Septic System Installation · Reynolds Lake Oconee
Septic installation for Reynolds Lake Oconee homesites that are sold septic-required, permitted through Greene County Environmental Health.
- Lake Oconee & Lake Sinclair
- Residential & commercial
- 10% off: military & first responders
Get a free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620The short answer
Who handles a new septic system on a Reynolds Lake Oconee homesite?
Most Reynolds homesites in Greene County are permitted by Greene County Environmental Health at 1031 Apalachee Avenue in Greensboro. First confirm the lot is truly septic-required, since Piedmont Water sewers parts of Reynolds. Then A Class Septic installs the tank and field to the county permit and leaves it open for the final inspection.↗↗↗
Reviewed by A Class Septic Services · Last updated
Local facts
A Reynolds septic install, by the 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Proof that both answers exist | A 1.17-acre homesite on Cedar Ridge Drive, in the main section, was listed 'Septic Required' | MLS listing: Cedar Ridge Dr homesite, Greensboro GA 30642 (Reynolds Lake Oconee) |
| A sewered lot inside the same gates | A 1.11-acre homesite on Hardwood Hollow was listed with public sewer | MLS listing: Hardwood Hollow homesite, Greensboro GA (Reynolds Lake Oconee) |
| Permit office | Greene County Environmental Health, 1031 Apalachee Ave, Greensboro; 706-453-4471 | Northeast Health District: Greene County locations (Environmental Health) |
| When to catch a specialist | Greene's septic page says environmental health specialists are in the office 8:30 to 10 a.m. on weekdays | Greene County, GA: Septic Tank Permits |
| County fees (Aug. 2024 schedule) | $75 site plan review; $350 new-system inspection, $400 at five or more bedrooms | Greene County EH Fees (effective August 1, 2024), Northeast Health District |
| Ground at the community's center | Cecil gravelly sandy loam, 6-10% slopes, moderately eroded; NRCS: somewhat limited for absorption fields | USDA NRCS Soil Data Access (SSURGO GA133 Greene County): map unit and septic absorption rating at 33.4082, -83.2088 |
The Reynolds Lake Oconee story
A sewered community with septic homesites in it
Buyers are often surprised to learn a Reynolds lot needs a septic tank. Piedmont Water does list Reynolds at Lake Oconee among its sewer communities, and much of what it runs there is low-pressure sewer with a grinder pump at each house. The lines simply never reached every street. A homesite off Linger Longer Road can be sewered while one a few turns away is marketed septic-required.↗↗
The state rule decides it. If a public or community sewer sits within 200 feet of the property line, or in an abutting right-of-way, the house has to connect instead. So before anyone sketches a field, get Piedmont's answer for the lot in writing. If the answer is no, you are building a septic system on a Greene County lot, and Greene has its own rulebook.↗
That rulebook starts with acreage. Greene's 2018 ordinance asks for 0.75 acre on public water or 1.5 acres on a private well, and it will not count the strip within 75 feet of Lake Oconee's high-water line. A lakefront homesite of a little over an acre can lose a real share of its usable ground to that strip before the house footprint is even drawn.↗
Buyers are often surprised to learn a Reynolds lot needs a septic tank.
Permits · Greene County Environmental Health (Northeast Health District), Greensboro
How a septic-required Reynolds lot gets to a working system
- 01
Ask Piedmont Water whether sewer is within 200 feet of the lot; a yes ends the septic conversation.↗
- 02
Have the soil evaluated and get Greene's approval letter, which has to reach the building office before it will take a building permit application.↗
- 03
Pull the construction permit before any trench is cut; the county has 20 days to act on a complete application and the permit runs up to 12 months.↗
- 04
Set a two-compartment tank sized to the bedroom count: 1,000 gallons through four bedrooms, 250 more for each one past that, and an effluent filter on the outlet.↗
- 05
Keep the absorption field 50 feet from the lake's normal water level and 100 feet from any well.↗
- 06
Leave everything uncovered for the county's final inspection; backfilling early, or regrading over it later, costs you the written approval.↗
Soil & terrain
Gravelly loam on top, clay underneath
The soil survey point at the middle of Reynolds lands on Cecil gravelly sandy loam, already moderately eroded, on 6 to 10 percent slopes. NRCS calls it somewhat limited for septic absorption because water moves slowly through the clay subsoil. That usually means longer trenches, not a refusal.↗
The harder limit is grade. Georgia's manual bars absorption fields on slopes steeper than 25 percent unless a soil classifier's special investigation shows the problem can be overcome, and some Reynolds cove lots fall that hard toward the water. On those, a pump to higher ground or a drip field is the usual way through.↗
Cecil gravelly sandy loam, 6-10% slopes↗
Mapped at the community's center point; somewhat limited because of slow water movement.
