Augusta-Richmond County, GA Ordinances (2026)

Augusta-Richmond County requires a Special Use Permit before running any home-based business, restricting home occupations to personal-service work such as tutoring, sewing, or in-home…

Augusta-Richmond County lets a private home care for 3 to 6 unrelated children if the operator gets a Special Use Permit: issued administratively by Planning staff when strict siting…

Augusta-Richmond County requires a Special Use Permit for any home occupation, and caps customer traffic: home businesses can't generate more vehicular or pedestrian traffic than a…

Augusta-Richmond County prohibits any sign for a licensed home occupation in Agricultural or Residential zones, and separately bars all exterior signs and on-site advertising for R-1…

Augusta-Richmond County bars fences built from scrap materials like doors or sheets of tin and requires uniform, sound construction.

Augusta-Richmond County limits residential fences to six feet in side and rear yards and four feet in front yards under the R-1 zoning standards, with tighter limits near street…

Augusta-Richmond County requires every property to stay free of insect and rodent infestation under its building maintenance code, enforced by the Director-Building Official through…

Augusta-Richmond County regulates sharps, needles and other biomedical waste under Article 4 of the Code's solid-waste chapter. Collectors who haul biomedical waste, including sharps…

Augusta-Richmond County requires new construction and substantial improvements in flood hazard areas to elevate the lowest floor at least three feet above the Base Flood Elevation…

Augusta-Richmond County's zoning code defines "structure" to expressly include above-ground swimming pools, so every above-ground pool, regardless of size, must meet the same permit…

Augusta-Richmond County requires any swimming pool built inside a manufactured home park to be fenced off from every other recreation-area use, with a gate that stays closed, under the…

Augusta-Richmond County requires a business tax certificate for all street vendors, and vendors working the Riverwalk zone between Fifth and Thirteenth Streets need prior approval from…

Food trucks in Augusta-Richmond County need an annual business tax certificate plus a state health permit before they can sell to the public.

Augusta-Richmond County requires food trucks to operate from privately owned commercial or industrial lots, not on public sidewalks or streets, under the food truck licensing article…

Augusta-Richmond County requires a building permit before any construction, alteration, repair, or occupancy change to a building, issued by the Building Official under the county's…

Augusta-Richmond County requires foundation, slab, rough, and final inspections before work can proceed, with written Building Official approval required at each stage before…

Augusta-Richmond County's building maintenance code prohibits lead-based paint on any exterior wall or surface of a structure, requiring weather-tight, well-maintained exteriors under…

A personal care home in Augusta-Richmond County with at least 7 beds for nonfamily adults, built or converted on or after April 15, 1986, is treated as new construction under state…

Augusta-Richmond County treats group day-care homes serving 7 to 12 children, and group day-care centers serving more than 12, as special-hazard buildings under Section 3-3-25 of the…

Augusta-Richmond County requires a permit from the Building Official before any electrical system is installed, altered, repaired, or replaced, under the locally adopted National…

Augusta-Richmond County requires a permit from the Building Official before anyone installs, alters, repairs, or replaces a plumbing system covered by the adopted International…

Augusta-Richmond County caps audible dog barking at 20 minutes straight by day, 10 minutes straight at night, or 120 cumulative minutes in 24 hours.

Augusta-Richmond County limits construction and repair noise, pile drivers, excavation, demolition, to 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. weekdays, with an inspections-department permit required…

Augusta-Richmond County tightens its noise limits after dark. Code Sec. 3-6-2(b) cuts the daytime 300-foot audibility threshold to 100 feet from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. Sunday through…

Augusta-Richmond County bans amplified sound and mechanical sound devices plainly audible 300 feet away during the day and 100 feet away overnight, with tighter apartment-to-apartment…

Augusta-Richmond County requires every motor vehicle to run a working exhaust system and bans operating one with a muffler that causes excessive or unusual noise or annoying smoke…

Augusta-Richmond County bars unlicensed or junk vehicles and trailers, including derelict boats and RVs, from sitting on residential property unless fully enclosed.

