Where we work: Baldwin and Mobile counties
Grinder Pump Gents serves all of Baldwin County and Mobile County, Alabama, from a base in Fairhope. The area is drawn by county rather than by town because what actually changes from place to place is the sewer utility, not the zip code.
Below is the utility map in summary: who owns the pump, who may repair it and who may install it on each system. The full rule for each utility, quoted from its own documents, is on its own page.
Plate XXXIV. His Grace surveys the two counties from the water. The pelican came with the boat.
Which utility are you on?
The rules change by utility. Pick yours to see who owns the pump and who to call first.
Baldwin County sewer utilities
Baldwin has one private regional sewer company and a ring of municipal systems, each with its own grinder rule.
- Baldwin County Sewer Service (BCSS)Serves the city limits of Spanish Fort, Summerdale, Elberta, Silverhill and Perdido Beach plus many unincorporated areas, including the Fort Morgan peninsula. Owner's pump; repairs by BCSS or any plumber; new pumps from BCSS only.
- Gulf Shores UtilitiesOwner provides and maintains the pump to GSU's specification; GSU wants a call whenever the red light is on.
- Fairhope Public UtilitiesThe customer maintains the service line from the connection into the house; a state licensed master plumber certifies any new pump on the city's form.
- Riviera Utilities (sewer for the City of Foley)The customer owns everything on the customer's side, pumps, floats and panels included; Riviera and Foley will not repair or replace them; connections need written approval.
- North Baldwin Utilities (Bay Minette and the north of the county)Owner provides, installs, owns, operates and maintains the pump.
- City of LoxleySame rule as North Baldwin, with the same 7 gallons a minute at 185 feet pump requirement.
- City of Orange Beach (the city runs the sewer, not the water authority)The owner buys and maintains the pump, but installation is by the city only.
- Daphne UtilitiesThe city code says neither the city nor the utilities board is responsible for maintaining such pumps. The code is silent on who may install.
Mobile County sewer utilities
Mobile County has one large municipal system and two utilities that maintain their own on-lot equipment.
- MAWSS (Mobile Area Water and Sewer System): the customer obtains, installs and maintains the grinder pump; MAWSS will not fix it. In MAWSS decentralized subdivisions MAWSS maintains the tank, pump and its electrical equipment.
- Mobile County Water, Sewer and Fire Protection Authority (south county: Theodore, Fowl River, Dauphin Island Parkway corridor): the homeowner owns the Barnes station and MCWS technicians maintain it, with possible charges.
- South Alabama Utilities, also doing business as Citronelle Utilities (Semmes, Citronelle and rural north county): effluent sewer systems, not grinder pumps, serviced and maintained by SAU.
Where the utility maintains the pump
On SAU effluent systems, MCWS Barnes stations and MAWSS decentralized subdivisions, the utility maintains the pump, so there is nothing for a private plumber to repair. If you are on one of those, your call goes to the utility, and we will tell you so rather than book a visit.
Utilities whose rules are not published
Robertsdale, Saraland, Prichard, Chickasaw, Satsuma and Creola have not published a grinder pump rule that we could find, and Bayou La Batre and Dauphin Island have only partial information. If you are in one of those, send your address with the request and we will confirm the rule with the utility before the visit.
Some addresses sit on a different system than the town name suggests. Parts of the Loxley area, for example, may be BCSS territory, and Riviera provides sewer only inside the City of Foley. The lookup tool starts from the town; the utility's own map settles it.
A service-area business
There is no storefront to visit. The work happens at your station, and the base in Fairhope is where the truck starts the day. Both counties are covered, coast to county line.
Questions people ask
Do you cover the whole of both counties?
Yes. The service area is Baldwin County and Mobile County in full. If your road is in either county, we come.
My town is not on any utility page. Do you still come?
Yes. The utility pages cover the systems whose rules are published. If yours is not among them, we confirm the rule with the utility before the visit so you know who pays for what.
Why do you list utilities instead of towns?
Because the utility decides whether you may hire a plumber, whether a new pump must come from the utility, and which pump specification applies. Two houses in the same town can be on different systems with different rules.
