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Golden pasture with a newly dug farm pond, an excavator on a red clay bank and a white farmhouse under pines beyond.

Excavation Services · Madison, GA

Excavation services for homes, additions, utilities and lake lots in and around Madison, Georgia.

Madison, Morgan County. ZIP code 30650.
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  • Lake Oconee & Lake Sinclair
  • Residential & commercial
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The short answer

What does an excavation job in Madison, GA involve?

Excavation in Madison starts with a Georgia 811 locate request three business days ahead, then any City of Madison permits the dig needs, such as a $500 paving cut or bore permit for work under a street. Outside the city, septic-related digging follows Morgan County Environmental Health. A Class Septic digs pads, basements, trenches and lake-lot sites.↗↗

Reviewed by A Class Septic Services · Last updated

At a glance

County
Morgan County
ZIP codes
30650
Sewer
City of Madison Utilities (Indian Creek WRF GA0038741; Southside WPCP GA0023141)
Water
City of Madison Water Department (PWSID GA2110002)
Population
4,447 (2020 Census)

The Madison story

Digging inside a 356-building historic district

Madison is not a typical small-town dig. The Madison Historic District went on the National Register in 1974, and after a 1990 boundary increase it took in 356 contributing buildings, including the 1905 Morgan County Courthouse. Old trees, old foundations and old service lines share the same yards.↗

That changes how a trench is planned. Older private laterals and water services are often missing from any utility map, and Georgia 811 notes that the line from the meter or easement to the house is generally private, so a private locator marks it. Inside the 18-inch tolerance zone either side of a marked line, the work is by hand or vacuum, not bucket.↗↗

New construction inside the district also goes through design review before anything is dug. The city's schedule lists a $250 certificate of appropriateness application for new construction under historic preservation review.↗

On the record

  • City of Madison fees for work in public ways: right-of-way encroachment permit $150; paving cut or bore permit $500 (schedule approved June 24, 2026).↗
  • Madison's historic preservation design review charges $250 for a certificate of appropriateness on new construction and $100 for large projects that are not new construction.↗
  • Under Madison's plan review fees, new wastewater utility lines are inspected at $2.00 per linear foot and water lines at $0.15 per foot, after a $150 utility plan application.↗

Permits · Georgia 811, the City of Madison and Morgan County

Before the bucket goes in

  1. 01

    File a Georgia 811 locate request at least three business days ahead. Business days run Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; a request after 4:30 counts toward the next day.↗

  2. 02

    A normal locate ticket is good for 30 calendar days, so long jobs are re-called before it lapses.↗

  3. 03

    Inside city limits, a street cut or bore under pavement needs the city's $500 permit, and work in the right-of-way needs the $150 encroachment permit.↗

  4. 04

    Disturbing an acre or more, or working within 200 feet of a creek or the lake, brings in the state erosion law and a land disturbance permit.↗

  5. 05

    Any trench or pit 5 feet deep or more gets sloping, shoring or a shield unless it is entirely in stable rock.↗

Soil & terrain

What the ground does under a Madison bucket

Most of Morgan County digs like red clay because most of it is. Lloyd soils, the county's most extensive series, are very deep and well drained, formed from weathered dark rock, so a basement wall cut in Lloyd usually stands well in dry weather and turns slick and heavy when it rains.↗

Spoil placement matters on those slopes. OSHA wants the pile and the equipment at least 2 feet back from the edge, and on a lot that falls toward Hard Labor Creek or Sugar Creek, where the pile sits also decides where the first rain carries it.↗↗

  1. Lloyd↗

    Deep, well drained, red clay subsoil; the county's dominant series.

  2. Cecil↗

    Second-largest component in Morgan County; sandy clay loam on eroded slopes.

