plus Lake Oconee Academy and St. Mary's | Madison/Morgan & Greene Record: New Piedmont Water treatment plant goes online (Sept 7, 2022) |
| 2025 rezonings | 96.20 acres to B2 commercial and 162.10 acres to RM multifamily (Sept. 9, 2025) | Greene County Board of Commissioners: September 9, 2025 meeting minutes |
| Soil on the Greene stretch | Sedgefield-Crawfordville complex, 2 to 6 percent slopes; NRCS rates it very limited for septic fields | USDA NRCS Soil Data Access: map unit on Lake Oconee Parkway (33.4558, -83.2447), survey area GA133 |
| Landmarks | Lake Oconee Village, 6350 Lake Oconee Pkwy; Lake Oconee Academy, 1021 Titan Circle | Lake Oconee Academy (official site) |
Sewer or septic?
Sewer on the corridor is a yes-or-no per parcel
Piedmont's own guidance to Lake Country real estate agents is blunt: check water and sewer separately, because a property can have one without the other, and a utility line running past a vacant lot does not mean that lot can connect. Availability questions for land that has never been connected go to development@piedmontwater.com, and Piedmont wants that confirmation in writing before anyone markets it.↗
Where Piedmont does serve, most of its sewer is low pressure. Each building has its own grinder pump that turns wastewater to slurry and pushes it into the main, and Piedmont says that pump belongs to the property owner, built around the E/One units its systems are designed for. Budget two separate one-time charges: a tap fee for the physical connection and a system development charge for capacity.↗↗↗
Where it does not, the parcel goes to the county health department for septic, and a commercial pad on septic is a different animal from a house lot. Greene caps daily sewage flow at 1,200 gallons per acre on public water and 600 on a well, and sizes multi-unit and commercial lots in multiples of the units served.↗
How to tell which one you have
- Existing building: a Piedmont bill with a sewer charge and an alarm panel by a grinder station mean low-pressure sewer.
- Listing: read the 'Sewer' field, then verify it; resale of a connected home does not trigger a new tap fee, but a vacant lot needs Piedmont's written yes.
- County record: Greene or Putnam Environmental Health will have a septic permit on file if the site was ever approved for one.
Who owns what
Who owns what on a Piedmont low-pressure connection
The split matters when something stops working and when you budget a new tap.
Piedmont Water Companymain
Piedmont: the pressure main and the collection system to Carey Station↗
Piedmont Water Companysewer tap
Owner pays the tap fee and system development charge; Piedmont makes the call on availability↗
Piedmont Water Companysewer lateral
Property owner: the grinder pump at the building is the owner's property and responsibility↗
Where the line sits: Ask Piedmont where its responsibility ends on your service line.
Under Piedmont's standard policy it installs the grinder system and covers warranty items; after the warranty, maintenance and repair generally fall to the owner, and community agreements can differ. We build the trenches, service lines and site work around that equipment; the pump itself is between you and Piedmont.↗
More about Lake Oconee Parkway
Grading a Parkway pad without feeding the lake
The Greene end of the corridor sits on Sedgefield-Crawfordville soils, flat enough to build on but slow to drain and rated very limited for drain fields. Open that clay in a wet month and it runs, so commercial pads here start with construction entrances, silt fence, sediment basins and a plan for where the stormwater goes.↗
That stormwater must never end up in a sewer line. Piedmont smoke-tested its system in 2025 to find rainwater sneaking in through cracks, bad connections and missing clean-out caps, because storm flow can overwhelm the plant and cause overflows. Roof drains, French drains and yard inlets get their own outfall, never a sewer clean-out.↗
Lots that back up to the water add Georgia Power's rules: no mechanical clearing or grading in the 25-foot buffer without its written approval, and no drain pipe across its land.↗
Burning is the other county split. Putnam is on Georgia EPD's May 1 to September 30 open-burning ban list and Greene is not, so a summer clearing job on the Putnam end of GA 44 gets chipped or hauled.↗
- Georgia 811 treats the service line beyond the meter or easement as a private line that utility locators will not mark, so a private locate comes before digging near an existing building.↗
The Greene end of the corridor sits on Sedgefield-Crawfordville soils, flat enough to build on but slow to drain and rated very limited for drain fields.
