Water line repair in North Decatur

North Decatur: Mid-century ranches near Clairmont Road

North Decatur stretches above the city limits toward Emory and Clairmont Road. Much of it is brick ranch housing from the 1950s and 1960s, right in the window when galvanized service lines were common.

ZIP codes:

• 30033

What affects water lines here

Clairmont Road is also where a 30-inch DeKalb water main broke in January 2025 during a hard freeze, one of the breaks that led to a boil water advisory across nearby neighborhoods. Main breaks are the county's to fix, but the same cold snaps catch shallow yard pipe at the meter.

Lots here are larger than in the city, and longer runs from the street mean more pipe to trace when a leak is hidden.

If you find a leak

1. Check where the water is. In the street or before the meter, call DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management. Between the meter and the house, it is the owner's line.
2. Run the meter test. Everything off, then the main valve at the house closed. A meter that keeps moving means the yard line is leaking.
3. Limit the damage. Keep the house valve closed if the leak is large, and photograph the wet ground and the meter.
4. Call for the repair. Ask whether the break will be pinpointed first and whether a permit is needed.

Services for North Decatur homes

Questions