Sources and facts
- BCSS sewer service area: city limits of Spanish Fort, Summerdale, Elberta, Silverhill and Perdido Beach, plus many unincorporated areas; about 38 percent of customers live south of the Intracoastal Waterway and on the Fort Morgan Peninsula. BCSS, Baldwin County Utility Companies List (2024-06), www.baldwincountysewer.com/…; al.com 2024-09-18 (read 2026-11-04)
- BCSS: not responsible for pump systems on private property; repairs by BCSS or a plumber; from January 1, 2026 pumps purchased from and installed by BCSS. BCSS, Grinder Pump FAQs, www.baldwincountysewer.com/…; BCSS, Grinder Pumps page, www.baldwincountysewer.com/grinder-pumps (read 2026-11-04)
- Gulf Shores Utilities: applicant provides, constructs, operates and maintains the system; contact the Board any time the red light is on. Gulf Shores Utilities, Grinder Pump Specifications, www.gulfshoresutilities.com/grinder-specs; Gulf Shores Utilities, Grinder Pump page, www.gulfshoresutilities.com/grinder-pump (read 2026-11-04)
- Fairhope: customer maintains the service line from the connection into the premises; master plumber certifies grinder installs. City of Fairhope Code of Ordinances Sec. 21-52 (Ord. 1746), library.municode.com/…; City of Fairhope, Grinder Pump Installation form memo, www.fairhopeal.gov/167/Forms-Ordinances (read 2026-11-04)
- Riviera (sewer for the City of Foley only): customer responsible for all pumps, floats, control panels and appurtenances on the customer's side; Riviera and Foley will not repair or replace; written approval required for connections. Riviera Utilities, Sewer Policy Handbook sections 7.3-7.4 (file dated 2024-05), www.rivierautilities.com/… (read 2026-11-04)
- North Baldwin Utilities (Bay Minette and northern area) and Loxley: provision, installation, ownership, operation and maintenance of the grinder pump system are the customer's responsibility; 7 gpm at 185 ft. North Baldwin Utilities, Specifications for Utility Infrastructure (effective 2021-09-17), www.northbaldwinutilities.com/…; City of Loxley, Water and Sewer Standard Specifications (March 2019, Sec. 2.5), www.cityofloxley.com/… (read 2026-11-04)
- City of Orange Beach operates the sewer plant; the water authority supplies water only; grinder pump installation shall be by the city only; maintenance is the owner's sole responsibility. City of Orange Beach Code of Ordinances Sec. 74-36 and 74-51, library.municode.com/…; www.orangebeachal.gov/278/Utility-Billing (read 2026-11-04)
- Daphne code: neither the City of Daphne nor its utilities board is responsible for upkeep or maintenance of low pressure sewer pumps. City of Daphne Code of Ordinances Sec. 12-3(f), library.municode.com/… (read 2026-11-04)
- MAWSS: customer obtains, installs and maintains the grinder pump; MAWSS maintains the tank, pump and electrical equipment in decentralized subdivisions. MAWSS, Service and Support FAQs, www.mawss.com/residential/service-support-faqs; MAWSS Policy and Procedure Manual 2025, Policies 2.19 and 2.21, www.mawss.com/… (read 2026-11-04)
- MCWS: Barnes grinder stations owned by the homeowner and maintained by MCWS technicians, with possible service charges; serves Theodore, Fowl River, Mon Louis Island, Coden and nearby areas. Mobile County Water, Sewer and Fire Protection Authority, Grinder Pump Homeowners Guide / Sewer FAQs, mocowater.org/…; Crane Pumps and Systems case study, Mobile County AL Barnes Low Pressure Sewer System, cranepumps.com/… (read 2026-11-04)
- South Alabama Utilities is the Utilities Board of the Town of Citronelle; its effluent sewer systems are serviced and maintained by SAU. SAU history page, www.southalabamautilities.net/…; South Alabama Utilities wastewater brochure, www.southalabamautilities.net/… (read 2026-11-04)
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