Permits · Piedmont Water (sewer) / Greene or Putnam County Environmental Health (septic)
Permit path on the Parkway: sewer first, septic if the answer is no
- 01
Email development@piedmontwater.com with the parcel and ask, in writing, whether water and sewer are each available and at what tap and capacity charges.↗
- 02
If sewer is a no, take the parcel to the county where it sits: Greene Environmental Health on Apalachee Avenue in Greensboro, or Putnam Environmental Health on Putnam Drive in Eatonton.↗
- 03
On the Greene side, size the lot to the Board of Health ordinance: 0.75 acre on public water, 100 feet wide where the system and its replacement will go, and room for that replacement.↗
- 04
Install within the permit's life, and leave every trench open until the county inspector approves it.↗
Services here
Work that fits the Parkway
Sewer and site work lead here, because so much of the corridor is commercial. Septic covers the parcels Piedmont does not.
- 01Sewer Line Builds, Taps & RebuildsService lines and taps for buildings Piedmont has agreed to serve.Sewer Line Builds, Taps & Rebuilds details
- 02Waterlines, Distribution Systems & MainsWater service and distribution lines for new pads and multifamily sites.Waterlines, Distribution Systems & Mains details
- 03Grease Trap Installation & RepairRestaurants and kitchens opening on the corridor.Grease Trap Installation & Repair details
- 04Septic System InstallationParcels off the sewer line, sized to Greene's or Putnam's rules.Septic System Installation details
- 05Grading & Driveway PreparationCommercial pads, entrances and parking subgrade.Grading & Driveway Preparation details
- 06Erosion Control & Land DryingSilt fence, basins and stabilization on slow-draining clay.Erosion Control & Land Drying details
- 07Storm Drain InstallationStormwater kept apart from the sanitary sewer.Storm Drain Installation details
- 08Trenching, Utility Trenches & BackfillingUtility runs from the road to the building.Trenching, Utility Trenches & Backfilling details
Also available:Land & Lot ClearingFrench Drain InstallationDump Truck & Hauling Services
Local service pages
Our services in Lake Oconee Parkway
Who to call at the county
Offices for a Parkway project
- Piedmont Water Company Water and low-pressure sewer on the Hwy 44 corridorCustomer Care & Learning Center, 607 Old Phoenix Road, Eatonton; 800-248-7689.↗
- Putnam County Environmental Health (North Central Health District) Septic permits on the Putnam end of GA 44117 Putnam Drive, Suite C, Eatonton; (706) 485-8591.↗
Nearby areas
Off the Parkway
- Reynolds Lake Oconee septic & sewerThe resort the corridor serves, on Piedmont sewer.
- Harbor Club septic & sewerGated golf community on the Greene side, mostly on septic.
- Harmony Road septic & sewerPutnam's 1990s lakefront subdivisions, on septic.
- Del Webb Lake Oconee septic & sewerActive-adult community on Piedmont's sewer list.
- Great Waters septic & sewerReynolds' Putnam-side neighborhood, also Piedmont-sewered.
FAQ
Lake Oconee Parkway sewer and site questions
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620Does Piedmont Water have sewer on Lake Oconee Parkway?
Piedmont says it has sewer service available along the Highway 44 corridor in north Putnam County and southern Greene County, in addition to Reynolds, Great Waters, Cuscowilla, Del Webb, The Landing and Marina Bay. Whether a given parcel can connect is decided case by case.
Source: Piedmont Water Company: Wastewater Services (sewer communities list)
There's a sewer main in front of my lot. Can I connect?
