What this calculator does, and what it will not do
This calculator answers two narrow questions using only government tables. First, what is the minimum septic tank size Georgia requires for a single-family home with your number of bedrooms? Second, what fee does Hall County Environmental Health list for the permit or evaluation you need? It does not estimate what a contractor will charge to pump, repair or install anything, because we have not found a primary source for those prices in Hall County and we will not invent one.
Use the results to check paperwork and to plan, not as a quote. Fees change; the Hall County schedule used here is the one the county posts as effective January 1, 2024. Confirm the current amount with Environmental Health before you pay. For the full permit process, see our Hall County septic permit guide.
The tank-size rule behind the numbers
Georgia's Chapter 511-3-1 sets the liquid capacity of septic tanks for single-family dwellings at one thousand gallons for one, two, three or four bedrooms, and two hundred fifty additional gallons for each bedroom over four. The same rule says capacity must be increased by fifty percent if a garbage grinder will be used. The calculator applies exactly that rule. A five-bedroom home therefore needs at least 1,250 gallons, and the same home with a garbage grinder needs at least 1,875 gallons.
Georgia's peak-flow guidance explains where those sizes come from. The state's design flow for a residence is one hundred fifty gallons per day per bedroom, compared with an EPA typical use figure of one hundred twenty, which assumes two people per bedroom at sixty gallons each per day. The design figure is higher on purpose, to cover guests, holidays, leakage and other swings that averages hide. The calculator shows the design flow too, so you can see why the tank is sized the way it is.
Calculator: Georgia minimum tank size and Hall County fee
Tank rule: Georgia Chapter 511-3-1 (1,000 gal for 1–4 bedrooms, +250 gal per extra bedroom, +50% with a garbage grinder). Design flow: Georgia DPH, 150 gal/day per bedroom. Fees: Hall County Board of Health fee schedule effective Jan. 1, 2024. Government figures only; not a contractor price.
| Service | County fee |
|---|---|
| Residential septic permit, 5 bedrooms or fewer | $350 |
| Residential septic permit, 6 bedrooms or more | $450 |
| Pump system (all residential) | $600 |
| Advanced treatment system (all residential) | $600 |
| Residential septic tank addition/alteration | $250 |
| Residential repair | $150 |
| Permit renewal (first, before expiration) | $150 |
| Permit renewal after expiration or after first renewal | Initial permit fee |
| Existing system evaluation, residential | $150 |
| Existing system evaluation, commercial | $200 |
| Site prior to purchase | $150 |
| In-office review/approval (plat or new structure) | $25 |
| Septic re-inspection / site not ready | $150 |
| Installing without a valid permit | $600 + fee |
| Well permit | $150 |
| Bedrooms | Minimum capacity | With garbage grinder (+50%) |
|---|---|---|
| 1–4 | 1,000 gal | 1,500 gal |
| 5 | 1,250 gal | 1,875 gal |
| 6 | 1,500 gal | 2,250 gal |
| 7 | 1,750 gal | 2,625 gal |
The fee table behind the numbers
The fee figures come from the Hall County Board of Health's Environmental Health fee schedule, effective January 1, 2024. The residential lines used here are: a septic permit for five bedrooms or fewer, $350; six bedrooms or more, $450; a pump system or advanced treatment system, $600; a residential septic tank addition or alteration, $250; a residential repair, $150; a first renewal before expiration, $150; a residential existing system evaluation, $150; a site evaluation prior to purchase, $150; and a re-inspection when a site is not ready, $150. A well permit is listed at $150.
The full table is reproduced below with its source so you can check every line. Commercial systems use separate gallons-per-day tiers on the same schedule and are not part of this calculator.
Want a provider to look at your system?
Free Quote RequestHow to use the results
If you are building, the tank size tells you what to expect on the permit and the fee tells you what to bring to the county. If you are replacing a tank, compare the size on your county record with the state minimum for your current bedroom count; a remodel that adds bedrooms can change the answer. Our septic tank replacement page covers that situation.
If you are buying a home, the existing system evaluation and the site-prior-to-purchase evaluation are the county services most buyers ask about; our home sale guide explains the difference. When you are ready for real prices, send a Free Quote Request and ask each provider for a written estimate that lists the county fee separately from labor and materials.
Why we do not show job prices
Our standards require every number on this site to come from a primary source. County fees and state rules have one. Contractor labor, equipment, hauling and tank prices in Hall County do not have a public primary source that we could verify, so we leave them out rather than publish a guess. A provider who sees the site can give you a firm figure.
If you just need routine service, start with septic tank pumping, and keep the written condition report Georgia requires the pumper to provide.
Worked examples using the same tables
A three-bedroom house with no garbage grinder: Georgia's minimum is 1,000 gallons, the design flow is 450 gallons per day, and a new conventional residential permit is listed at $350 on the Hall County schedule. The same house with a garbage grinder needs at least 1,500 gallons.
A six-bedroom house: the minimum is 1,000 gallons plus 250 for each of the two bedrooms over four, so 1,500 gallons, or 2,250 gallons with a grinder. The design flow is 900 gallons per day, and the county lists the new residential permit at $450 for six bedrooms or more. If the lot needs a pump system or an advanced treatment system, the county schedule lists $600 instead.
A repair on an existing home: the county lists the residential repair permit at $150. If the job is an addition or alteration of the tank, the schedule lists $250. If the house is being sold, the residential existing system evaluation is listed at $150. These examples use the same rule and table as the calculator above.