  3. Soil series · USDA NRCS

More about Madison

Out of town: farm tracts and the Morgan shore of Lake Oconee

Past the city limits the work changes from tight infill to open ground: house pads on former pasture, pond and barn sites, long water and power trenches from the road, and foundations on lake lots. Most of unincorporated Morgan has no public water or sewer, so a new house out there often means a well line and a septic system dug in the same week as the foundation.↗

On the lake, two lines govern the site. Georgia Power allows no mechanical clearing or change of land contour in the 25-foot shoreline buffer or on its land without written approval, and any septic field has to stay 50 feet from the normal water level. A basement also pushes the field: it has to sit 10 feet from a building with a basement rather than 5.↗↗

Past the city limits the work changes from tight infill to open ground: house pads on former pasture, pond and barn sites, long water and power trenches from the road, and foundations on lake lots.

What it costs

Excavation cost ranges

HomeAdvisor's 2026 national figures and city permit fees. Not A Class prices.

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. 01Depth, and whether OSHA protection is needed
  2. 02Rock and how much spoil must be hauled off
  3. 03Tight access between old trees and houses in town
  4. 04Street cuts, bores and traffic control inside the city

Services here

Excavation jobs we take on around Madison

FAQ

Madison excavation questions

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

(678) 863-5620

How far ahead do I have to call 811 in Madison?

At least three business days before digging. Georgia 811 notifies the utilities, on average about seven of them, and the ticket is good for 30 days.

Source: Georgia 811: Contact Georgia 811 Before You Dig - How it Works (2025)

Does the city charge to cut a street for a sewer or water line?

Yes. Madison's 2026 fee schedule lists a $500 paving cut or bore permit and a $150 right-of-way encroachment permit.

Source: City of Madison, GA Schedule of Fees (Exhibit A, approved June 24, 2026)

I'm building new in the historic district. Is there an extra step?

New construction under Madison's historic preservation review needs a certificate of appropriateness; the city lists a $250 application fee.

Source: City of Madison, GA Schedule of Fees (Exhibit A, approved June 24, 2026)

What happens if a marked line gets nicked?

Dents, scratches and gouges count as damage. Digging stops and Georgia 811 and the line's owner are called right away.

Source: Georgia 811 Excavator Manual (2024 Excavator Guide, rev. 2/2025)

When does a trench need shoring?

At 5 feet deep or more, OSHA requires sloping, shoring or shielding unless the cut is entirely in stable rock.

Source: OSHA 29 CFR 1926.652, Requirements for protective systems

Can I dig a basement close to where my septic field will go?

Plan for a gap. Absorption trenches need at least 10 feet from a building with a basement, versus 5 feet from one without.

Source: Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 511-3-1-.07, Absorption Fields (LII)

Nearby areas

Excavation in other lake-country towns

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. 1Georgia 811: Contact Georgia 811 Before You Dig - How it Works (2025)
  2. 2City of Madison, GA Schedule of Fees (Exhibit A, approved June 24, 2026)
  3. 3Wikipedia: Madison Historic District (Madison, Georgia)
  4. 4Georgia 811 Excavator Manual (2024 Excavator Guide, rev. 2/2025)
  5. 5O.C.G.A. § 12-7-17, Exemptions, Georgia Erosion and Sedimentation Act (text via Onecle)
  6. 6OSHA 29 CFR 1926.652, Requirements for protective systems
  7. 7USDA NRCS Official Series Description: Lloyd series
  8. 8OSHA 29 CFR 1926.651, Specific excavation requirements
  9. 9Wikipedia: Madison, Georgia
  10. 10USDA NRCS Soil Data Access (SSURGO), survey area GA211 Morgan County
  11. 11Morgan County & Cities of Bostwick, Buckhead and Rutledge 2022-2036 Comprehensive Plan (GA DCA)
  12. 12Georgia Power: Lake Oconee Shoreline Guidelines (PDF)
  13. 13Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 511-3-1-.07, Absorption Fields (LII)
  14. 14HomeAdvisor: How Much Does Excavation Cost in 2026? (updated June 20, 2026)

Ready when you are

Digging in town or out on the county roads? Call before you dig, then call us.

Call (678) 863-5620 or request a free estimate for basements, pads, trenches and lake-lot excavation around Madison.

(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.

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