Environmental Rules in Effingham County, GA (2026)
5 rules for unincorporated Effingham County, Georgia.
Verified from official government sources
Stormwater Management
New development or redevelopment creating 5,000 square feet or more of impervious cover, or disturbing an acre or more, in unincorporated Effingham County must get an approved stormwater management design plan, and violations carry civil penalties up to $1,000 per day plus possible criminal fines and jail time.
Effingham County Post-Construction Stormwater Rules
Significant RestrictionsEffingham County Code §§ 30-305, 30-375
Sec. 30-305. - Applicability and exemptions. (a)This article shall be applied to all land disturbing activities, unless exempt ... (1)New development that involves the creation of 5,000 square feet or more of impervious cover or that involves other land disturbing activities of one acre or more ... Sec. 30-375. - Penalties. ... (4)Civil penalties. ... the county may impose a penalty not to exce...
Erosion Control
Land-disturbing activity in unincorporated Effingham County requires a permit and an approved best-management-practices erosion, sedimentation, and pollution control plan, a $40-per-acre fee, a $1,500-per-acre bond, and violations carry civil penalties up to $2,500 per day.
Effingham County Erosion & Sediment Control Permit
Significant RestrictionsEffingham County Code §§ 30-121, 30-132
Sec. 30-121. - General provisions. Excessive soil erosion and resulting sedimentation can take place during land-disturbing activities if requirements of the ordinance and the NPDES General Permit are not met. Therefore, plans for those land-disturbing activities which are not exempted by this article shall contain provisions for application of soil erosion, sedimentation and pollution control ...
Flood Zones
Building anything in an unincorporated Effingham County flood hazard area starts with a development permit from the county engineer, and every new structure or substantial improvement must be anchored, built with flood-resistant materials, and constructed by methods that minimize flood damage.
Floodplain Development Rules, Effingham County
Some RestrictionsEffingham County Code §§ 34-8, 34-81
A development permit shall be required in conformance with the provisions of this chapter prior to the commencement of any development activities. ... New construction and substantial improvements ... of existing structures shall be anchored to prevent flotation, collapse or lateral movement of the structure;
Boat Dock Permits
In unincorporated Effingham County, marinas, docks and boat houses are a conditional use, never a use permitted by right, wherever the county's Table of Permitted Uses allows them at all: the AR-1 agricultural-residential district and the Flood Hazard (FH) and Conservation Preservation (CP) overlay districts along the county's rivers. Every other zoning district leaves the use unlisted, which the ordinance treats as prohibited.
Boat Dock Permits in Effingham County
Significant RestrictionsEffingham County Zoning Ordinance § 4.1A
AR-1 AR-2 R-1 R-2 R-3 R-4 R-5 R-6 B-1 B-2 B-3 MXD LI HI FH CP ... FH Flood hazard districts ... CP Conservation preservation districts ... Marina, Docks, and Boal Houses C C C
Flood Elevation Requirements
New construction and substantial improvements in an unincorporated Effingham County flood hazard area must have the lowest floor elevated at least one foot above the base flood elevation, the county's built-in freeboard margin above FEMA's mapped flood level.
Base Flood Elevation Freeboard, Effingham County
Some RestrictionsEffingham County Code § 34-82(1)
(1)New construction and/or substantial improvements. Where base flood elevation data are available, new construction and/or substantial improvement of any structure or manufactured home shall have the lowest floor, including basement, elevated no lower than one foot above the base flood elevation.
All Effingham County ordinances
See every category we cover for Effingham County: parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
Effingham County Ordinance Hub →