Septic permit rules and requirements in Georgia
In Georgia, the state sets the rule. The septic permit comes from your county board of health. The code is Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Chapter 511-3-1. Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 511-3-1-.03 — General Requirements for On-Site Sewage Management Systems · checked 2026-09-11
Your county board of health
Issues the permit
checked 2026-09-11
Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Chapter 511-3-1
Code section
checked 2026-09-23
Who decides a septic permit in Georgia
Your county board of health issues the permit. The state sets the floor.
A builder needs a permit from the county health department first. The county board of health can approve or deny it.
Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 511-3-1-.03 — General Requirements for On-Site Sewage Management Systems · checked 2026-09-11
The office's phone number is 404-657-6534.
This is the number for the State Environmental Health Office, printed on the page. The page says it cannot provide local records.
Georgia Department of Public Health — Onsite Sewage · checked 2026-09-23
The office publishes its own page on this: Georgia Department of Public Health — Onsite Sewage.
The office's own page names this address as its canonical link.
Georgia Department of Public Health — Onsite Sewage · checked 2026-09-23
The floor state law sets
The rules that govern every septic system in Georgia are Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Chapter 511-3-1 — On-Site Sewage Management Systems. Every local permit is issued under them.
Rule 511-3-1-.01 sets the chapter's scope. It covers septic systems across the state. It excludes public sewers and systems another state office regulates.
Georgia Rules and Regulations, Department of Public Health, Chapter 511-3-1 · checked 2026-09-23
Georgia counties on this site
We have not published a Georgia county page yet. A county earns a page when we hold facts unique to it. Until then this page is the answer for every county in the state.
Telling us your county is how we decide which one to build next.
Sources
State records only. Each figure above has a government source and a checked-on date. County figures live on the county pages.
Verify before you act. Septic rules are set locally and they change. Check anything here with your county board of health before you spend money on it.