8 rules for unincorporated Columbia County, Georgia.
Verified from official government sources
Columbia County enforces overgrown grass and weeds as a public nuisance countywide, including the unincorporated Evans and Martinez communities. State law O.C.G.A. §41-2-5 lets the county order abatement after written notice, then mow and lien the property for the cost.
On a single-family lot in Columbia County you may trim your own yard trees freely; the county's tree rules govern development, not homeowner yards. Under Georgia common law you can cut a neighbor's overhanging branches to the property line, but not enter their land or harm the tree.
Columbia County does not require homeowners to get a permit to remove trees from a single-family or two-family yard. The county's tree and landscape rules (Code Sec. 90-140) apply to new commercial and multi-family development, which must meet tree-canopy and planting standards.
Columbia County, GA, Code of Ordinances § 90-140(a)(2) (Ord. No. 25-04, adopted May 20, 2025)
These regulations shall not apply to the construction or renovation of a single-family detached dwelling or two-family dwelling.
Columbia County treats weeds, overgrowth, and vacant-lot vegetation as a public nuisance under O.C.G.A. §41-2-5 and its Chapter 34 environment code. Code Enforcement issues written notice to clear the growth, then abates and liens the property if the owner does not comply.
Columbia County follows Georgia's statewide watering schedule, not metro-Atlanta district rules. Under the 2010 Water Stewardship Act (O.C.G.A. §12-5-7), outdoor watering is allowed daily only between 4 p.m. and 10 a.m., year-round, for anyone on an EPD-permitted system.
O.C.G.A. § 12-5-7 (Georgia Water Stewardship Act of 2010)
daily outdoor watering for purposes of planting, growing, managing, or maintaining ground cover, trees, shrubs, or other plants only between the hours of 4 p.m. and 10 a.m.
Rainwater harvesting is legal in Columbia County. Georgia places no meaningful restriction on residential collection, so rain barrels and cisterns for garden and lawn use need no special permit. Large cistern systems or potable use trigger building and health-code review.
Columbia County does not require native-plant or xeriscape landscaping, and Georgia has no law stopping an HOA from mandating a traditional lawn. In Evans and Martinez, HOA covenants — not county code — usually decide whether you can replace turf with native or drought-tolerant plantings.
Artificial turf is allowed in Columbia County and needs no permit for a simple lawn replacement. But Georgia has no law barring HOAs from prohibiting it, so in Evans and Martinez your HOA covenants decide whether synthetic turf is permitted.
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