Cleveland is a White County address
Cleveland is in White County, north of Gainesville, and septic work here is permitted by White County Environmental Health, not Hall County. The county's environmental health page lists inspection and permitting of individual sewage systems and wells, review of proposed subdivisions for septic and wells, and investigation of septic complaints among its services. It asks residents to call for appointments and fees rather than publishing a fee schedule, so we do not quote fees here.
The county page lists Environmental Health at 1331 Helen Highway, Cleveland, phone 706-865-2191, with hours Monday through Thursday 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5:30 p.m., and Friday 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m. The Georgia Department of Public Health's statewide office list shows White County Environmental Health at 1241 Helen Highway, Unit 210, phone 706-348-7698. Call before visiting to confirm the current office.
Sewer or septic in Cleveland
Georgia's Service Delivery Strategy for White County lists the City of Cleveland as the sewer provider for the city limits and some unincorporated areas, and the White County Water and Sewer Authority as the water provider for unincorporated areas not served by the cities. If your bill from the City of Cleveland includes sewer, you are probably connected. Outside the city's sewer area, homes rely on septic.
The same agreement lists the City of Helen as a sewer provider for its city limits only. So in White County, public sewer is concentrated in and around the two cities, and homes in the rest of the county, including many near Cleveland on county roads, need a working septic system. If you are comparing properties, ask the seller or listing agent which provider bills for water and whether any sewer charge appears on the bill. A home on city water can still be on septic, since the county water authority and the city sewer system serve different areas.
Georgia's rules say a home with a failing system must connect to a public or community sewer if one is available, and for new systems available means within two hundred feet of the property line or in an abutting right-of-way. Ask the city about your street before approving a large drain field repair.
Want a provider to look at your system?
Free Quote RequestSubdivisions, cabins and rentals
Because White County Environmental Health reviews proposed subdivisions for septic and wells, the county record for a newer lot may include the approved system layout. For older homes, mountain cabins and rentals, the record may be thinner. If you are buying, ask the seller for pump-out reports and repair permits and compare them with the county record. Our guide to septic records and home sales lists what to ask; only the office differs.
Georgia requires at least fifty feet between a well and a septic tank and one hundred feet between a well and an absorption field, and drain fields must be at least five feet from property lines, drives and buildings without basements, and ten feet from buildings with basements and water lines. Sloped lots can limit where a replacement field fits. See Georgia septic setbacks.
Repairs and replacements
Georgia requires repairs, replacements and additions to be permitted and inspected, so a White County permit comes before a new field or tank. Our septic repair and drain field repair guides explain common failures; their fee figures are Hall County's.
Routine care that applies everywhere in Georgia
The EPA recommends an inspection at least every three years and says household tanks are typically pumped every three to five years; systems with pumps or float switches generally need an inspection once a year. Georgia's septage standards require a certified pumper to remove the complete contents of the tank, check the inlet and outlet tees, replace any soil they dig, and give you a written report on the tank's condition, with a copy to the county.
Georgia's public health department advises against septic additives, which it says are not beneficial and can harm the system. Spend the money on pumping instead. Our pumping guide explains what to expect on the day.
Before you call a provider
Have the address, bedroom count and water source ready, and check whether the City of Cleveland bills you for sewer. Describe symptoms and the last pump-out date in your Free Quote Request, and ask the provider to file the pump-out report with White County.