Not necessarily. Piedmont tells agents a nearby line does not mean a vacant lot can connect, and asks for availability questions on never-connected land to go to development@piedmontwater.com so the answer is in writing.
Source: Piedmont Water: Public Education with Piedmont, Grinder Pumps and Coffee (Oct 2026)
What is the difference between a tap fee and a system development charge?
Piedmont explains the tap fee as the charge for the physical connection and the system development charge as the new connection's share of plant and pipe capacity. Both are one-time charges, separate from the monthly bill.
Source: Piedmont Water: Public Education with Piedmont, Grinder Pumps and Coffee (Oct 2026)
Who owns the grinder pump on a Parkway building?
The property owner. Piedmont says the grinder pump is the homeowner's property and responsibility and that its systems are designed around E/One pumps, so substitutes can cause backups.
Can a commercial building on the Parkway use septic?
Yes, if the county permits it. Greene's ordinance limits flow to 1,200 gallons per acre per day on public water and sizes commercial lots in multiples of the units served; Greene charges $525 to inspect a commercial system up to 1,000 gallons a day.
Source: Greene County Board of Health: Lot Size Ordinance (effective Sept 7, 2018)
Can I burn debris when clearing a lot on GA 44?
On the Putnam end, not from May 1 through September 30; Putnam is on EPD's summer burn-ban list. Greene is not on the list, though local rules and permits still apply.
Source: GA EPD press release, Apr. 29, 2026: Annual Ban on Open Burning
Can I tie my French drain into the sewer clean-out?
No. Piedmont smoke-tests its lines specifically to find stormwater getting in through bad connections and missing clean-out caps, because rain in the sewer causes overflows. Drainage needs its own outlet.
Source: Piedmont Water: Smoke testing project helps identify stormwater intrusion (Apr 2025)
Guides
Reading for Parkway builders and owners
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
- 1Piedmont Water Company: Wastewater Services (sewer communities list)
- 2Piedmont Water: Public Education with Piedmont, Grinder Pumps and Coffee (Oct 2026)
- 3Wikipedia: Georgia State Route 44
- 4United Community Bank: Lake Oconee Village branch
- 5St. Mary's Health Care System: St. Mary's Good Samaritan Hospital
- 6Greene County Board of Commissioners: September 9, 2025 meeting minutes
- 7Piedmont Water: Carey Station Water Reclamation Facility expansion (Jan 2026)
- 8Reynolds Lake Oconee: The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee
- 9Madison/Morgan & Greene Record: New Piedmont Water treatment plant goes online (Sept 7, 2022)
- 10USDA NRCS Soil Data Access: map unit on Lake Oconee Parkway (33.4558, -83.2447), survey area GA133
- 11Lake Oconee Academy (official site)
- 12Piedmont Water Company: Grinder Pumps
- 13Greene County Board of Health: Lot Size Ordinance (effective Sept 7, 2018)
- 14Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 511-3-1-.03, General Requirements for On-Site Sewage Management Systems (LII)
- 15Piedmont Water: Smoke testing project helps identify stormwater intrusion (Apr 2025)
- 16Georgia Power: Lake Oconee Shoreline Guidelines
- 17GA EPD press release, Apr. 29, 2026: Annual Ban on Open Burning
- 18Georgia 811 Excavator Manual (2024 Excavator Guide, rev. 2/2025)
- 19Northeast Health District: Greene County locations (Environmental Health)
- 20North Central Health District: Putnam County Environmental Health Department
- 21Greene County EH Fees (effective August 1, 2024)
Ready when you are
Pad, tap or tank on GA 44? We'll start with Piedmont's answer.
Call A Class Septic Services for sewer line and tap work, septic on parcels off the line, grease traps, and the grading and erosion control around them from Lake Oconee Village to the Putnam line.
(678) 863-5620- Lake Oconee & Lake Sinclair
- Residential & commercial
- 10% off for military & first responders
Free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620