Augusta-Richmond County bans parking in front of driveways, within 20 feet of crosswalks, within 15 feet of hydrants, and requires vehicles to park parallel within 12 inches of the…

Augusta-Richmond County's zoning ordinance requires commercial and industrial buildings to provide off-street loading spaces at least 14 feet high, 12 feet wide, and 50 feet long, with…

Augusta-Richmond County lets residents petition to create residential parking permit zones on public streets, restricting on-street parking to permit holders once the Commission…

Augusta-Richmond County limits how long heavy trucks can sit on residential streets. Any truck, truck tractor, or other freight-carrying vehicle over one ton with three or more axles…

Augusta-Richmond County bars curb cuts within 50 feet of a street intersection and, outside single-family residential zones, requires curb cuts spaced 100 feet apart and unshared…

Augusta-Richmond County bans parking inoperative, junk, wrecked, or unlicensed vehicles on residential or other zoned property unless enclosed, business-necessary, or at a licensed…

Augusta-Richmond County classifies dogs as dangerous or vicious based on behavior, not breed, requiring registration, a secure enclosure, warning signs, microchipping, and liability…

Augusta-Richmond County bans chickens, geese, ducks and other fowl from running loose on streets or in parks, and requires Board of Health permission for stock pens keeping cattle…

Augusta-Richmond County requires microchipping before a dangerous or vicious dog can be issued a certificate of registration, plus warning signs and a secure enclosure under the…

Augusta-Richmond County has declared the entire Urban Services District, the area matching the former City of Augusta's boundaries as of December 31, 1995, a bird sanctuary. Killing…

Augusta-Richmond County requires every dog on a public street to be leashed. Code Sec. 4-1-22 makes it unlawful for a dog to be 'upon the public streets, except on a leash and…

Augusta-Richmond County requires cat owners keep their cats under control and off other people's property, but the county does not sanction outdoor Trap-Neuter-Return colonies and…

Augusta-Richmond County allows veterinary clinics as a permitted use in B-1 Neighborhood Business zones, but bars any outside kennels on the property.

Augusta-Richmond County requires animal shelters, humane societies, and animal refuges to sterilize every dog and cat before adoption, or secure a signed veterinarian agreement…

In Augusta-Richmond County R-1 zoning, accessory buildings and sheds are capped at one story and 18 feet, banned from front yards except carports and garages, and require a 10-foot…

Augusta-Richmond County requires a Development Permit before any construction in the Area of Special Flood Hazard, with new structures elevated at least three feet above the Base Flood…

Augusta-Richmond County requires a Land Disturbing Permit before any land-disturbing activity of one acre or more, backed by an approved erosion, sedimentation and pollution control…

Augusta-Richmond County requires new construction and substantial improvements in flood hazard areas to elevate the lowest floor at least three feet above the Base Flood Elevation…

Augusta-Richmond County's zoning ordinance lists noncommercial boat piers, slips, and boat houses as permitted uses by right in the Agricultural (A) Zone, so private waterfront docks…

Augusta-Richmond County bans dumping anything but authorized storm or surface runoff into its storm sewer system and funds the program through monthly impervious-area service charges…

Minors under 18 cannot be in public places unsupervised between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. on weeknights, or between midnight and 5 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, countywide.

Augusta-Richmond County closes all public parks at 11:00 p.m., and it's unlawful to remain in any park after that hour; the Sheriff's Department is responsible for clearing parks…

Augusta-Richmond County limits yard sales in R-1 zones to two per calendar year, each lasting no more than three days per address, per the zoning ordinance's permitted-use rules for…

Augusta-Richmond County bans loitering on streets, sidewalks, or crossings that blocks free passage, requiring people to move on when told by a sheriff's deputy or a nearby resident or…

Augusta-Richmond County makes it unlawful for whoever is in charge of a party on private property to let noise carry 300 feet or more between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. (12 a.m. weekends).

Augusta-Richmond County does not ban smoking in outdoor public places like parks or patios: only a reasonable buffer distance from doorways and vents of smoke-free buildings is…

Augusta-Richmond County prohibits loitering on any street, sidewalk or crossing that obstructs free passage, once the person refuses to move on when told by a Sheriff's deputy or a…

Augusta-Richmond County bans skateboard and skate use on streets, sidewalks, parks, and medians in the downtown area between the Levee and Walton Way from 15th to 4th Street, and on…

Augusta-Richmond County ordinance makes it unlawful to possess, smoke, or distribute marijuana anywhere in the county, with a heightened ban near schools and correctional facilities…

Outside a marked crosswalk or another official traffic-control device, Augusta-Richmond County requires a pedestrian to cross a road at right angles to the curb or by the shortest…

Augusta-Richmond County bans aggressive panhandling in two named districts. Code Sec. 3-7-1(x) prohibits threatening or coercive begging on Broad Street between Fifth and Fifteenth…

Augusta-Richmond County bans drinking or carrying an open container of beer, wine, or liquor on public streets, sidewalks, alleys, and county-owned parks and buildings, with limited…

Augusta-Richmond County bars weeds, undergrowth, or other plant life from growing past twelve inches on vacant, undeveloped, or unoccupied lots, with code enforcement authorized to cut…

Augusta-Richmond County limits outdoor landscape watering to the hours of 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 a.m., with exemptions for drip irrigation, hand watering, new plantings, and food gardens.

