5 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 4 cities in DeKalb County, Georgia.
Verified from official government sources
DeKalb County Watershed Management enforces stormwater rules under the county's MS4 NPDES permit. New development must manage runoff on site; stream buffers and watershed overlays apply countywide.
Georgia Erosion and Sedimentation Act (O.C.G.A. §12-7) plus the DeKalb Soil & Water Conservation District enforce land-disturbance rules. BMPs, silt fencing, and 25-foot stream buffers required.
DeKalb County is landlocked in the Georgia Piedmont, about 250 miles from the coast. Coastal-zone rules do not apply. River-corridor and watershed rules govern local waterways instead.
DeKalb County participates in FEMA's NFIP and strictly enforces floodplain management under Ch. 27 Zoning and a separate Floodplain Management Ordinance. Development in SFHA (Zones AE, AO, A) requires floodplain development permits. New structures must meet Base Flood Elevation. FEMA maps at msc.fema.gov.
DeKalb County requires land disturbance and grading permits for earth movement over thresholds set in the Land Development Ordinance. Drainage must not be redirected to adjacent properties.
4 cities in DeKalb County have their own environmental rules rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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DeKalb County Ordinance Hub →