- Soil series · USDA NRCS
What it costs
Published cost ranges for a new system
Conventional septic system installed
$3,590-$12,463 (typical about $8,016)
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: Septic System Installation Cost (updated Jun 20, 2026), 2026
Drip septic system
$8,000-$18,000
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: Septic System Installation Cost (updated Jun 20, 2026), 2026
Aerobic treatment system
$10,000-$20,000
Typical market range — HomeAdvisor: Septic System Installation Cost (updated Jun 20, 2026), 2026
Greene permit-side fees
$425-$475 (plan review plus inspection)
Typical market range — Greene County EH Fees (effective August 1, 2024), Northeast Health District, 2024
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- 01Whether a gravity field fits or the design needs a pump, drip lines or pretreatment
- 02How much of a lakefront lot the 75-foot Greene strip removes from the usable acreage
- 03Tree protection and haul-off along finished streets inside the gate
- 04Rock or slope met during the dig
Services here
Other work that usually rides along with a Reynolds install
- 01Land clearingThe field and tank area have to be cleared and grubbed without crossing into Georgia Power's buffer.Land clearing details
- 02Erosion controlBare red soil on a cove slope needs silt fence and stabilization while the system is built.Erosion control details
- 03Drip septic systemsThe fallback when the only usable soil is shallow or steep.Drip septic systems details
- 04Septic pump systemsLifts effluent from a lake-level house to an uphill field.Septic pump systems details
FAQ
Reynolds septic installation questions
Straight answers, with the rule or record behind them. Still unsure? Call and ask the crew that digs.
(678) 863-5620My Reynolds homesite is listed 'Septic Required.' Can I still ask Piedmont about sewer?
Yes, and you should. Listings inside Reynolds go both ways, and if Piedmont sewer turns out to be within 200 feet of the property line, Georgia's rule sends the house to sewer instead of septic.
Which county office permits septic at Reynolds?
For the Greensboro-address sections, Greene County Environmental Health at 1031 Apalachee Avenue. The Great Waters side of Reynolds sits in Putnam County and goes through the Eatonton office instead.
Source: Northeast Health District: Greene County locations (Environmental Health)
How much land does Greene want for a septic lot?
At least 0.75 acre on public water or 1.5 acres on a private well, measured without the land inside 75 feet of Lake Oconee's high-water line.
Source: Greene County Board of Health: Lot Size Ordinance (effective Sept 7, 2018)
Can the builder apply for a building permit before the septic letter?
Not in Greene County. The building department wants Environmental Health's approval letter in hand before it accepts a building permit application for a septic lot.
What size tank does a six-bedroom Reynolds house need?
At least 1,500 gallons under the state formula: 1,000 for the first four bedrooms plus 250 each for the fifth and sixth. A kitchen garbage grinder raises that by half.
Source: Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 511-3-1-.05, Septic Tanks (LII)
Does Georgia Power get involved in a Reynolds septic job?
Only if clearing for the system reaches its project land or the 25-foot buffer. It does consider tree-removal requests for a septic installation, with native replanting at one to one.
Source: Georgia Power: Lake Oconee Shoreline Guidelines (PDF)
Is the steep part of my lot usable for the field?
Not above 25 percent slope unless a soil classifier's special investigation shows the limit can be overcome. Most designs move the field to gentler ground and pump to it.
Source: GA DPH Manual for On-Site Sewage Management Systems (March 2026), Section B: General Site Provisions
Nearby areas
New septic systems near Reynolds
- Harbor Club septic & sewerGreene County golf community where most homes are on septic.
- Cuscowilla septic & sewerPutnam side, with septic-required lakefront lots on Covey Drive.
- Lake Oconee septic & sewerHow the three lake counties handle new systems.
- Greensboro septic & sewerThe county seat and its in-town septic and sewer rules.
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
- 1Northeast Health District: Greene County locations (Environmental Health)
- 2Piedmont Water Company: Wastewater Services (sewer communities list)
- 3Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 511-3-1-.03, General Requirements for On-Site Sewage Management Systems (LII)
- 4MLS listing: Cedar Ridge Dr homesite, Greensboro GA 30642 (Reynolds Lake Oconee)
- 5MLS listing: Hardwood Hollow homesite, Greensboro GA (Reynolds Lake Oconee)
- 6Greene County, GA: Septic Tank Permits
- 7Greene County EH Fees (effective August 1, 2024), Northeast Health District
- 8USDA NRCS Soil Data Access (SSURGO GA133 Greene County): map unit and septic absorption rating at 33.4082, -83.2088
- 9Greene County Board of Health: Lot Size Ordinance (effective Sept 7, 2018)
- 10Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 511-3-1-.05, Septic Tanks (LII)
- 11Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 511-3-1-.07, Absorption Fields (LII)
- 12GA DPH Manual for On-Site Sewage Management Systems (March 2026), Section B: General Site Provisions
- 13HomeAdvisor: Septic System Installation Cost (updated Jun 20, 2026)
- 14Georgia Power: Lake Oconee Shoreline Guidelines (PDF)
Ready when you are
Holding a septic-required Reynolds lot? Start with the sewer question.
Send the plat and the listing. We will help you pin down whether Piedmont sewer is in reach, then plan and quote the tank, field and lot work around Greene's permit.
(678) 863-5620- Lake Oconee & Lake Sinclair
- Residential & commercial
- 10% off for military & first responders
Free estimate
or call (678) 863-5620