Augusta-Richmond County requires new development, redevelopment, and expansion projects to preserve or plant at least 30% tree canopy coverage under the Augusta Tree Ordinance, with a…

Traffic Engineering flags intersections where trees, shrubbery, or hedging block sightlines over sidewalks or interfere with fire hydrants, then orders the property owner to remove…

Zone "A" (Agricultural) is Augusta-Richmond County's default zoning district, covering nearly the whole consolidated government except land specifically mapped into other zones, and…

Augusta-Richmond County's zoning ordinance requires fully shielded, downward-directed outdoor light fixtures on new development to curb glare and preserve the night sky, with numeric…

Augusta-Richmond County's zoning ordinance requires security lighting to be aimed at the target area, not neighboring properties, and bars sensor-triggered lights from glaring or…

Augusta-Richmond County does not cap billboard brightness directly, but any billboard with internal lights or other electrical devices must carry a label from an OSHA-recognized…

Augusta-Richmond County's B-1 business zone requires trash and recycling dumpsters on a concrete pad, clear of parking spaces, sidewalks, and rights-of-way, and at least 10 feet from…

Augusta-Richmond County requires grass, leaves, and shrubbery trimmings to be bagged, and brush and limbs bundled under 50 pounds, placed curbside for scheduled pickup in the Urban…

Augusta-Richmond County's zoning ordinance requires multi-family and B-1 business developments to provide dumpsters and recyclable material bins sized to unit or employee count, with…

Augusta-Richmond County runs two garbage schedules inside the Urban Services District: nightly weekday pickup in the business district and weekday residential routes set by the…

Augusta-Richmond County suspends garbage collection on holidays, in both the business and residential collection districts, under the county code's urban services district rules.

Augusta-Richmond County bans dumping or leaving litter on any public or private property without authorization, and violators face misdemeanor penalties of up to $1,000 or 60 days in…

Augusta-Richmond County collects brush, limbs and rough trash on a set weekday schedule, but only if the pile meets strict size and weight limits.

Augusta-Richmond County zoning rules require dumpster and recycling bin pads to sit on concrete, clear of parking spaces, fire hydrants, sidewalks, and rights-of-way for multi-family…

Garbage in the Urban Services District's residential areas must be at the curb by 8:00 a.m. on collection day and cannot go out before Friday's last pickup or stay past 6:00 p.m. after…

Augusta-Richmond County bans launching or operating drones over highly populated areas, events or assemblies of 100 or more people, without prior written authorization from the…

Augusta-Richmond County regulates drones countywide, including in parks. Flying in a highly populated area, any gathering of 100 or more people, requires written authorization from the…

Augusta-Richmond County exempts FAA-authorized commercial drone flights from the sheriff's highly-populated-area permit rule, but still bans weaponized drones, restricts…

Augusta-Richmond County ties its drone law directly to FAA airspace rules near airports: anyone flying a UAS within five miles of an airport in Richmond County must comply with FAA…

Augusta-Richmond County regulates recreational drone flights under Code § 1-3-44, requiring Sheriff authorization to fly in highly populated areas, banning weaponized drones, and…

Augusta-Richmond County's R-1 zoning sets minimum yard setbacks: 30 feet in front on local streets (40 feet on major streets), 5 to 10 feet side yards scaled to lot width, and a rear…

Augusta-Richmond County's R-1 (One-Family Residential) Zone caps building coverage at 30 percent of a lot's area, though the ordinance never forces coverage below 800 square feet…

Augusta-Richmond County caps R-1 single-family homes at two and one-half stories or 45 feet under Section 8-6 of the county's Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, the standard governing the…

Augusta-Richmond County requires a permit before tables, planters, signs, or merchandise can occupy the sidewalk right-of-way, and forbids any encroachment beyond the designated zone…

Augusta-Richmond County bans physical encroachments and business conduct on public sidewalks, but designates a right-of-way encroachment zone for tables, chairs, planters, signs and…

Augusta-Richmond County notifies property owners of leaking fixtures, and owners or agents must personally alert tenants of any leak found on the property.

