Septic Service in Homer, GA

Homer is a Banks County address

Homer is in Banks County, northeast of Gainesville. Septic work here is not handled by Hall County. On-site sewage systems in Banks County are permitted and inspected by Banks County Environmental Health, part of Georgia's District 2 Public Health, applying the state's Chapter 511-3-1 rules. Banks County's health department and its county annex are both in Homer, so the paperwork is local.

Banks County Environmental Health is in the Banks County Health Department building at 667 Thompson Street, Homer, GA 30547, and its phone number is 706-677-5009. The county lists office hours of Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., with the office closing at noon on Friday. The district's page lists narrower environmental health walk-in hours early in the week, so call before you drive over.

Permits and records in Banks County

Georgia requires new systems, repairs, replacements and additions to be permitted and inspected. For a Homer property, that means a Banks County Environmental Health permit before a provider installs a new tank, replaces a drain field or adds to a system. We have not quoted Banks County's fees because we could not find a published fee schedule; ask the office for the current amount when you call.

Before any repair, ask the office whether it has a record of your system. A permit record can show the tank size, the field layout and when the system was approved, which helps a provider find the tank and plan the job. If you are buying a Homer home, our guide to septic records and home sales explains what to ask for; the questions are the same in Banks County even though the office differs.

Building or adding on near Homer

Georgia sizes tanks and fields by bedroom count, so adding bedrooms to a home on septic can require a system review. If you plan an addition, a pool or an outbuilding, ask Banks County Environmental Health before you apply for the building permit. Georgia requires drain fields to be at least five feet from property lines, drives and buildings without basements, and ten feet from buildings with basements and water supply lines. See Georgia septic setbacks for the full list.

Many homes around Homer rely on private wells. Georgia requires at least fifty feet between a well and a septic tank and one hundred feet between a well and an absorption field. Mention your well to any provider quoting a repair, since it can limit where a new field can go.

When a Homer system fails

Georgia's rules say that when an existing septic system fails, the home must connect to a public or community sewer if one is available. For new systems, available means sewer within two hundred feet of the property line or in an abutting public right-of-way. If you are not sure whether public sewer reaches your road, check your utility bill or ask your water provider. Most rural Banks County parcels will need a permitted repair instead.

Signs of trouble include slow drains throughout the house, gurgling, sewage odors outside and wet or unusually green ground over the field. Our septic repair guide and drain field repair guide explain the usual causes and what a permitted repair involves.

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, ZIP code, bedroom count and water source ready, along with the date of the last pump-out if you know it. Describe the symptoms precisely in your Free Quote Request: which drains are slow, whether you see wet ground or smell odors outside, and whether anything has changed recently, such as new occupants or a new appliance. Ask any provider whether they hold the state certification required for the work and whether they will file the pump-out report with Banks County. For estimating tank size, our calculator applies the state bedroom rules; its fee figures are Hall County's, not Banks County's.