Verified as of 2026-09-09. We re-check these pages quarterly.
Sewer is coming to my street
Georgia's fastest-growing counties — Forsyth, Cherokee, Jackson, Barrow and Henry — are actively extending sewer infrastructure into previously rural areas. If a main reaches your street, here's what follows.
What can happen
- Mandatory connection. Some jurisdictions require connection within a set period once sewer is available, especially when a septic system fails or a property changes hands.
- Special assessment. The cost of the extension may appear on your property tax bill as an assessment, whether or not you connect immediately.
- Tap / connection fee. Set by the utility — Forsyth County Water & Sewer, Cherokee County Water & Sewerage Authority, or Etowah Water & Sewer Authority (Dawson).
The cautionary tale. Homeowners have installed a new $15,000 septic system only to face mandatory sewer connection three to five years later. Before you replace a failed system, check the utility's expansion map. If a main is planned for your street, connecting may be the better use of the money.
What connecting involves
- Utility tap fee and application
- A plumber runs the lateral from the house to the main (a lift pump if the house sits below the main)
- A septic contractor pumps the tank and abandons it properly — crushed or filled under county permit. A tank can't just be left.
- Restoration of yard, driveway or whatever the lateral crossed
No grant money. Unlike Florida's lagoon program, Georgia counties don't subsidize conversion. The economics are yours to judge: connection cost versus $8,000–$20,000+ in Piedmont clay; $10,000–$25,000+ over Blue Ridge rock for a new field, plus the end of the maintenance cycle.
Where to check. Forsyth County Water & Sewer publishes system maps and manages development permitting through its Engineering Division; CCWSA and EWSA do the same for Cherokee and Dawson.