Augusta-Richmond County requires anyone operating a massage therapy business to hold a current operator's license, with a separate massage therapy license required for each…

Augusta-Richmond County requires every broker, book dealer and dealer in precious metals or gems to hold a business tax certificate under County Code Tit. 6, § 6-6-3 before opening, on…

Augusta-Richmond County confines adult entertainment establishments to LI Light Industrial and HI Heavy Industrial zones, and bars them within 1,000 feet of churches, schools, parks…

Augusta-Richmond County requires every pawnbroker to post a $5,000 bond under County Code Tit. 6, § 6-6-15 before opening, on top of the business tax certificate all secondhand dealers…

Augusta-Richmond County lets the Sheriff's Office control wrecker calls at accident scenes, barring any tow company from soliciting business roadside unless the Sheriff dispatched it…

Augusta-Richmond County requires every dwelling and building to be maintained in safe, sanitary condition, with code inspectors enforcing minimum upkeep standards for surfaces…

Augusta-Richmond County bans outdoor open burning within 100 feet of any residential dwelling or structure. Beyond that distance, only the resident burning fallen leaves on the…

Augusta-Richmond County prohibits outdoor open burning within 100 feet of any residential dwelling or structure, allowing only leaf burning by the property owner or forestry-permitted…

Augusta-Richmond County exempts political signs of 32 square feet or less from sign permits, but requires removal within ten days after the election they relate to.

Augusta-Richmond County treats electronic message boards, what the zoning ordinance calls 'Reader Boards' or Commercial Electronic Variable Message Signs, as a category of freestanding…

Augusta-Richmond County treats any billboard within 660 feet of an Interstate right-of-way as part of the Interstate Highway System and requires a Georgia DOT permit before it can go…

Augusta-Richmond County exempts holiday decorations from its sign ordinance entirely: no permit, size cap, or removal deadline applies, as long as the display carries no commercial…

Augusta-Richmond County lets owners petition to designate landmark trees, which then cannot be destroyed or endangered without a Tree Commission-approved removal permit.

Augusta-Richmond County lets the Augusta Commission designate any tree a Landmark Tree on the property owner's petition. Once designated, the tree becomes a protected public landmark…

Augusta-Richmond County sets minimum planting distances from curbs and sidewalks by tree size, requires a treelawn strip between sidewalk and street, and sets streetyard tree spacing…

Augusta-Richmond County's noise ordinance specifically bans bass reverberations, folding them into the 'plainly audible' standard that caps sound at 300 feet during the day and 100…

Augusta-Richmond County requires generators and blowers to be muffled. Code Sec. 3-6-2(c)(9) bans operating 'any noise-creating blower or power fan or any internal-combustion engine'…

Augusta-Richmond County bans loud delivery noise around the clock, not just at night. Code Sec. 3-6-2(c)(5) makes it unlawful to create 'a loud and excessive noise in connection with…

Augusta-Richmond County bans running a noise-creating blower, power fan or internal-combustion engine unless the noise is muffled with a device sufficient to deaden it, under Section…

Bars and nightclubs get extra hours before Augusta-Richmond County's noise chapter tightens. Code Sec. 3-6-2(a) lets amplified music, live bands and PA systems run at a 300-foot…

Augusta-Richmond County exempts car alarms from its noise ban, but only briefly. Code Sec. 3-6-2(e)(2) lets an automobile alarm sound without violating the chapter's audibility limits…

Augusta-Richmond County sorts every business into one of six occupation tax classes by dominant NAICS business activity, setting the profitability-ratio multiplier used to calculate…

Augusta-Richmond County requires owners to keep dwellings and structures up to code, and lets a public officer sue in court to order repair or demolition of unsafe, drug-crime-linked…

Augusta-Richmond County prohibits weeds and plant growth over 12 inches, plus trash and stagnant water, on vacant lots and unoccupied parcels; the county can mail one notice, then…

Augusta-Richmond County makes it a crime to deface, injure or trespass on its named public monuments. Code Sec. 3-7-36 protects the Confederate Monument on Broad Street, the…

Augusta-Richmond County requires a sidewalk cafe permit from the Planning & Development Director before restaurants can place tables, chairs, or umbrellas on public sidewalks, with…

Any group of 50 or more people wanting to use an Augusta-Richmond County park, baseball or softball field, tennis court, or public building for a gathering needs a Sheriff-issued…

Augusta-Richmond County requires a Sheriff-issued permit before any parade, march, demonstration, or public assembly of 50 or more people uses county streets, parks, or other public…

Augusta-Richmond County's zoning ordinance requires subdivision property owners' associations that hold open space to have bylaws guaranteeing mandatory membership for all lot owners…

Augusta-Richmond County levies a 6 percent excise tax on hotel, motel, and lodging charges countywide, excluding stays over 30 consecutive days or meeting-room rentals.

Augusta-Richmond County requires anyone applying for a peddler or solicitor permit to file a signed application in person with the License and Inspection Department along with the…

Augusta-Richmond County treats bicycles as vehicles on public roads: cyclists get the same rights and duties as motorists, must obey traffic-control devices, and any violation of the…